The 13 most valuable skills that anyone could have

By Kathleen Elkins

Many of life's most important skills cannot be taught in a classroom. They're acquired by living, observing others, and making mistakes.

The great thing about being surrounded by people who have experienced more than you is being able to pick their brains. We turned to a recent Quora thread that asked users for the most valuable skill a person can have for their entire life. 

After sorting through the responses, here are our 13 favorites:

1. Articulating what you think and feel

"It's extremely important for a person to learn to put into words what he thinks. It makes a relationship last. It creates an impression on the person you're talking to. It gives you a chance to explore what others think about your ideas." —Quora user Abhishek Padmasale

2. "Stealing" from the greats

"If you want to be successful, you must learn to steal! Or, 'model.' Modeling is a process of going in and figuring out what the expert does. If you want to be successful in life, find someone who is great and attach to them at the hip. As Pablo Picasso said: 'Good artists copy. Great artists steal.'" —Quora user Martin Armstrong 

3. Self-discipline 

"With self-discipline and perseverance you can acquire any skill. We all make resolutions throughout the year. The only thing stopping us from completing all these resolutions is ourselves. An inner voice within us stops us from waking up early in the morning or meeting new people. If we have proper self discipline we can suppress this voice and live a life that is defined by our own rules." —Quora user Nikant Vohra

4. Knowing what you don't know

"The only difference between the guy who achieves his own definition of success and the guy who doesn't, is that one of them knew what questions to ask. One of them knew what needed to be improved upon. One of them decided to be honest about what it is they don't know."
—Quora user Nicolas Cole

Theo Wargo/GettyJimmy Fallon, host of NBC's "The Tonight Show."

5. Charisma

"You can be broke, unintelligent, foolish, and physically unattractive and still be successful if you have the ability to make other people genuinely want to help you. Charismatic people are easy to recognize; they're the ones you can't help but like. They make other people feel good about themselves, are always present in the moment in your conversation, and have an uncanny ability to inspire trust." —Quora user Michael Graham

6. The ability to accept and move on

"Accept that life can't always be the way you want. Accept that everyone in the world can't behave the way you want them to. Accept that you can't keep everyone happy. Accept that worrying won't do any good. Accept that your happiness lies in your hands." —Quora user Shruti Chopade

7. Thinking differently

"Do something better than anyone else in the world, even if what you do best has a very tiny niche. Being able to do something that 100 million other people can do, while potentially important, is likely not nearly as valuable as having a skill that is unique." —Quora user Auren Hoffman  

8. Empathy

"We all have our demons. Being able to recognize that everyone is fighting their own battle (regardless of how trivial it may seem to you) is a formidable skill to have. It allows for understanding, which often paves the way to friendship, rapport, and a multitude of other fundamental dynamics that allow us to foster real and lasting relationships." —Quora user Ajay Nayr

9. Turning obstacles into opportunities 

"Obstacles are everywhere. The weak are broken by it, the strong survive it, and the great turn it into opportunities. What matters most is not what these obstacles are, but how we see them, how we react to them, and whether we keep our composure."  —Quora user Atul Pradhananga

Flickr / Ed Yourdon

10. Reading quickly

"Learn to read very quickly with high retention. Tony Robbins taught himself to speed read by reading one book a day. Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger spend 80% of their day reading. 86% of wealthy love reading. It is one of the few skills that can directly create other skills." —Quora user Sam Yang

11. Mastering graceful confrontation 

"Mastering this skill sets your mind free. It not only eases the unwanted stress, but it also gives positivity to an individual because he/she has no underlying layers of emotions towards a certain person. Confront. Say you have a problem. Sort it out. Be happy." —Quora user Neha Kariyaniya

12. Not taking conflict personally

"Whenever we are engaged in a heated discussion with someone we tend to listen more with the intent of replying, than actually understanding his point of view. We try to combat by bringing things from the past and let our preconceived notions about the other person cloud our judgment.

"Respond to his points, not his behavior." —Quora user Manas J. Saloi

13. Making people smile 

"To make people laugh and not hurt anybody's feeling is not an easy task. The people with this beautiful skill can tackle any situation." —Quora user Hitha Sudhi

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-most-valuable-skills-you-could-have-2015-4#ixzz3Z1uCEuov

Barbara Corcoran on the lack of female executives: 'Women are smarter than men'

By Kathleen Elkins

The top of the corporate food chain remains a boys club.

Women account for just 5% of CEOs at Fortune 500 companies.

However, it's not a question of intelligence, "Shark Tank" investor Barbara Corcoran recently told Tom Keene and Olivia Sterns on Bloomberg Television.

When asked how we can get more female executives, the savvy businesswoman who turned a $1,000 investment into a $70 million real estate business had an interesting answer. 

"I don't think it's an issue of getting executives in the first place, because so many people are coming out of business school and pursuing a career like that," she told Keene and Sterns. "I think it's a question of how do you keep women in that position, or on the career path, long enough to get to the top office?"

So why aren't women sticking it out?

The "one great reality in life called having children," Corcoran explained. "Believe me, any woman who has a high-paying job and also is a mom at home can tell you how hard that is to juggle both."

 

That's where the intelligence piece fits in. "Women are smarter than men," she said. "They get to a point and think, 'Is this worth it?' The resounding answer is no, and they check out."

 

The fix, according to Corcoran, is for women to start their own businesses and be their own bosses.

But that's just the beginning. Even when women take ownership and jumpstart an entrepreneurial career, Corcoran has observed that their businesses are more likely to experience a downfall.

"If you're going to build a business, it's just a matter of jumping over a million obstacles and having the stamina to get back up and say ... 'hit me again,'" she told Bloomberg. "But women tend to pout a little bit more. They lay back and think, 'Oh my God, oh my God.' And while they're doing that, the next guy's running away."

To get her female entrepreneurs back in the game, Corcoran gives them a large dose of tough love. 

"I shame them to death. 'What would your daughter think? Is she going to be proud of you if she reads this oh poor me email? Get the heck up!' I just badger them," she said. 

Watch the full interview here.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/barbara-corcoran-says-women-are-smarter-2015-4#ixzz3Z1tcWnIR

Los cambios de estación: ciclos naturales de la vida

Un cambio de estación, especialmente cuando comienzan los meses de frío, puede afectar de manera negativa el estado de ánimo. Son los ciclos naturales de la vida, que muchas veces no se perciben por el ritmo de vida cotidiano. En ocasiones nos sentimos con cierta apatía, cansancio o desánimo, aunque solamente puede durar algunos días.


El ciclo de las estaciones puede describirse desde muchas ópticas y perspectivas. Un cambio de estación, especialmente los meses de frío, tienden a afectar de manera negativa el estado de ánimo. Cuando se presentan estos síntomas no hay que preocuparse, ya que es normal y solamente dura algunos pocos días.

Quienes vivimos en las grandes ciudades hemos perdido la percepción interna de los cambios de estación. Nuestra vida cotidiana ha teñido definitivamente nuestra conexión con la naturaleza, lo más significativo de cada estación acaba reducido a si padecemos alergias, si hace más o menos frío/calor que el año anterior o si se usa el color rojo. Sin embargo, esta conexión existe, y tal vez escucharla sea una manera de entender algunas de las sensaciones que experimentamos.

El otoño es época de transición entre el verano y el invierno, hay una paulatina disminución de las horas de luz solar y esto supone un cambio de rutinas.

Se reduce la posibilidad de realizar ciertas actividades en exteriores, debemos reorganizar nuestros horarios, estación también de "la vuelta al cole" con la que también aparecen los cambios de ritmo, las prisas.

En ocasiones nos sentimos con cierta apatía, cansancio, desánimo o lo contrario, con ansiedad o tensión. Cada vez son más los especialistas que aseguran que un cambio de estación, especialmente en otoño e invierno, tienden a afectar de manera negativa -del invierno a la primavera, lo que se observa en la mayoría de las personas es que las tienden a sentirse más animadas y alegres, debido fundamentalmente al aumento de luz solar y a la mejora del clima-, ese cambio repercute directamente en el estado de ánimo de las personas, debido a que el organismo experimenta ciertos cambios hormonales como consecuencia de la disminución de la luz solar y de la llegada de una época más fría y algo más oscura.

Pero no hay que preocuparse si durante los primeros días tras el cambio de estación nos sentimos un poco tristes. Es normal, e irá desapareciendo de forma paulatina.

Tal vez, si entendiéramos el ciclo de las estaciones con profundidad, veríamos que tanto el otoño y más profundizado durante el invierno, reflejan un estado de interiorización, de revisión interior necesaria para que en la primavera todo florezca de nuevo, tal como sucede en la naturaleza. Visto así, el invierno se convierte en una estación especialmente atractiva, el frío no permite salir tanto de casa y los ratos en el hogar se prolongan. Oscurece antes y muchos días, llueve. A nivel psicológico simboliza una etapa de final previa a un renacimiento, que llegará con la primavera.

Final de un ciclo

Es una alegoría de la revisión al final de un ciclo. En la primavera nacemos y florecemos, en verano nos expandimos y vivimos en pleno apogeo, en otoño salimos de esa máxima expansión para vivir una etapa más calmada y de disfrute de los frutos cosechados, para acabar llegando al invierno en que todo queda sin florecer, y muere simbólicamente para que se pueda renacer una vez más al poco tiempo. Es evidente que no nos permitimos ese ciclo a nivel interno soportando sin desesperar esos días de tristeza que el organismo y el ánimo necesitan para reacomodarse frente a la nueva estación.

Fuente: Diario Popular Vida 

ImaginAcción: Locura más energía creativa, igual a felicidad

Raúl González Pinto (*)

raulqro@gmail.com

En la sociedad moderna –estarás acuerdo lector/lectora – privilegiamos la razón y rechazamos la locura. Nos parecerá más que obvio que la primera es nuestra mejor garantía de que somos seres pensantes y que la segunda nos conduciría sin remedio a la perdición del alma.
“¡Pues yo no estoy de acuerdo con ustedes!”, se apresaría a respondernos Erasmo de Rotterdam, el pensador renacentista por excelencia. Y agregaría: “La diferencia que existe entre un loco y un sabio es que el primero obedece a sus pasiones y el segundo a la razón…Pero son precisamente las pasiones las que sirven de guía a aquellos que luchan con ardor en la carrera de la sabiduría; son ellas las que les estimulan a cumplir todos los deberes de la virtud y les inspiran el deseo y el pensamiento hacia el bien”.

La cita anterior, que transcribo literalmente de ‘Elogio de la Locura’, nos obliga a reconsiderar la simplista distinción entre el loco y el sabio, ya que de acuerdo con el legendario humanista un sabio debería permitirse iluminar por la chispa de la locura.

Con tan seductora propuesta, Rotterdam se atrevió a desafiar a Séneca, quien en pleno esplendor del imperio romano había postulado que el ser humano debería despojarse de toda emocionalidad si deseaba la perfección intelectual. “Séneca, estoico integral – precisó el holandés –, decía que el sabio debería estar exento por completo de pasiones… un sabio así sería un estúpido ídolo, desprovisto de sentimientos humanos, insensible y duro como el mármol”.

Al reivindicar la locura, el avezado filósofo pone el dedo en la llaga y nos invita a emprender el camino de la locura como ruta ineludible a la felicidad. “En mi opinión – expresa –, entre más clases de locuras se posean, más felices seremos”.

Coincide con Sófocles, quien estipuló que “la vida más agradable es la que transcurre sin prudencia alguna”. Si ser prudentes supone nuestra habilidad para autogobernarnos por medio de la razón, la imprudencia nos libera de su yugo. Si nos atrevemos a abandonar nuestra mullida y limitante zona de comodidad, ingresaremos por la puerta grande al mágico mundo de la aventura.

En una vena similar, Caroline Myss nos invita a combatir nuestra tendencia a aferrarnos al infierno de los hábitos si deseamos conectarnos con nuestra energía creativa. De acuerdo con la autora de ‘Anatomía del Espíritu’, para moldear nuestra vida de una manera diferente es menester desafiarnos a nosotros mismos. “La energía creativa – apunta la escritora estadunidense – nos proporciona los instintos e intuiciones básicos para sobrevivir, como también el deseo de crear música, arte y poesía”.

A decir de Erasmo, una de las bondades de la locura es la autenticidad, ya que en su inocencia los niños y los locos siempre dicen la verdad. “Todo lo que el loco lleva en el corazón – nos recuerda –, lo dice su lengua sin ambages ni rodeos”.

Para vivir en la sana creatividad de la locura, es menester despojarnos de la solemnidad petulante y el acartonamiento sombrío. A manera de ejemplo, el referido autor nos pide pensar en un sacerdote cuyo sermón dominical resulte tan excesivamente formal como soso.

Como resultado, los feligreses se aburrirán sin remedio. Precisa, sin embargo, que si el párroco “se pone a contar una historieta, los oyentes cambiarán de pronto su actitud, se despertarán y se erguirán escuchando con la mayor atención”.

Bien haríamos, pues, en darle a la vida no un tono trágico sino de comedia. Precisa el erudito: “¿Y qué es la vida? Una especie de comedia continua, en la que los hombres, disfrazados de mil formas diversas aparecen en escena; representan un cierto papel hasta que el director, después de haberles hecho cambiar de traje varias veces – vistiéndoles lo mismo con el color púrpura de los reyes que con los harapos del esclavo – les ordena que abandonen la escena”.

De tal actualidad, resulta la filosofía de vida aquí planteada, que nos resultará difícil hacernos a la idea de que Erasmo de Rotterdam escribió su ‘Elogio de la Locura’ en 1511, ¡apenas dos décadas después del descubrimiento de América!
Su mayor lección consiste en enseñarnos que la peor locura sería dejar de reconocer la liberadora sinrazón de la locura.

(*) Doctor en Comunicación por la Universidad de Ohio y Máster en Periodismo por la Universidad de Iowa.

Un lugar (cualquiera) en el mundo

Por Hernán Iglesias Illa |  Para LA NACION

Después de casi una década afuera, hace un año y un mes volví a vivir en Buenos Aires. Mis amigos y la gente que conozco a veces me preguntan cómo me siento, si me adapté a esta ciudad, si extraño Nueva York. Nunca sé qué contestar. Para mí, que vivo, al menos en parte, de rumiar sobre las sutilezas de la vida cotidiana, esta falta de respuesta es un fracaso. ¿Cómo puede ser que justo yo, que se supone soy un experto en hacer grandes teorías sobre los temas más insignificantes, no pueda decidir si al mudarme a Buenos Aires gané o perdí algo, si ahora soy más feliz que antes, si Buenos Aires es mejor o peor que Nueva York?
Es lamentable, pero es la verdad. Después de un año sigo sin tener nada revelador para decir sobre mi mudanza.
Tengo, igual, dos o tres respuestas con las cuales lleno, en general, los vacíos de las conversaciones. Menciono mis problemas con las burocracias argentinas para sacar mis muebles del contenedor donde estuvieron en el puerto, mis problemas para sacar una cuenta en un banco (regulaciones recientes del Banco Central lo hicieron, aparentemente, mucho más difícil), mis problemas para anotarme en una obra social. Pero también digo que todos los países, aunque ninguno como la Argentina, son complicados para los recién llegados. Menciono, por supuesto, que ahora vivo cerca de mi familia y mis amigos, y que eso aumenta mi felicidad, pero no dice nada sobre la calidad de vida de Buenos Aires o Nueva York.
Otro punto que a veces menciono es que en Nueva York yo trabajaba solo, encerrado en un cuartito con una computadora, escribiendo todo el día, y en Buenos Aires salgo todas las mañanas hacia un lugar de trabajo donde interactúo con gente, tengo reuniones, trabajo en equipo. El cambio más importante en mi vida cotidiana no es el reemplazo de Nueva York por Buenos Aires, argumento, sino la salida de mi monasterio de escritura a la colmena urbana de relaciones diarias y almuerzos compartidos.
Mucha gente, de todas maneras, me pide una especie de evaluación, un juicio. Están los que me preguntan, medio en broma, pero bastante en serio, cómo pude abandonar Nueva York para vivir en este país invivible (suelen ser, aunque no siempre, antikirchneristas). Y hay otros que me dicen que mi transición debe de haber sido fácil porque Buenos Aires es una metrópoli global comparable con Nueva York (éstos suelen ser, aunque no siempre, kirchneristas). Ninguno de los dos tienen razón (ni la Argentina es un país invivible ni Buenos Aires es una metrópoli global comparable con Nueva York), pero tampoco para ellos tengo una buena respuesta.
Lo que tengo para decir es bastante más aburrido, y es que tengo la sensación de que puedo vivir en cualquier lado y que me afecta bastante poco el contexto a mi alrededor. No lo puedo probar, porque para ello debería mudarme a un lugar verdaderamente inhóspito, pero creo que si tengo Wi-Fi, un lugar para escribir y a mi mujer (¡no en ese orden!), puedo vivir en casi cualquier lado, fuera de lugares en guerra o con climas auténticamente insoportables.
No sé si esto me convierte en un esclarecido que ha aprendido un secreto de la vida o si me convierte en un adulto-adolescente narcisista incapaz de compenetrarse con el lugar donde vive, pero genuinamente siento que no necesito mucho más. Lo que sí es adolescente es vivir planificando la próxima mudanza, como un alivio o una escapatoria, como un Lucky Luke que parte sobre su caballo hacia el atardecer. Tuve esa ansiedad mucho tiempo. Ahora, y esto también es verdad, ya no..

9 Easy Ways To Simplify Your Life

• EMMIE MARTIN
 

Between staying in touch with friends and family, trying to be a superstar at work, and keeping up with household chores, life can get pretty complicated. 

Quora users agree, and recently discussed how to cut down life's clutter on the thread: "How can I make my life simpler?" 

Several users provided helpful suggestions on ways to streamline our day-to-day lives. Here are nine of our favorite ideas for how you can make every day a little bit simpler:

1. Just say no.

While it might not be easy, saying no to anything that adds clutter to your life leaves room for what's most important to you. "You need to say no to everything that doesn't matter," says Oliver Emberton. "Practice saying no to everything by default, and making rare, precious exceptions." Once you start, your priorities will become clearer.

2. Travel abroad. 

Quora user Mark Pan suggests moving to another country for a couple of years. The transition will force you to let go of big complications such as an unfulfilling job or a messy relationship, as well as force you to pare down your belongings. "Once you come back, you'll have much less baggage, both tangible and intangible, and be able to start fresh in many aspects," he says.

3. Make up your mind.

Shrugging off decisions with a flip "I don't know" will only make choosing harder in the long run. Radhika Devidas explains: "This 'I don't know' feeling that you get from time to time only means that you have to ponder some more to arrive at something solid. When you leave things at this stage, they tend to become huge and often cancerous when they catch your attention the second time."

4. Clean house.

Patricia Mineault recommends literally clearing out your house once a year. "Get rid of half your stuff," she says. "Of course, you'll buy more stuff during the year, but you'll still have less stuff on average. You'd be surprised how little stuff you need."

Quora user Autumn Knudson agrees, adding that you should focus on buying only the highest quality essentials. "Do this so that you don't have to worry about repairing or replacing these things," Knudson says. The less time spent replacing worn-out clothes and furniture, the more time you have to devote to more important tasks.

5. Decide what you truly need.

It's easy to get caught up in something you want and decide that you can't live without it. But the truth is, people only need a few basic items, such as food, water, and shelter. "The more stuff we own/pursue/desire, the less our lives become our own," says Krystle Hannigan. "People end up being 'owned' by all their acquisitions." Don't let spacious homes, luxury cars, or designer clothing get in the way of more meaningful things, like finding your purpose and developing deeper relationships, Hannigan advises. 

6. Ride your bicycle.

Simplifying your transportation automatically streamlines several other aspects of your life. "You'll save on gas, insurance, parking, and maintenance costs. Who needs a gym membership? You're getting a work-out on the way to work!" says Ryan Killoran. 

Killoran isn't alone here. Mike Lince suggests selling your car altogether. "Put your transportation dollars into carpooling, public transportation, and taxis, and you will have money left over," he writes. "Use transportation time to read or nap or work on puzzles for entertainment."

7. Take a break from your phone.

Between checking email, answering texts, and beating the next level of Candy Crush, our phones eat up hours of valuable time and can cause unnecessary stress. It might not be feasible to ditch your phone for good, but leaving it behind during times when you know you won't need it, as suggested by Mike Fishbein, can add cherished moments of simplicity to your life.

8. Get organized.

Keeping your workspace clear of clutter will help you keep your mind clear as well. Christopher Chen explains that "by organizing and keeping neat, you'll make finding a book, paper, or folder much easier, and this will save time. No matter how cliche this may sound, keeping a neat workspace will also remove the clutter that exists in your own mind, and make it easier to focus."

Another way to eliminate extra clutter around your desk: Pay bills online and sign up for a paperless bank account. "You will then have very little 'real' mail. Just chuck the rest of the pile in the trash," Steve Coffman says.

9. Enjoy the little things.

Take time to appreciate the little moments in life rather than hurrying from one activity to the next. Quora user Dan Alia has a few suggestions of where to start: "Watch a sunset, listen to children laugh, pay for the coffee of the person behind you, smile at a stranger, turn the music up, listen more, call your mom and tell her you love her, drink more water, really enjoy a bright, shiny, crisp, red delicious apple, and always leave everything better than you find it."

9 Career Lessons From Joan Rivers On How To Be Successful

• KIRSTEN ACUNA
 

Joan Rivers passed away at the age of 81 Thursday following complications from a minor procedure last week.

While the sprightly comic is often viewed as a pioneer for female comediennes, Rivers herself disagreed, telling PBS in 2013 that she was still always “looking for the new frontier.”

Rivers may have ruffled a lot of feathers over the years; however, there's no denying the Brooklyn native wasn't afraid to speak her mind. 

While Rivers had many funny one-liners, the woman who never stopped working also gave a lot of advice on success. We've compiled some of Rivers' best quotes highlighting lessons that helped her break into the business. 

Love what you do.

Joan and Melissa Rivers at the 57th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Sunday, Sept. 18, 2005.
“I’m very blessed to be a workaholic. Anyone that’s successful has to love their work and not say, ‘Oh, it’s 5 o’clock. Thank God.’ You’ve got to go, ‘5 o’clock already? Well, maybe another hour or two.’”

(NBC, “Today” 1986)

Don't be afraid to speak up.

Joan Rivers announces she is starting a syndicated talk show, "The Joan Rivers Show."
“I succeeded by saying what everyone else is thinking.”

(via ABC)

Never settle for rejection.

"My whole career has been one rejection after another and then going back and back and pushing against everything and everybody. Getting ahead by small, ugly steps."

(People, 1978)

Always be in command.

Joan Rivers kneeling at the 53rd annual Primetime Emmy Awards Sunday, Nov. 4, 2001.
“You go on stage, and you've got to be in command. You have to put down drunks and control the conversation, and that's very masculine. When I think back to the places I've played, I'm amazed I didn't turn out to be Dora Dyke.”

(New York Times Wednesday, January 14, 1970)

Don't ever say 'I can't.'

Joan Rivers prepares for her return to Broadway in “Sally Marr and her Escorts” April, 1994.
"I have to tell you that it's not going to be easy. Take every chance and every opportunity that you can. Don't say 'I can't' or 'I shouldn't' or 'I'm too tired.'"

(The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1995)

Do what makes you happy.

"I'm doing exactly what I want to do. I haven't compromised myself. You know that word in the business —selling out? I'm still talking about what I want to talk about, and getting paid for it."

(TV Guide, August 10, 1968)

If you know you have a talent, don't waste it.

"I'm in a business where it's not about race. It's about talent. And hard work. Period. You got it, you make it. You don't got it, you don't make it. Over and out."

(Esquire 2007)

You can't always get to the top by being nice.

"In this town I have learned that courtesy is taken as a weakness. I used to say please and thank you and ask nicely. I have learned you have to slap 'em up against the wall, and they totally understand it."

(People, 1978)

Make time to laugh.

Joan Rivers in her Bel Air home in April 1978 during an interview about her film "Rabbit Test" which starred Billy Crystal.
“If you can laugh at anything, it helps you get through life. Comedy is relief. Life is very sad and tough."

(TV Guide, August 10, 1968)

A Beehive For Humans, Designed So We Can Live On Mars

What is this, a house for bees?

Here's one vision for the two-bedroom apartment of the future: A modular, hexagonal building with two baths, basic appliances, and walls that happen to be able to withstand -80 degree temperatures, constant space radiation, and frequent dust storms. This is a home designed for Mars.

The beehive-like building can be arranged in multiple configurations; this one includes a garden and a 3-D printer room. Underneath the apartment, a container filled with heated water would keep the building warm and an air purification system would provide oxygen. Outside, panels made from depleted uranium would keep radiation out, and the shape of the walls would help minimize heat loss.

The model, called the Queen B, is the brainchild of 3-D product designer Noah Hershberger, who won a recent challenge from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Makerbot to design a bio-shielding dwelling for the red planet. Though Mars architecture it might seem like a job for a rocket scientist, NASA wants to get more people thinking about what a future there might look like.

"Innovation in spacecraft engineering often depends on out-of-the-box thinking, with ideas taken from people, nature, prior prototypes, and everyday experiences," says Tom Soderstrom, chief technology officer at JPL. "In the future, robots and eventually human explorers will need to manufacture tools, make repairs, and even build habitats in places far beyond Earth, for purposes not even imagined yet. Involving citizens allows novel ideas to come forward."

For the designer, it was a chance to explore 3-D architecture. "I was thinking more about the style and using imagination to showing a possible future," says Hershberger. "The physics is really another problem for another team of people who would know a lot more than I do. I am merely sketching out how space could be divided."

The building is intended to be 3-D printed from a concrete-like mixture of Mars dust and a binder. "3-D printing is becoming increasingly critical to building and rapidly prototyping spacecraft parts and tools on demand and at competitive costs," Soderstrom explains.

Hershberger also used a 3-D printer to plan the design. "I actually developed the floor plan after printing the modules," he says. "I sat there and played with the various arrangements for several hours, photographing along the way. Then I looked at what would work the best and used that as my design."

Several aspects of the design would need more development to work, like how Martian air could be separated from breathable air in the entryway. The design would also likely be expensive in its current form.

"I focused on the 'dream' in the same way that a concept car would get sketched out and eventually made down the line," Hershberger says. "I know the science would have to catch up a bit, but I believe it could be created."