Vote for Did You Know?!

Jeff Brenman’s adaptation of Karl Fisch’s Did You Know? presentation is currently the most popular slideshow at SlideShare’s World’s Best Presentation Contest. If you haven’t seen it, Jeff’s version is […]

by

Scott McLeod

February 16, 2011

Get the Big Think newsletter on Substack

Jeff Brenman’s adaptation of Karl Fisch’s Did You Know? presentation is currently the most popular slideshow at SlideShare’s World’s Best Presentation Contest. If you haven’t seen it, Jeff’s version is awesome. Go watch it, and then vote for it in the contest!

Associate Professor of Educational Administration, Iowa State University

Monthly Issue May 2026

The Power of Play

In this monthly issue, we take a closer look at how games, imagination, and creative experimentation shape identity and culture.

1 video 15 articles

Two hands are positioned on either side of a red circle against a plain white background.

Related Content

From Pong to 18 quintillion planets: The evolution of video game play spaces

From early arcades to AI-generated worlds, video games have continually expanded the “magic circle” of play.

by Kevin Dickinson

A sketch of a human figure bending over and looking at three overlapping pink magic-circles on a plain white background.

Mind & Behavior

Why play brings us pleasure

New research suggests fun isn’t a distraction from learning — it’s the brain’s way of rewarding us for navigating uncertainty, discovering patterns, and staying mentally alive.

by Alex Hutchinson

Illustration of a brain with legs standing on a platform, surrounded by yellow rays and red and yellow dots on a pink background.

Starts With A Bang

Yes, scientists can be hostile to new ideas. So should you

Many people, now with LLM assistance, regularly claim to discover game-changing revolutions. Scientists don't buy it. You shouldn't either.

by Ethan Siegel

colliding black holes

The hidden costs of withholding feedback

Feedback only feels high-stakes when you've been saving it up.

by Danny Kenny

A man in business attire walks upstairs while talking, with an orange silhouette of another person beside him against a white and blue background.

Learn from the world's biggest thinkers.

© Copyright 2007-2026 & BIG THINK, BIG THINK PLUS, SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by Freethink Media, Inc. All rights reserved.