The gap between rich and poor in the U.S. is bigger than at any time since the 1920s. The L.A. Times asks: Is that really what most Americans want?
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Behind the fiercely ambitious texts of the iconoclastic philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was a kind man who was nice to children and terribly polite, writes Jonathan Rée.
Humanities professor Stanley Fish reviews a plethora of books recently written about the crisis in liberal arts education and finds hope in one innovative college.
Notions of time bound up with Christian conceptions of God changed with Einstein. Yet a consensus on the nature of time still seems out of reach.
The domestic technologies that have increased leisure hours in the West were virtually non-existent in the Soviet-planned economy, just ask its housewives.
Tens of millions of people live, work and play in virtual worlds where anything goes. Greg Lastowka thinks we need to police these lawless frontiers.
Airbus engineer Yelken Octuri has designed a spaceship especially for honeymooners. Once in orbit, the craft releases honeymoon pods with a view of space and big, round bed.
International institutions have been weakened by the economic crisis. Harvard’s Dani Rodik says individuals countries are once again competing economically.
What causes war? The cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead said it was merely the idea of war. Scientific American examines the evidence she offered.
The U.S. should work with China to develop a more sustainable method for burning coal because it is an inescapable energy source in the short term, says James Fallows.
In the wake of losing at least 60 seats in the House—their largest defeat in 70 years—there have been widespread calls for currrent Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) […]
As our lives become ever more virtual, retailers are betting there will be increasing demand for virtual goods as well. In the future, gaming and retail will be a fully integrated experience.
A couple of months ago, we featured the Plumen, a designer CFL light bulb. Now, a new breed of bulb presents more than an aesthetic upgrade. Safer than CFLs and […]
Economic researchers are uncovering the chemical triggers in our brains that spark feelings of trust—and using their findings to better understand how markets work.
For decades, holograms have been seen largely on the screen, in sci-fi movies and TV shows like “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.” The famed holodeck on “Star Trek” was used […]
A couple of updates on two of the volcanoes that have caught people’s attention right now! Oh yes, and sorry about the brevity of many of these updates lately – […]
Men who begin their online dating messages with “Howdy” have around a 40% better success rate than those who start with “Hey,” says Sam Yagan, CEO of dating site OkCupid, […]
The physicist explains why other universes in the mulitverse could have many more dimensions—and could comprise Einstein’s “Mind of God.”
Where once only two rocks marked a sleepy border between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, recent days have witnessed an escalation in tension between the Central American neighbors over the tiny […]
As rapid prototyping technologies become more affordable and accessible, we could be creating more and more of the products we use every day in our homes.
Yesterday, the LA Times ran a feature describing separate communication efforts by the American Geophysical Union and a small band of climate scientists-turned-activists. The effort by AGU seeks to engage […]
The Lyric Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, London was packed to overflowing last night with a galaxy of stars – and ordinary footsoldiers – who had all come to pay tribute to the late […]
“A startup called RockMelt on Sunday launched the beta version of an entirely new type of Web browser with an impeccable pedigree.” The Daily Beast reports.
“Blogging is an ego-intensive process.” The Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder says he will not miss the navel-gazing—todays is his last day as a blogger.
Military veteran and critic of American militarism, Andrew Bacevich says the future of American foreign policy is bleak should the long war against terrorism continue.
If Republicans want to slash the federal budget to reduce national debt, they should cut America’s massive military spending, says The Economist’s Democracy in America blog.
Universities and computer companies like I.B.M. are making progress on quantum computers, superfast machines that obey the laws of quantum mechanics.
The linguist turned activist says the U.S. is vocal about its commitment to peace in Israel and the Palestinian territories but that its actions suggest otherwise.
British scientists celebrate a groundbreaking experiment that generated temperatures a million times hotter than the Sun’s center, reports The Independent.
Given incentives like product discounts, consumers are proving eager to hand over mobile phone data to businesses that want to track their movements.