I debated the excellent libertarian author Ronald Bailey over this question at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. Ron has already responded to me here. Before I respond to him, I thought […]
All Articles
I am optimistic for the economic and social outlook for the United States! During the next four or five years we will, once again, shift into gear. “Occupy Wall Street” […]
Robots are usually designed with very specific tasks in mind. But the “foambot”, though it looks ungainly, lets you decide on the task and build on the spot.
The Italian Renaissance remains one of those amazing hinges of human history where civilization made a great leap that continues to be felt today. For German art historian Hans Belting, […]
In a previous post, Big Think speculated about what Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s death would mean — for the Arab Spring, for the price of oil, for President Barack Obama, etc. […]
A woman recently shared with me the secret to finding a husband. She told me to write a list of qualities that my ideal man would have and tape it […]
This paper, published online yesterday in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, introduces a new term to neuroscience: The FBN, or “Facebook number.” Your Facebook number is, of course, […]
How do you bring technology to countries underserved by the Internet and other tech the U.S. takes for granted? An SMS social network & a slate that converts handwriting to data.
What are five disruptive cleantech innovations that could enable large-scale change? 3D printing, energy harvesting, energy storage, fuel cell technology, and smart meters.
Light field technology is the key to a new camera allowing you to be re-focus images minutes, days or even years after the shot, or to view them in 3D.
The prototype of a hydrogen fuel cell tram has been built in Spain. The emission-free tram can carry 20-30 passengers at up to 20 kmh and should enter service next year.
I’ve been having a high old time the last couple of weeks watching both Republican presidential candidates and TV political pundits squirm whenever the phrase “9-9-9” is uttered. Nevertheless, Herman […]
Why didn’t humans become as peaceful as we are today tens of thousands of years ago?
Charities that depend on donations and fund-raising to survive have it hard enough in the best of times. But in this depressed economy, it must be more difficult than ever. […]
My friends, I have to confess an unpardonable lapse of judgment. I have some very bad news to deliver, and what’s worse, I forgot to tell you until now, when […]
Deb Roy has created a machine that connects TV show impressions to expressions in social media. This has extraordinary implications for advertising, and also promises to “rewire how our democratic process works in the future.”
Ethan Philbrick performs one of the first pieces of music ever written for solo cello, by J.S. Bach.
The former Senate Majority Leader says whatever system we choose, whether it is Obamacare, Clintoncare or Nixoncare, has a relatively small impact on how long we live as compared to behavior and genetics.
As tuition costs continue to skyrocket, parents and students are demanding answers to this question: what am I getting as the return on my $50 thousand annual investment that is college tuition today?
In his book Blind Spots, Professor Max Bazerman of Harvard Business School argues that the Challenger fiasco exploited inconsistencies in the decision-making mechanisms of the brain.
A new study has deepened the mystery of dark matter, that evasive substance that keeps entire galaxies together. The standard cosmological model may be wrong as a result.
The dominant idea that the world’s oil supplies are a finite and known quantity is a dangerous lie that creates subsidies to protect consumers while climate change rages on.
While countries in North America and Europe suffer through a downturn that has people questioning the very foundations of their economies, something far more positive is happening in South America. […]
It may be tempting to think that if you want to be innovative, your office has to “have all these weird things going on.” Not so, says Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO. The real power comes from shaking things up.
— Guest post by Luis Hestres, American University doctoral student. Ever since the financial crisis hit the U.S. in late 2008, many political commentators (mostly on the Left) have wondered […]
The world’s first spaceport was officially inaugurated in New Mexico last week. It will be used primarily by Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic to carry tourists into sub-orbital space.
Experts and dreamers gathered recently to discuss the possibility of sending humans far into deep space, possibly to Alpha Centauri, the star nearest our own Sun.
Climate change poses ‘an immediate, growing and grave threat’ to health and security around the world, said doctors, academics and military experts at a conference in London.
Once Facebook flips the switch on the official public launch of its all-new Timeline feature, nearly any action that you take will become instantly sharable online to your friends as […]
My previous post, “The Blinding Fog of Religious Moderation“, drew some criticism from people who felt that I was unjustly lumping moderate believers together with fundamentalists. So, in this post, […]