A recent study finds that the technology can help researchers locate people’s social security numbers, just from the information on their Facebook profiles and their photo.
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A new tool interrupts the ‘infinite loops’ that cause computer hang-ups, letting users save data and finish tasks before restarting a stalled program.
A new approach to overcoming state-level Internet censorship relies, ironically enough, on a technique that security experts have frequently associated with government surveillance.
What if colonisers and colonised swapped places (and climates)?
The literary essay I’ve enjoyed most this year has been “The Stockholm Syndrome Theory of Long Novels,” published by The Millions back in May. In it, Mark O’Connell argues that […]
Salvador Dalí never worked small. In fact, he was downright operatic in everything he did—colorful, bombastic, and loud. Now, Dalí the painter is finally Dalí the Opera. Yo, Dalí (“I, […]
Observing how radical political ideas had become mainstream in only a few years, in 1888 the Victorian politician Sir William Harcourt is supposed to have said “we are all socialists […]
Playing it safe is no longer a career option for most Americans, if it ever was. And that’s good news, in one sense: the downside of job security is that it dulls your appetite for risk, and your ability to learn from failure.
Oxford University Philosopher Nick Bostrom argues that we may all be living in a computer simulation. Meanwhile, the world as we know it is becoming ever more virtualized.
At ClimateWire today [subscription], Julia Pyper has an article on an important topic: How can scientists and journalists work together to improve public understanding of climate change? What are the […]
Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of buzz in the volcano world (at least in the internet) after some seismicity under El Hierro, one of the […]
This conservative post has nothing to do with the ISI conference, but it does have to do with education. All over the internet, we find the conclusion that America is […]
After tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to demonstrate against rising housing prices and the high cost of living, the government has agreed to meet with the protesters.
Thanks to everyone who responded to last week’s request for thoughts on the Sherlock Holmes series that has taken up the blog for the last few weeks. I was surprised […]
The Syrian government has killed nearly 142 people, including at least 100 when the army stormed the protest city of Hama to crush dissent on the eve of Ramadan, political activists say.
Lack of rain in the hyper-arid regions of Somalia, Ethiopia, and northern Kenya is creating a humanitarian crisis as pastoral communities move in search of food and water.
For all our talk of living in a globalized world, there is far less international exchange of people, goods and information than we would expect. How can we encourage globalization?
With the deal reached Sunday night, the U.S. has a good chance of escaping the debt crisis with its credit intact, but the government may not be so lucky with its reputation.
Italy’s (second) most famous volcano, Mt. Etna, has been quite busy while I’ve been off in California. Many of you have been following Etna on the webcams and leaving lots […]
With the nerve wracking threat of a default by America on its outstanding debt being broadcast on all the news channels practically twenty four hours a day, I am reading […]
Despite what we believe about our powers of introspection, the reality is that we know awfully little about what our conscious experience amounts to.
However you feel about the right way out of the U.S. government’s struggles over its debt ceiling, I think we can all agree that the week past has not been […]
Individual reasoning can often lead to mistakes—Newton dedicated himself equally to alchemy—while reasoning in groups has been shown to produces better results. Why?
An older workforce is a new world for employers. An endless supply of young workers and the social construction of ‘retirement ’ kept the average worker age relatively young. That […]
Education moved from a bespoke craft to a more industrial approach. […] Still, one-to-one tutoring is the learning method proven time and again to sharply improve a student’s measured performance. […]
The human brain is adept at recognizing similar items and placing them into categories. In a new study, M.I.T. neuroscientists have identified the brain activity that seems to control this skill.
The bitter political divide over the budget deficit is the result of a trust deficit, says Jonah Lehrer. Trust is about trading favors, but faced with large budget cuts, there are none left to trade.
For the first time, researchers have used brain signals to predict when a driver is about to slam on the brakes. The technology can shorten braking distance by four meters, preventing accidents.
This will be my last post on conservative education at the ISI Honors Program. A couple of people have written me (doubtless Canadians) complaining that I distorted the thought of the […]
45% of employers use social networks to research applicants. Whether you’re a god of the Twitterverse or happier with a pen in hand, your career is now linked to the digital landscape. Will reputations be made or broken on the web?