Guest Thinkers — February 16, 2011

6,000 Twitter followers. Wow.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Sarah Daly (@IrishAsian05) – a self-described Spanish teacher, school counselor, almost criminologist, Notre Dame grad, shoe addict, and pug lover in New Jersey – is my 6,000th Twitter follower.

Thanks for the follow, Sarah, and thanks to the rest of you Tweeps too. I’m humbled and encouraged by the support.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Strange Maps

How did chess pieces get their names?

One player’s pawn is another’s farmer. And at one time, the queen was a rather powerless virgin.

Starts With A Bang

Have we found a galactic “twin” of the Milky Way?

Our galactic home in the cosmos — the Milky Way — is only one of trillions of galaxies within our Universe. Is one of them truly our “twin?”

Industrial landscape featuring large smokestacks and various structures of an oil refinery, some incorporating cutting-edge carbon removal technology, set under a cloudy sky.

The Present

Not all forms of carbon removal are created equal

The carbon market and offsetting system have created “carbon cowboys” and perpetuated forms of neo-colonialism and other inequities.

The letters "AI" appear with a glitch effect in multicolored pixels against a black background.

The Present

AI skeptic Gary Marcus on AI’s moral and technical shortcomings

The cognitive scientist argues the current AI environment is failing us as consumers and a society. But it’s not too late to change course.

A digital illustration of a human brain with blue veins and a glowing light at the top, set against a black background.

The Future

How Neuralink’s chief competitor is tapping into the brain without surgery

“Neurotech is not just about the brain,” says Synchron CTO Riki Banerjee, explaining how their tech can help with paralysis, brain diseases, and beyond.

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

Should we get rid of technology directors?

[This is a guest post from Doug Green. If you’re interested in being a guest blogger, drop me a note. Happy reading!] Update: see also Don Watkins’ response to this […]