Looking for a little inspiration — a shot of energy to get involved in making the world a better place? Check out this 4-minute version of Dave Eggers’ 2008 TEDTalk, where he talks about something meaningful you can do right in your neighborhood: Learn more about Dave’s wish at TEDPrize.org and at Once Upon a […]
Today’s Newsday offers an image-packed collection of stories on the school lunch as it is served and paid for in Long Island, New York. Check out the image gallery, which includes Berkeley schools chef Ann Cooper’s dream school lunch pictures above (with recipes). For more on U.S. school lunches, watch Ann Cooper’s TEDTalk >> Image: […]
In today’s New York Times, Johnny Lee talks about his clever Wii hacks — and how he shared them with the world via viral video. Johnny Lee’s TEDTalk, in which he shows how to make an interactive whiteboard from a $40 game controller, is a perpetual Top 10 talk on TED.com. Lee’s amazing YouTube videos […]
From the BPS Research Digest: Researchers Marie Helweg-Larsen and Barbara L. LoMonaco have been studying the moral code of people who line up for tickets to see their favorite band — and they’ve found some surprising news. It turns out it’s just as annoying for a hard-core U2 fan to see someone jump the line […]
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Via Slashdot, blogger Andrew Keen writes that economic troubles will trigger the decline of the “free” economy, collaboration, and open-source — including communities such as Wikipedia — and even, perhaps, the blogosphere itself. People will be less likely to give away “their intellectual labor on the Internet in the speculative hope that they might get […]
On Monday, Michael Pollan appeared on NPR’s Fresh Air to talk about avoiding the coming food crisis. (Listen to the podcast.) Earlier this month, in a open letter to the next president, he warned that “the era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close.” Fresh Air host Terry Gross asks […]
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced the first set of 104 Grand Challenges Explorations grants, a program that offers $100,000 to seed exciting ideas in global health. (It’s part of the $200 million research initiative called Grand Challenges in Global Health.) These small grants … will foster innovation in global health research and […]
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor — the brain scientist who suffered a stroke, and remembered every detail — visits The Oprah Winfrey Show. The show airs at 4pm Eastern time on ABC channels. Find local listings here. If you can’t catch the show today, you can watch this slideshow about Dr. Taylor’s appearance on The Oprah […]
Your local science museum might offer a “Night at the Museum,” where kids in sleeping bags cuddle up alongside the stuffed mammoth diorama. But at the Guggenheim in New York, an overnight at the museum becomes an act of performance art. A centerpiece of the show “theanyspacewhatever,” opening next week, is Carsten Höller‘s Revolving Hotel […]
Bjorn Lomborg has a bone to pick with environmentalists, and he’s not afraid to let us know about it. In two recent articles in the British press, Dr. Lomborg argues that global warming is both overblown and a waste of money, when there are global concerns both more pressing and less costly to tackle. Instead, […]
Bluegrass legend Eddie Adcock had brain surgery last month to correct an essential tremor — an uncontrollable shaking that left him unable to play the banjo. During the surgery, he stayed awake to give feedback while surgeons prodded his brain, looking for the exact spot to stimulate to control the tremor. His method of feedback […]
Casson at the TED Prize Blog tips us off to two events: XDR-TB Panel in Washington DC tomorrow, Oct. 14: If you live in DC and have an hour at lunch, head over to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) to view James Nachtwey’s slideshow and participate in a conversation on XDR-TB with […]
Can you reverse her direction of rotation? Cognitive Daily at ScienceBlogs took a reader poll and found that two-thirds saw the silhouetted woman rotating clockwise. About the same number were able to reverse her direction. Those who initially saw the woman rotating counter-clockwise found it easier to reverse her direction — much as the Necker […]
From the TED Prize blog: Today, James Nachtwey is the guest editor of the YouTube homepage. Along with the video of his photographs of XDR-TB and a special message from James to YouTube users, James has “selected compelling examples from other YouTube users that exhibit the power of film to relate a story and spread […]
Now through October 21, the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum is asking you to vote for what you think is the best design of 2008. Choose from designs that have already been submitted, or nominate your own on Cooper-Hewitt’s website or via a Facebook app. The winner of the People’s Design Award will be announced live […]