James Hansen, NASA climate scientist, has argued strongly against Cap and Trade legislation, promoted the need for a carbon tax, complained of muzzling by the Bush administration, and has even […]
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First, I would like to thank all those who watched the Sci Fi Science debut and made it such a smashing success. I was overwhelmed by all the response. I […]
“I don’t care for bohemian culture. Innocent people are hurt by it,” says Richard Neel, eldest son of the painter Alice Neel in Andrew Neel’s documentary film, now available on […]
When you smell a ripe strawberry or your morning coffee, what you’re really smelling are hundreds of molecules, says fine fragrance perfumer Chistophe Laudamiel. But that doesn’t mean the brain […]
“For the most part, a lot of those early users were actually Steve and me with aliases. We had silly user names that we just generated in order to make […]
Squeezing a quick update on Sinabung between classes … here goes! With the ongoing volcanic crisis at Sinabung in Indonesia, the United States has pledged funds to help those who […]
The White House message machine went into over drive this weekend as President Obama in public remarks emphasized the need for national unity and tolerance of others, especially for Americans […]
Because whatever becomes of the allocation of electronic rights, the death of chain stores, or (even) the recurring flirtations of this novelist or that poet with risky new forms, we […]
JUST how committed is the new British Coalition Government to Human Rights – and in particular the much trampled human rights of the Chagossians who have spent the best part […]
“The tools used by the commercial industry to detect our thoughts and brain states are very different, and somewhat limited, compared to those used in the research lab.”
“While eating a varied and balanced diet is the best way to get the micronutrients the body requires, some essential vitamins are difficult to come into contact with naturally.”
“Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook in his college dorm room six years ago. Five hundred million people have joined since.” The New Yorker profiles the young Internet entrepreneur.
“New antenna made of carbon nanotubes could make photovoltaic cells more efficient by concentrating solar energy.” MIT News on where renewable energy and nanotechnology intersect.
“The world’s humanitarian aid organizations may do more harm than good, argues Linda Polman.” The writer has a new book on the unintended consequences of humanitarian aid.
“It is a very American thing, that we don’t believe too much in obeying the rules. We are not a nation of Hall Monitors; we are a nation that tortures Hall Monitors. We are people who push the rules.”
“Reach distils what made Halo such a trailblazer in the first place: the combat is extraordinarily good fun. … Halo remembers that, above all else, the art of battle is what counts the most.”
“These days, the energy market is about as complicated as it gets, with a range of issues buffeting stock prices.” The Wall Street Journal breaks down the energy market by sector.
“The real utility of the term ‘Islamism’ is that it can be applied to any person, position, value, or policy that one wishes to smear as vaguely fascist or fundamentalist.”
“America is in the worst spasm of bigotry and paranoia since the McCarthy era. But the irony is that persecuting Muslims at home actually endangers American security abroad.”
Compact fluorescent light bulbs are a fantastic energy-efficient alternative to standard incandescent ones, but let’s face it – they’re rather unfortunate-looking. Until now. From British human-centric gadget company Hulger and designer […]
One self important minister who tends to LESS THAN FIFTY parishioners had national newscasters intoning sober pronouncements about his opinions on the Quran all this week? Are we serious? Is […]
A quick bit of news on a sunny Ohio Sunday: The Alaska Volcano Observatory twitter account mentioned that a ~7.5 km / 25,000 foot ash plume has been detected from […]
People like to use categories for people (race, religion, nation, class, gender) as explanations for others’ behavior (for example, I was late because there was traffic and I have a […]
“The key issue facing everyone in the next decade is figuring out how to use the Internet and how to discern its societal benefits from its over-hyped Utopian promises.”
“A result of a certain kind of overparenting, we are learning, is children who are better prepared for college but less prepared for life.” Lisa Belkin says parenting has become too sacred.
“The loss of linguistic diversity means permanently shutting the door on a vast wealth of potential scientific knowledge.” Obit’s Axel Rose on the downside of English as lingua franca.
“There’s a better reason for the non-fanatical to return to an antiquated medium like vinyl. Listening to music on a computer or iPod via headphones has become the ultimate in anti-social activities.”
“What explains the ascendance of Homo sapiens? Start by looking at our pets.” The Boston Globe says our ability to domesticate and control other species accounts for our formidable rise.
“How does one come to have certain ideas about L.A. without actually experiencing it?” n+1 meditates on the sun, fun and doom captured in the novels of Bret Easton Ellis.
“Under our current system of campaign finance, there is a fundamental gap between the interests of voters and of contributors.” Harvard’s Lawrence Lessig on the Congress’ institutional corruption.