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A word about Big Ideas and Themes — The architecture of Big Think

Big ideas are lenses for envisioning the future. Every article and video on bigthink.com and on our learning platforms is based on an emerging “big idea” that is significant, widely relevant, and actionable. We’re sifting the noise for the questions and insights that have the power to change all of our lives, for decades to come. For example, reverse-engineering is a big idea in that the concept is increasingly useful across multiple disciplines, from education to nanotechnology.

Themes are the seven broad umbrellas under which we organize the hundreds of big ideas that populate Big Think. They include New World Order, Earth and Beyond, 21st Century Living, Going Mental, Extreme Biology, Power and Influence, and Inventing the Future.

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Blog Posts

Daylight Atheism

The Contributions of Freethinkers: Pearl Jam

Dabanner
over 3 years ago

(Editor's Note: Thanks to DA reader Alan Waldron for suggesting this post!) I've written about famous atheist composers before, but not all the great nonbelieving musicians belong to the past. Some are still living, working, and performing - like the subjects of today's post on the contributions ...

Waq al-Waq

Yemeni Government's Statement

Missing
over 3 years ago

It has been a long day for Yemen watchers, but before I sign off for the evening I wanted to post the important paragraph from a statement from Yemen's embassy in the US: The Immigration and Passport Agency has confirmed that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was in Yemen during the period from early ...

Politeia

The Congress of No

800px-us_navy_040210-n-2383b-063_senator_and_chairman_of_the_senate_armed_services_committee_john_warner_listens_alongside_senators_carl_levin
over 3 years ago

In a speech in early December, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) repeated the charge that the Republicans have become "the party of No." Rather than working to improve the legislation put forward by Democrats, he said, the Republican strategy has been to do their best to shut down the ...

Novel Copy

The Internet's Gone Ap(pl)e

Ape
over 3 years ago

I keep getting whiffs of Apple's tablet computer. See what's cooking after the jump. Wired has the most recent report. It sounds like Apple is leaking it some info. There is a small list of links at the bottom of the article. Tech Crunch heard from macrumors.com that Apple bought the domain ...

Waq al-Waq

New AQAP Statement

Missing
over 3 years ago

AQAP in a statement posted to jihadi forum has taken responsibility for the attempted attack on an airliner. Included in the statement is a photo of the attacker. One thing that is important to note is the phrase in the statement in which AQAP claims that it will essentially take the gloves off ...

Waq al-Waq

Monday Papers: English edition

Missing
over 3 years ago

Given all the news stories about Yemen being published - some very good and others not so good - I thought it would be helpful to give a brief run down. First up (only through my Google news search) is this Reuters article that quotes Senator Lieberman, warning about the future of Yemen and the ...

Waq al-Waq

Radio

Missing
over 3 years ago

For those interested in a bit more background on AQAP and the recent raids I have done a couple of radio interviews that may be illuminating. The first was with Glenn Greenwald of Salon Radio - the link and transcript is here. And I did another with NPR here.

Waq al-Waq

New AQAP Statement

Missing
over 3 years ago

Well it has been a busy few days for Yemen and while we have been following the developments, I have refrained from blogging in order to spend time with the family. But as the new week starts, I thought it would be helpful to get back in the swing of things. Before I get into the details of the ...

Eruptions

Redoubt Returns?

Missing
over 3 years ago

The most recent image on the AVO website of the dome at Redoubt, taken in November 2009. Image courtesy of AVO/USGS, by Cyrus Read. Not much information on this, but AVO just raised the alert status at Redoubt in Alaska to Yellow for the first time since late September. A series of small ...

Eruptions

Quick note about emails

Missing
over 3 years ago

I've gotten a lot of emails over the last few weeks and have done a terrible job at replying. No fear - I will get to them, most likely this week or next. Feel free to send me questions/comments/stories whenever you find them - !

IdeaFeed

Release the Hounds

Missing
over 3 years ago

“In the midst of two unfinished major wars, the United States has quietly opened a third, largely covert front against Al Qaeda in Yemen. A year ago, the Central Intelligence Agency sent several of its top field operatives with counterterrorism experience to the country, according a former top ...