Guest Thinkers

“But ultimately, the world of high finance, [Stone] said, is just a backdrop for a film ‘about trust, love, greed betrayal.’” This is from Andrew Ross Sorkin’s Dealbook column in […]

Psychiatrist Norman Doidge, author of “The Brain That Changes Itself,” discusses how neuroplasticity can be hijacked by an addition to pornography.

We’ve had a lot of success with the Q&A series here on Eruptions, so why not keep it up. Earlier in the summer, I briefly mentioned an article that was picked […]

Craigslist Canada is under pressure from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to take down the erotic section of their Web site following a decision by the U.S. site to remove […]

American politicians and lawmakers are deeply conflicted about human enhancement technologies (medical interventions that extend the capabilities of the human body). Stem cell research doesn’t qualify as enhancement; rather it is […]

My mailbox is overflowing with questions from viewers who have watched “Sci Fi Science.” It would take too long to answer all of them, but let me answer a few […]

Batwoman is gay. Originally introduced as part of DC Comics’ 52 series as part of a push to introduce more minority superheroes, the new Batwoman was fleshed out by Greg […]

A velvet smooth voice singing “chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose” is always the first thing that comes to mind whenever I see the […]

Irin Carmon of Jezebel put a disturbing spin on the very disturbing case of a cognitively disabled teenage runaway who was allegedly tortured, mutilated, tricked into fictive bonded servitude, pimped, […]

The efforts by Feisel Abdul Rauf and allies to tell their side of the story in the debate over the Islamic cultural center in lower Manhattan are not intended to […]

For the past few weeks, I’ve been discussing the advantages and challenges relevant to open-access publishing in academia.  For those with a special interest in this topic and who want […]

“Recent research points to a smarter way to tackle climate change.” Bjørn Lomborg says governments should increase energy R&D efforts and invest in climate engineering.

“How does religious ritual preserve humanity from chaos and entropy?” Yale professor of computer science David Gelernter says religious ceremony makes life beautiful.

In the White House, can a white conservative do more to restrain anti-Islamic bigotry than an African-American progressive? Writing on the anniversary of 9/11, a couple of writers Saturday argued […]

As urban biking continues togrow, cyclist safety becomes a legitimate concern in today’s traffic-infested cities. Now, South Korean designer Lee Myung Su has a solution with SEIL Bag – a compact […]

James Hansen, NASA climate scientist, has argued strongly against Cap and Trade legislation, promoted the need for a carbon tax, complained of muzzling by the Bush administration, and has even […]

First, I would like to thank all those who watched the Sci Fi Science debut and made it such a smashing success. I was overwhelmed by all the response. I […]

“I don’t care for bohemian culture. Innocent people are hurt by it,” says Richard Neel, eldest son of the painter Alice Neel in Andrew Neel’s documentary film, now available on […]

Squeezing a quick update on Sinabung between classes … here goes! With the ongoing volcanic crisis at Sinabung in Indonesia, the United States has pledged funds to help those who […]

The White House message machine went into over drive this weekend as President Obama in public remarks emphasized the need for national unity and tolerance of others, especially for Americans […]

Because whatever becomes of the allocation of electronic rights, the death of chain stores, or (even) the recurring flirtations of this novelist or that poet with risky new forms, we […]

JUST how committed is the new British Coalition Government to Human Rights – and in particular the much trampled human rights of the Chagossians who have spent the best part […]

“The world’s humanitarian aid organizations may do more harm than good, argues Linda Polman.” The writer has a new book on the unintended consequences of humanitarian aid.

“The real utility of the term ‘Islamism’ is that it can be applied to any person, position, value, or policy that one wishes to smear as vaguely fascist or fundamentalist.”

Compact fluorescent light bulbs are a fantastic energy-efficient alternative to standard incandescent ones, but let’s face it – they’re rather unfortunate-looking. Until now. From British human-centric gadget company Hulger and designer […]

One self important minister who tends to LESS THAN FIFTY parishioners had national newscasters intoning sober pronouncements about his opinions on the Quran all this week? Are we serious? Is […]

A quick bit of news on a sunny Ohio Sunday: The Alaska Volcano Observatory twitter account mentioned that a ~7.5 km / 25,000 foot ash plume has been detected from […]

People like to use categories for people (race, religion, nation, class, gender) as explanations for others’ behavior (for example, I was late because there was traffic and I have a […]

The latest product from fuseproject brings a whole new meaning to the “design for good” conversation. FORM3 is a waterproof rechargeable designer vibrator made out of medical-grade silicone and designed […]

A world free of disease and poverty. A dictatorial and all-powerful artificial intelligence. Picnics on sunny days with one’s grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Genetically engineered dangerous mutants. Which one of […]