It has been clear for some time that the presidential election would be about economics. The killing of Osama bin Laden, the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and the fall […]
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In about five billion years, scientists estimate, the Earth will be engulfed and burned up in the expanding radius of the Sun as it evolves into its slightly cooler but much larger phase.
It’s unusual for a website to charge for its services, admits Lynda Weinman, but the fee “allows us to have a sustainable business model where we can pay contributors.” Her approach represents a compromise between the open ideals of the web and the financial needs of the people who fill its pages.
In the last four months, three large spacecraft have fallen to Earth, including a Russian probe loaded with toxic fuel. As low-Earth atmosphere gets more crowded, who is looking out for us?
There are a lot of cool posts on BIG THINK today. Austin Allen’s on stuff the great literary critic Harold Bloom declared dead is a kind of an ironic appreciation. The […]
Barack Obama looked like he enjoys being the president of the United States last night. There was a lot that could have been improved upon in his third State of […]
Future missions to space should concentrate on eliminating threats to Earth, expanding civilization beyond our planet and harvesting extraterrestrial energy resources.
A rise in temperature of a few degrees could benefit colder regions by lengthening farming seasons, introducing new crops and changing immigration patters. It’s a big ‘could’.
The largest solar storm since 2005 has engulfed the Earth, surrounding it in solar radiation capable of disrupting satellite communication. This time, however, the Earth seems to have lucked out.
For most of the world, music lessons are a luxury of the bourgeois class. Both musical instruments and music lessons are pricey. As the average American moves his home several […]
Celebrated literary critic Harold Bloom turns eighty-two this year and is still publishing and teaching. In his honor, I’ve compiled a list of six things he’s outlived. 1) The Western […]
What is that “Presidential” look? Consciously or subconsciously, American voters ask themselves that question every four years on the way to the ballot box. Is it the Mount Rushmore-ready chin, […]
My latest article has been posted on AlterNet, Once Again, Believers Have it Wrong: Atheists Don’t Just Want Sex, Drugs, and Lack of Morality. As you might have guessed, it’s […]
Surprise meeting with an old acquaintance in the Whitechapel Gallery – Grayson Perry’s Map of an Englishman (discussed in #241). “It’s the work that draws the most people, and gets […]
Every Wednesday, Michio Kaku will be answering reader questions about physics and futuristic science. If you have a question for Dr. Kaku, just post it in the comments section below […]
Charles Murray wrote a piece on economic inequality and cultural factors that contribute to it in the Wall Street Journal. He vividly describes inequalities between two groups of white Americans, […]
In today’s excerpt – the two heartbreaks of Cynthia Ann Parker. In 1836, when she was nine years old, Cynthia was captured in a murderous raid by Comanches on her […]
Thanks to 3D printers, digital Internet files will soon take on a new direction. They will include design specifications for 3D objects ranging from a pair of sneakers to a new car.
Charles Murray wrote a piece on economic inequality and cultural factors that contribute to it in the Wall Street Journal. He vividly describes inequalities between two groups of white Americans, […]
What kind of insurance does a self-driving car need? Can a police officer pull one over? While technological challenges to the new autos are being overcome, legal ones remain far from resolved.
Whether it’s Sir Salman Rushdie not attending the prestigious Jaipur Literature Festival in India because of threats, or student unions being told to remove offensive material on their Facebook page, […]
Joi Ito has championed the MIT Media Lab’s inter-disciplinary approach to problem-solving. That means instead of specializing, going deep enough in a number of fields in order to understand the nuances and connect with other experts.
From Tea Parties to Occupy Wall Street, regular American citizens are sick and tired, and just can’t take it anymore. I am a proud tea partier, which means that I […]
The court unanimously ruled that police officers who attached a GPS tracking device to a car without a warrant acted unconstitutionally. The case may set precedent for digital privacy.
Besides the entertainment companies that rely on pirating statistics to advertise, illegal downloading can only be curbed by sensible legal alternatives that make files more accessible.
Many of the physical spaces occupied by our institutions—office buildings, universities, shopping malls—are nothing more than low-bandwidth information transfer. Say goodbye to them.
The Year of the Dragon – traditionally the year of big, innovative ideas and breakthrough projects – might just be the year that China’s creative class enters the global spotlight. […]
Take a moment, and remember, in as much detail as possible, a time in your life when you were REALLY SCARED! If you tried, you could probably summon […]
Big Think juxtaposes two unique perspectives on the state of the union. Tea Party pioneer Keli Carender writes the blog Redistributing Knowledge, which is coming soon to Big Think. Eric Sanders is a vocal supporter of the Occupy Movement.
In this imagined, alternative State of the Union address, playwright and political blogger Eric Sanders proposes sweeping structural changes, including a “people’s congress” with veto power.