Technology & Innovation — December 30, 2009

What Went Wrong? Ask AIG’s Former Lawyer

This week’s installment of What Went Wrong includes an interview with the former head council for AIG, Ernest Patrikis. He weighs in on what could have happened if the Fed didn’t bail out AIG. Mark Zandi, the chief economist and co-founder of Moody’s Economy.com, chats about a fantasy world without ratings agencies: would Google do as good a job?

A painting challenging perception with the words 'c'est pas une pipe'.

Business

Defamiliarization: How “ostranenie” can redefine life, art, and business

Defamiliarization is a common tool in the arts. Here we learn how seeing things from a different angle can lead to billion-dollar success.

The Past

How humanity became slaves to the clock

In a world without clocks, people used common activities in place of time units. How long it took you to go to the toilet mattered.

A post-career world with a desk holding a laptop and hand holding a pen.

The Learning Curve

How to succeed and find meaning in a “post-career” world

In work and life, the rules of success are being redefined.

Why haven’t we found aliens? A physicist shares the most popular theories

There are a few theories as to why we’ve never found other intelligent life in our Universe. Physicist Brian Cox walks us through them.

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13 min

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with

Brian Cox

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Is our Universe truly matter-dominated?

The laws of physics don't prefer matter over antimatter. So how can we be certain that distant stars & galaxies aren't made of antimatter?

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