Now that Google has consolidated all user information across all its platforms, creating a massive and profound collection of personal data, have our expectations of privacy been given the death knell.
All Articles
During its famous Jeopardy! match, IBM’s natural language computer named Watson was given the clue, “What grasshoppers eat.” When this computing marvel answered, “Kosher,” it looked dumb.
Russia’s intellectuals, creative class and Golden Youth – Russia’s modern-day Decembrists – failed to bring about revolutionary political change this weekend in Russia despite an enthusiastic past three months that […]
Museums around the world are threatened by lots of things today, but usually the mafia isn’t included in that long list. The Contemporary Art Museum of Casoria (CAM, for short), […]
With its space shuttle program grounded, NASA has found a great way to stay relevant with its daily release of images and videos, which we are happy to serve up to […]
In a previous post, we asked Dr. Michio Kaku which threats pose the greatest danger to humanity in 2012. Dr. Kaku listed, along with global warming and the laser enrichment of […]
Here’s what we can expect for Super Tuesday. Mitt Romney will win his home state of Massachusetts, the neighboring state of Vermont, and Virginia, where Ron Paul is the only […]
A Dramatic Recreation of an Argument My Dad and I Must Have Had 1000 Times: Me: Man, De Niro has totally lost it. It is so pathetic to see him […]
Jad Abumrad won a 2011 MacArthur Genius grant for his work as creator/producer of WNYC’s Radiolab. The Macarthur foundation describes his work thus: As co-host and producer of the nationally […]
What is the Big Idea? Minutes before they’re executed, China’s death row inmates get their 15 minutes in the spotlight on prime time television. Their public confessions are documented in […]
IBM has built a fully integrated control center that monitors Rio de Janeiro like no other city in the world, collecting and analyzing data to help prevent catastrophe and create a more livable metropolis.
China has at once decreased it economic forecast and bolstered its military budget. The change signals its search for higher-quality manufacturing and a modest military ambition.
From the ruler’s perspective, says Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, a democracy is the worst form of government possible, because it greatly increases the ruler’s risk of losing power.
What would the founding fathers think of some of Romney’s ideas? Here we take a look some of the clips from a 2007 BigThink interview and see whether George Washington and Thomas Jefferson might have agreed with 2007 Romney on certain issues.
Given the fact that Mormons were a key group that helped Mitt Romney win important victories in states such as Nevada and Arizona, it may seem counterintuitive that many Mormons are uncomfortable with a Romney candidacy.
A year ago a terrible earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power disaster in Japan gripped the world’s attention for weeks. The news is already full of stories about the anniversary […]
Could Rush Limbaugh finally be on his way to joining Glenn Beck in right wing wacko purgatory? I don’t know how to tell Rush Limbaugh this, but after his three […]
There’s this weird kid called Ali on the playground. I’ve never liked the looks of him, and Benji told me this kid doesn’t have any friends. I think he has […]
“What’s a ‘natural flavor’?” my 10-year-old asks me from the back seat of our car. He’s munching on a rare treat—a snack that lists about 500 unpronounceable ingredients and boasts […]
There’s been some interesting responses to my post on our obligation to eat headless, legless chickens (aside from the vague namecalling and useless expressions of outrage and disgust. Something is […]
A tearful Vladimir Putin claimed a “clean” victory in the Russian presidential election. Critics, on the other hand, have charged that Putin’s win is tainted by reports of widespread abuses, […]
It’s almost time for baseball again, and so I’ve been thinking about the very best pitchers in the game.In order to sustain their success on the mound, they all seem […]
The line between work and play is becoming increasingly blurred in companies all across America today.
The near earth asteroid 2012 DA14 discovered last year is not going to hit Earth next year, scientists say. Phew. And yet, it will still be coming in way too close for comfort, raising the question of how prepared we are.
(Note: This review was solicited and is written in accordance with my policy for such reviews.) Summary: A memoir of escape from the overbearing, oppressive life of ultra-Orthodox Judaism, but […]
World Bank figures show that 2010 absolute poverty levels were half what they were in 1990, suggesting that the UN has met its Millennium Development Goals five years early.
While welfare programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid did not directly cause the recession, they may be responsible for aggravating the problem. Might they even cause a depression.
“Properly led, the World Bank can build bridges among science, business, civil society and finance that will put sustainable solutions within reach,” says Jeffrey Sachs, who seeks its presidency.
You can’t put more of your brain to work, says Johns Hopkins cognitive scientist Barry Gordon. You can, however, learn to make it work more productively. Here are three solutions.
Just weeks ago, one of the largest ever surveys on memory was completed and data are beginning to come in. Our memory of certain events is hardly reliable, say the study’s authors.