“Today, artificial light is a constant companion. Darkness implies a situation to be remedied.” A new book tells the story of how artificial light has revolutionized our way of life.
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“American poetry is in a period of ‘fertile uncertainty’—in other words, it’s confused. That’s a good thing.” The Atlantic begins a series on appreciating contemporary poetry.
“Televisions which pump out the smells of cookery on screen could become reality after developments by scientists at Keio University in Tokyo.”
A review of David Guggenheim’s new documentary: “The only hope for the future of our society, especially for poor black and Hispanic children, is escape from public schools.”
Can social network friends be real friends when relationships are pursued and developed in such facile and costless ways? Philosopher Roger Scruton says real friendship involves risk.
Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla plans to create an investment fund for companies fighting poverty in India and Africa that provide social services like health, energy and eduction.
“Distrust of big pharma is stifling research into the real problem of female sexual dysfunction.” Suzi Godson says further research stands to benefit millions of women.
Harvard economics professor Martin Feldstein says the U.S. dollar will remain a strong reserve currency, but that our national debt makes the Euro a competitive alternative.
“A new study recently published in the journal Psychological Science suggests that we should all stop smirking and start rubbing our rabbit’s foot.”
University of Texas researches want to use tiny solar cells as vehicles to deliver treatment to cancer patients, more targeted treatment than is possible with chemotherapy.
“I’m the plainest kind of fellow you can find,” painter Grant Wood told an interviewer in the 1930s, the height of his fame. “There isn’t a single thing I’ve done, […]
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is wrong. At a meeting in Potsdam, Merkel told young members of her own party, the Christian Democratic Union, that attempts to build a multicultural society […]
Environmental groups–backed by clean energy investors and Hollywood moguls– have raised $26 million to defeat California’s Proposition 23, a measure that would rollback the state’s laws limiting greenhouse gas emissions. […]
A few weeks back, the old-school anti-fertility group Optimum Population Trust issued its index of “overpopulated” nations. It names 77 countries which, it says, are “consuming more resources than they […]
This today is the scene from battle ground Britain, as the Government announces the biggest austerity and cuts programme in living memory. The Markets reacted well, but then they would. […]
New research indicates that rising inequality between the rich and poor—and the need to keep up with one’s neighbors—is driving up the divorce rate.
We’ve previously featured innovative ways in which designers are addressing the blind with Braille-inspired design. This direction of creativity was validated at the National Design Awards gala last week, when […]
Blogging has changed the art of non-fiction writing, says Andrew Sullivan, one of the first political commentators to embrace the form in 2000. When you blog “everything you write is […]
The answer to this question is at the cutting edge of science, but one theory states that dark matter is nothing but ordinary matter in another dimension hovering right above us.
Busy as I get back from Fall Break – and only a week and change until the Geological Society of America Meeting in Denver. If you haven’t check already, commenting […]
One powerful woman picks up the phone. Thomas v. Hill, 2010. We now know that the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has called Anita Hill, after twenty years, […]
I’m still hot about this Joe Miller handcuff incident. Maybe it’s because the hair stands up on the back of my neck whenever I hear about people who decide to […]
“Panic among policymakers about the high level of government debt is misplaced. The real economic menace is budget-slashing,” say two economists for The Guardian.
The artist Martin Creed is performing a rock gig tonight, and a soundscape is a contender for Britain’s infamous Turner prize. The Independent on where art and music collide.
The dispute created by the Obama administration’s challenge to China over subsidies given to its renewable energy industries can be avoided with clear rules.
“Physicians say presentations they make are educational, but critics say the practice puts financial rewards ahead of patient care.” The L.A. Times on doctors who moonlight as drug reps.
“Can the innovative ‘do-it-yourself’ education movement really replace the dying university model?” Alan Jacobs says universities are decadent outposts in austere times.
“The emotional roller coaster captured on Twitter can predict the ups and downs of the stock market, a new study finds.” Wired Science on the unexpected correlation.
Princeton professor of bioethics Peter Singer says emotional and rational evaluations of ethical dilemmas are distinct and that they produce different outcomes.
“If you are green or broke, as many people are these days, buying seems wasteful.” The Economist says people are growing impatient with ‘idle capacity’, i.e. waste.