A good friend–I’ll call her Tandy here–is a huge fan of meditation. She spends a good hour each day practicing “mindfulness.” She credits her practice with a more calm demeanor, […]
All Articles
I know I’m not the only one who had to search the Internet to find the channel number for OWN, the poorly-rated network Oprah Winfrey launched in 2011. My sudden […]
One day, I found a press release from an academic journal, calling attention to one of its articles. That is unusual enough, since the kinds of articles that Aaron Swartz–a […]
We live in an increasingly visual society, in which our lives are now catalogued as a flood of images – everything from where we traveled to what we had for […]
This month, Wrangler’s “revolutionary” line of jeans infused with skin-soothing extracts will be available on the online shopping site ASOS. (Sorry guys, this one’s just for the ladies. For now.)
The liner is made out of a special type of cardboard that mimics the layer of spongy cartilage separating the bird’s beak from its skull.
Humans are blessed, and cursed, with a risk perception system that mostly gets things right, but sometimes creates what I call a Risk Perception Gap, when we worry more […]
Several Japanese construction companies have developed efficient and environmentally-friendly ways to demolish tall buildings without resorting to explosives and wrecking balls.
The combination of plastic particles and nanoscale cubes can be used to create stain-resistant clothing and protective body gear, among other things.
Although many are still in the development stage, expect to see more devices designed to electronically nag you into doing better.
The argument over guns is a complex topic, but we ought not to dismiss arguments because they do not square with our gut feelings – regardless of whether we want more or less guns, more or less laws.
In an e-mail conversation I had some time ago, a Christian minister attempted to convince me that atheists, despite what they might say, live life on the basis of faith […]
Penn Jillette says healthy skepticism involves maintaining the distinction between what you think and what you feel.
Today’s announcement of NASA’s deal with Bigelow Aerospace for the addition of an inflatable module to the International Space Station hints at the company’s future goals.
On Monday, I suggested that Justice Thomas might build on his first moment of non-silence in seven years. “If he wants to demonstrate that he takes his judicial role seriously […]
A paper’s authors say that contrary to several decades’ worth of movie images, space travelers would see a steady bright light rather than streaks of stars.
Now that two states have legalized marijuana for recreational use, a coalition of farmers and activists are pushing harder for allowing its “good twin” to be grown commercially again.
According to a report published Tuesday, black carbon is second only to carbon dioxide in the list of top human-generated emissions contributing to climate change.
A Scottish company claims to have produced 15 liters’ worth since opening a mini-refinery last summer. They’re now looking to expand…but they need more energy to do so.
Congress created the debt ceiling crisis almost entirely on its own. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress what’s known as the “the power of the purse”: Congress alone can […]
Long before Allen Ginsberg used the phrase ‘first thought, best thought’ to describe spontaneous, intuitive writing that seemed to spring unaware from ‘somewhere else,’ Buddhists had developed this maxim as […]
The New York Police Department announced today that it would begin distributing fake painkillers to pharmacies in one of several plans to stem a rising tide of prescription drug theft.
Unlike more popular ventures like Coursera and Udacity, the Minerva Project is trying to “reimagine what a tier one research university would look like if it started in the 21st century.”
A new survey reveals that the percentage of children who’ve read an e-book nearly doubled between 2010 and 2012. More access to e-books would cause more kids to read for fun as well.
When the new BiblioTech library opens in San Antonio, Texas later this year, it will become the nation’s first “bookless public library” — everything is going to be digital, the library will rent out […]
Texas’ Bexar County residents would have access to thousands of e-books both online and at a physical site to be built, says the county judge who’s behind the proposal.
Have you read the 2008 Supreme Court decision that gives all Americans the right to own guns? Probably not. I hadn’t, until the other day, when I was stunned […]
Since 2002, Fujitsu’s F-series flip phone has had special stealth features that make it the preferred choice for those who like to “play the field.”
What happens when you ban a book? Sales increase. The modern maxim that any press is good press is true. If you really want people to read a book, tell […]
Last Friday Aaron Swartz committed suicide, shortly before his Federal trial was due to begin. According to the US Attorney’s press release, “if convicted on these charges, SWARTZ faces up to 35 years in […]