Social change often works against generations of tradition, so what accounts for its success or failure? The New York Times looks at examples of reform in China and Kenya for clues.
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An initiative at M.I.T. that helps to connect venture capitalists with inventors and innovators may spur the creation of a new social network. The government is watching for results.
The industrialized world is aging, but perhaps there is cause to celebrate. Stefany Anne Golberg at The Smart Set sees a future of technological wonder and wise elders.
A study by the Electromagnetic Compatibility Society finds that: “There is no definitive instance of an air accident known to have been caused by a passenger’s use of an electronic device.”
Inspired by the state’s earthquakes, California researchers have predicted where future crimes will occur by using seismological methods intended to measure aftershocks.
Which will prove better: austerity or deficit spending? The respective approaches taken by Britain and America to recover the economy may prove a useful historical experiment.
“Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t,” Polonius says in Act 2 of Shakespeare’s Hamlet after an exchange with the title character. After encountering the unique sculpture of […]
Sustainable farming is a topic of pressing interest and a domain of growing innovation in agriculture, but it’s an incredibly complex issue involving multiple interrelated factors. A new partnership between […]
In a guest post today, AU graduate student Allison Kind takes a look at the social media campaign behind the launch of comedian Conan O’Brien’s new show on TBS.–Matthew Nisbet […]
While rail passengers are being warned to expect fare increases of up to 40% – possibly even more – over the next four years it’s bonanza time in the boardrooms […]
“A man’s shaved head—whether it’s to-the-skin or with slight stubble—can suggest a sigh-inspiring combination of intellectual depth and machismo.”
“The moon is pockmarked with cold, wet oases that could contain enough water ice to be useful to manned missions.” A recent NASA mission found evidence of life’s cornerstone.
Surveys show that religious people prefer secular justifications for their political stances while secularists presume they don’t. Is religion getting an undeserved bad name?
“As the sales of e-books finally start to soar, what effect will this digital revolution have on publishers, readers and writers? Will the novel as we know it survive?”
“Many reasons have been given for the West’s dominance over the last 500 years. But, Ian Morris argues, its rise to global hegemony was largely due to geographical good fortune.”
In the greatest leak in the history of the United States military, WikiLeaks plans to publish 391,832 classified documents on the Iraq on the Internet.
The life of a microcredit loan is often very short—lengthening the repayment window would allow borrowers the opportunity to create bigger gains, says Forbes’ Eva Pereira.
“A Swedish study finds that 70-year-olds in 2000 did better on intelligence tests than 70-year-olds had done in 1971.” Scientific American reports on the aging process.
“Because the coldhearted equations of classical economics neglect emotion, their description of our decisions remained woefully incomplete.” The Frontal Cortex on the irrational consumer.
The last day of The Daily Beast’s ideas forum in New Orleans features talks from political thinkers like James Carville and business leaders from India and China.
Is an Obamaville in your future? That’s the question asked by a mailer sent in by one of Greg Sargent’s readers. The mailer is sponsored by the 60 Plus Association, […]
Willow Smith, Will and Jada Smith’s precocious 9 year old daughter, just released her single “Whip My Hair,” a smash hit that heralds a great career. Are 9-year old superstars […]
It is not because Julian Assange reminds us of Errol Morris. It is because Julian Assange reminds us of Robert S. McNamara. His precision and self-assurance are coupled with mission, […]
There are seismic events which have such import, that it is possible to remember exactly where one was and what one was doing when the news first broke. I was […]
The online video series, created by sex columnist Dan Savage and his husband Terry in response to recent LGBT teen suicides, has reached the White House. Savage talks to Big Think about its success.
The anti-plastic crusade of the past few years has focused largely on bottled water, but the beverage market isn’t the only culprit for the plastic bottle epidemic. Replenish aims to […]
We all know that when it comes to buying a house the three most important factors to consider are location, location, and location. There is anecdotal evidence that if you […]
When I wrote a couple of days ago that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is wrong to blame immigrants to Germany for failing to adapt to German norms quickly enough, one […]
When an industrialized nation’s population shrinks, fewer and fewer working-age people have to support more and more retirees.
Dogs and other furry mammals shake to dry themselves off. Experimenters at the Georgia Institute of Technology calculated how fast an animal has to oscillate to overcome surface tension and throw water off its hairs.