The ash from the Grímsvötn eruption in Iceland has now made its way to the British Isles and over 200 flights have been delayed or cancelled due to the ash, […]
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Electronic ‘backchannels’ at conferences are commonplace these days. But are we ready for teachers who try to incorporate backchannels into their classroom instruction? Earlier this month the New York Times […]
One of the most exciting aspects of digital marketing is its measurability. But just because you can measure it does not always mean it is easy to know if your efforts are paying off.
Martin Belam’s account of the BBC’s Social Media Summit, including hostile questions over Al Jazeera’s role in the Arab spring uprisings and why the NYT has social media right.
A lawsuit has accused Cisco Systems of designing a surveillance system to help the Chinese government track and ultimately suppress members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement.
Are social media above the super-injunctions that the so-called old media have to abide by? And is the current fuss in the U.K. really about press freedom or the right to spread poison?
New independent studies confirm earlier findings that cell phones can disrupt DNA, impair brain function and lower sperm count.
There was something missing from last night’s premiere of Too Big To Fail, a made for HBO movie which portrayed the inner workings of the U.S. Treasury during the financial […]
Ahead of the formal G8 summit this week in northern France, the world’s technology visionaries are gathering in Paris to meet with the G8 leaders to discuss the future of […]
Baby Boomers have had it easy in many ways. One of the advantages of being born during a baby boom is that your generation is always going to be large […]
A traditional marriage consists of a husband, a wife, and the marriage itself. New York Times columnist David Brooks tells Big Think this type of relationship can only be understood as a whole.
Sam Tanenhaus interviewed Harold Bloom for The New York Times; the video is here. It’s a very cool, very short, interview. It will be historic, too—not only for capturing Bloom […]
On a recent sushi night out, a friend of mine attempted to joke with the waitress asking her whether the sushi she had just served him was radioactive. She didn’t find it […]
Alice Bell, science communication lecturer at Imperial College London, is a visiting scholar this month at American University. At the end of the semester, she gave a guest lecture to […]
Actively pursuing happiness may not lead to an actual increase in happiness. In fact, it can do the opposite and make you less happy at the end of the day.
We’re now into the third day of the new eruption from Grímsvötn in Iceland. So far, the ash from the eruption has fallen only on Iceland and the North Atlantic […]
A new study led by my brother Erik Nisbet, a professor of communication at Ohio State University, offers several revealing implications for public diplomacy across Arab states. From the OSU […]
While the development of emerging economies seems well anchored, n advanced economies, projected rates of growth are not sufficient to avoid mounting debt and deficit problems.
The I.M.F. will need strong leadership as it continues to help euro-area countries deal with massive debt problems. Some think it is time the institution picked a non-European boss.
French social scientist Emmanuel Todd says the rapid increase in (women’s) literacy, a falling birthrate and a significant decline in the custom of marriage between first cousins are to thank.
President Obama will urge British Prime Minister David Cameron not to withdraw troops from Helmand, Afghanistan on his European tour, but Cameron wants more help fighting Gaddafi in return.
In Francis Fukuyama’s new book, the author of the The End of History lays down the conditions required for a nation to become a democracy. He is both worried and optimistic about the future.
As developing countries become richer, their diets shift from staples like rice and wheat to meat and dairy products, which along with use of corn in fuel, is taxing world grain supplies and driving up prices.
While President Obama may see the Arab Spring as a chance to pursue peace between Israel and Palestine, distrust among governments may yet again foil even the best of intentions.
The Viennese Waltz differs from other waltzes in the speed of the rotation—a dervish-like dance in which the dancers are spun out of their normal existence. That dizzying disorientation helps […]
I’ve been asked whether I should reconsider my recent praise of AMERICAN IDOL as an admirably and characteristically American mixture of wisdom and consent. Although I can’t really speak as […]
One or two decades ago we still lived in a world in which contacts with other cultures were rather peripheral. Sure, there used to be immigrants from other countries and […]
An update for today (May 22, 2011) on the eruption at Grímsvötn in Iceland: The eruption itself (video) is still ongoing, albeit possibly with a slight decrease in intensity according […]
The role of gut bacteria may extend beyond the stomach and intestines all the way to the brain. In a new study, disrupting the normal gut flora of mice leads to changes in the animals’ behavior.
Even though the magnets, crystals and ultra-dilute solutions of alternative medicines are, by themselves, completely useless, the placebo effect they induce in patients sometimes is not.