Personal Growth — February 9, 2009

Yen Rises While We Don’t Pass Stimulus

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Bloomberg today reports that the yen rose against the dollar after “the U.S. government delayed the announcement of a financial- recovery plan.” Traders took refuge.

“Japan’s currency gained as U.S. stock-index futures dropped, spurring investors to trim holdings of higher-yielding assets funded in the yen. The Norwegian krone climbed against most of the 16 most-active currencies after Norway said it would inject $14.8 billion in capital to revive bank lending,” according to Bloomberg.

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Mini Philosophy

How “Gibson’s law” makes it hard to trust experts

“For every PhD there is an equal and opposite PhD.”

A man in a black suit sits on a chair against a white backdrop, surrounded by several monarch butterflies on a bright blue background.

Your life is at the mercy of seemingly random tiny events

“It’s a true fact, but a bizarre one, that the reason why hundreds of thousands of people died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki rather than Kyoto and Kokura, is because of a 19-year-old vacation and a passing cloud.”

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01:36:26 min

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with

Brian Klaas

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: When do stars turn the most mass into energy?

All stars shine due to an internal source of energy. Usually, it’s nuclear fusion: converting mass into energy. What makes them most bright?

A vintage-style illustration of a celestial scene, echoing science fiction by scientists, features a textured black planet and a whimsical moon with an eye, all enclosed in a pale green border against a starry background.

Books

5 classic science fiction novels written by scientists

What happens when scientists “write what they know”? Some amazing science fiction stories.

Black and white photo of a young woman resting her chin on her hand, set against a green background with circular and brain patterns.

Thinking

Why Hannah Arendt left philosophy behind to face the world

Arendt thought 20th-century philosophy had become too passive and abstract. She called for “active thinking” that prepares us to live in the real world.

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