Former CBS news correspondent Jere Van Dyk talks about the survival skills he used to get through a 45-day kidnapping ordeal in Afghanistan where his life was threatened daily.
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How much of the celebrity status attained by Stephen Hawking and Richard Dawkins is attributable to their ideas, and how much from marketing, framing, and self-promotion?
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The magician explains his libertarian beliefs and why President Obama should be “questioned and beat up.” Watch
Columbia University professor and author Oliver Sacks has documented how damage to the brain can render even the most quotidian of tasks impossible.
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Rich economies are built on patience. How patient people are to consume determines how much they save. How much they save determines how much they invest and how much they invest influences how quickly economies grow. So it has to be true that in the past, people in rich economies have been patient ... Read More
Why exactly do fights break out when people are drinking? You might think it's simple biochemistry—alcohol molecules wreaking changes on brain cells, leading to behavior change, leading to a broken nose and community service. But simple biochemistry isn't enough to explain much about mental life—not ... Read More
Blogger David Xia friend swiped this card from Citibank while he was there for an interview. It's a list of tips for women on how not to sabotage their careers with Citibank. The friend says the cards were on every desk in the HR department. My favorite is item #8 on the list of things NOT to do if ... Read More
Stephen Hawking’s latest book Grand Design sits atop the Amazon best-seller list and has been the subject of gobal news attention and debate. Driving discussion (and sales) is Hawking’s “no Creator necessary” assertion that natural laws alone can account for the origin of the Universe. Scientists ... Read More
Two small asteroids that were discovered on September 5th by the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Ariz., whizzed past the Earth on Wednesday. According to scientists, the first asteroid (2010 RX 30) was estimated to be between 32 to 65 feet in diameter and passed within 154,000 miles of Earth or ... Read More
"Subway trains will generate power for the grid with a battery that captures power from the braking trains." Technology Review reports on energy innovation out of Philadelphia.
"The sequel to the 30-year-old 'The Official Preppy Handbook' reminds us that you don't necessarily need to have money to have class." Columnist Megham Daum on her favorite book.
Imagine everyone decided to stop producing fossil fuels tomorrow. Global warming thresholds calculated by climate change scientists would not be crossed. Danger lies in future production.
"Is cosmology a form of theology for a secular age? Cosmology is so popular, not just because of the science, but because it allows us to ask the big questions. It’s metaphysics by other means."
"Up and down society, people are moving away from commercial, productive activities and toward pleasant, enlightened but less productive ones." David Brooks on economic change.
"Obama is a clear and knowing accessory to war crimes, and should at some point face prosecution." The Atlantic's Andrew Sullivan on Obama's use of executive privilege.
"The narrative of men rejecting metrosexuality and reclaiming their manhood makes perfect marketing sense." Douglas Haddow says being a man's man is the next trend in manhood.
"Did computerization create the Great Divergence?" Slate asks if the current American class divide was worsened by the emergence of computers and the 1990's digital divide.
"The role of Latinos in American society is growing inexorably, with big political implications for the future." The Economist reports on the Hispanicisation of America from the southwest.
"Too expensive, too heavy and unnecessary: Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer hold copilots in low regard. So, now the company plans to replace them with a computer."
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