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| There are great benefits to connectedness, but we haven't wrapped our minds around the costs. |
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| Topic: History |
9:19 am EST, Feb 15, 2005 |
Freeman Dyson reviews two new books for The New York Review of Books. I will probably never read the two books Dyson has reviewed here, but reading this article reminds me of Dyson's own books. I wish he was still writing books of his own. The twenty years between 1909 and 1929 were the era of table-top nuclear physics. Experiments were small enough to fit onto the tops of tables. Small and simple experiments were sufficient to establish the basic laws of nuclear physics. Rutherford was maintaining the culture of nineteenth-century gentlemen-scientists, who were supposed to pursue scholarly leisure-time activities in addition to their science. On the morning of April 13, 1932, the era of table-top nuclear physics ended and the era of big machines and big projects began. Seeing the Unseen |
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| Topic: Society |
9:14 am EST, Feb 14, 2005 |
Arthur Miller, in his autobiography, "Timebends," quoted the great physicist Hans Bethe as saying, "Well, I come down in the morning and I take up a pencil and I try to think. ..." It's a notion that appears to have gone the way of the rotary phone. Americans not only seem to be doing less serious thinking lately, they seem to have less and less tolerance for those who spend their time wrestling with important and complex matters. If you can't say it in 30 seconds, you have to move on. The Public Thinker |
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How Dirty Harry Turned Commie |
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| Topic: Movies |
1:58 pm EST, Feb 12, 2005 |
What makes some feel betrayed and angry after seeing "Million Dollar Baby" is exactly what makes many more stop and think: one of Hollywood's most durable cowboys is saying that it's not always morning in America, and that it may take more than faith to get us through the night. Caution: this article contains plot spoilers. How Dirty Harry Turned Commie |
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| Topic: War on Terrorism |
1:57 pm EST, Feb 12, 2005 |
It is clear that no one connected the dots in time. That's a familiar, grim lesson, but, sadly, Americans should not conclude that it has been taken to heart. The problem of "stovepiping" still awaits a firm hand to bring order from bureaucratic chaos. If anything, fresh mischief is afoot. A Vital Job Goes Begging |
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| Topic: Miscellaneous |
2:48 am EST, Feb 8, 2005 |
I'm feeling a little verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic. The internet is an inch-deep ocean of infinite expanse. Discuss. |
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Gambling With Your Retirement |
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| Topic: Economics |
11:55 am EST, Feb 4, 2005 |
It's true that you can improve Social Security's finances with privatization, as long as you also slash benefits -- just as you can kill a flock of sheep with witchcraft, provided you also feed them arsenic. Gambling With Your Retirement |
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Evolution Takes a Back Seat in US Classes |
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| Topic: Science |
11:43 am EST, Feb 4, 2005 |
And so the Yankees whipped the Southerners with their own Bible belts ... "She confided that she simply ignored evolution because she knew she'd get in trouble with the principal if word got about that she was teaching it." The practice of avoiding the topic was widespread ... "You can imagine how difficult it would be ... it's just too much trouble." Some teachers avoid the subject altogether; others give it very short shrift or discuss it without using "the E word." Evolution Takes a Back Seat in US Classes |
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Afraid to Discuss Evolution |
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| Topic: Science |
11:35 am EST, Feb 4, 2005 |
Although most state curriculum standards mandate that evolution be taught, and standardized tests typically include questions on evolution, some teachers apparently assume that evolution is a small enough part of the curriculum that their students can get by without mastering the subject. Those students remain ignorant of one of the bedrock theories underlying modern biology. A 1998 doctoral dissertation found that 24 percent of the biology teachers sampled in Louisiana said that creationism had a scientific foundation and that 17 percent were not sure. Naturally. Afraid to Discuss Evolution |
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Dubai buys $1B stake in Daimler-Chrysler |
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| Topic: Business |
10:43 pm EST, Jan 30, 2005 |
The government of the Gulf emirate of Dubai has bought a $1 billion stake in DaimlerChrysler AG, becoming the auto maker's third largest shareholder, it said on Sunday. Industry sources said that neither Deutsche Bank AG nor the Gulf state of Kuwait -- DaimlerChrysler's biggest and second-largest shareholders -- had reduced their stakes. Dubai buys $1B stake in Daimler-Chrysler |
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Nissan chief: hybrid cars make no sense |
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| Topic: Business |
10:42 pm EST, Jan 30, 2005 |
"They make a nice story, but they're not a good business story yet because the value is lower than their costs," said Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn. He also poured cold water on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which many automakers see as the industry's next big technological breakthrough. "The cost to build one fuel cell car is about $800,000. Do the math and you figure out that we will have to reduce the cost of that car by more than 95 percent in order to gain widespread marketplace acceptance." Did you know that Nissan is actually owned (partially, but substantially) by Renault? Nissan chief: hybrid cars make no sense |
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