Culture & Religion — May 3, 2010

BT Welcomes New Blogger Maria Popova

Today Big Think is pleased to welcome the very talented Maria Popova, of Brain Pickings fame, to our regular blogging team. Known for “curating eclectic interestingness” from around (and beyond) the Web, Maria will author the new Design for Good blog, focusing on socially beneficial design in the 21st century. You can read her debut post here.Design for Good will cover “everything from industrial design that addresses developing world problems, to guerrilla design interventions that make urbanity more livable, to graphical presentations of data that bring greater transparency to politics. Rapidly expanding in response to increasing cultural demand, this area of study will only grow more vital—and fascinating—in the 21st century.”

Maria, welcome; BT fans, enjoy!

Strange Maps

America’s news deserts are growing

Most counties in the U.S. have only one local newspaper, often one that publishes weekly instead of daily.

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The Present

Are smart cities a wise idea?

When Google runs a smart city, who owns the data?

Illustration of a young woman with closed eyes, smiling, next to a large, detailed eye and surrounded by vibrant, abstract elements and smiley faces.

Neuropsych

Eyes wide shut: Why closing your eyes intensifies psychedelic trips

A recent study suggests that exposure to visual stimuli can diminish the effects of psychedelic drugs.

Starts With A Bang

The big idea of Grand Unified Theories of physics

If the electromagnetic and weak forces unify to make the electroweak force, maybe, at higher energies, something even grander happens?

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The Future

Making microbots smart

What would it take to create a truly intelligent microbot, one that can operate independently?

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