Guest Thinkers — July 11, 2011

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A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

A person in a red shirt stands next to "Waves in an Impossible Sea," the 2024 science book by Matt Strassler. The background displays a blurred bookshelf.

Starts With A Bang

“Waves in an Impossible Sea”: The 2024 science book of the year

Matt Strassler’s journey into fundamental physics culminates in a brilliant explanation of the Higgs field. Enjoy this exclusive interview.

A collage featuring hands holding a plant, additional hands in sepia tone, a grid background, orange accents, and the text "Reclaim Meaning" with the number 4.

Thinking

How to reclaim meaning in a changing world

What if the barrier to a fulfilled life isn’t technology but culture?

A large anthropomorphic figure blows bubbles labeled with financial terms, while a crowd of people chase after them, unaware of the bubble revisionism at play.

Business

The key to techno-scientific progress? “Bubbles”

From tulips to Bitcoin, bubbles have been given a bad rap as destroyers of dreams — but they’re essential for our brightest future. Here’s why.

The Future

Can humans purge the bots without sacrificing our privacy?

“Personhood” credentials could cleanse the internet of bots — but are the costs worth it?

Satellite view of the United States at night reveals illuminated cities and areas, with dense clusters of lights in the eastern region, highlighting vibrant economic hubs reminiscent of workforce data concentrations, contrasted by the sparser illumination in the western regions.

The Present

America’s workforce desperately needs a data overhaul

A National Center for Data and Evidence could supplement our archaic and expensive system and more accurately measure AI’s impact on jobs.

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

The War on Teachers?

School reform efforts across the country hang on the notion of annual teacher evaluations based heavily on student test scores. But if this process isn’t consistently accurate, it will get the wrong teachers fired and discourage talented people from entering the profession.