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BP, Tiger Woods, Goldman Sachs: Why haven't public relations machines been able to keep their companies' images better intact? Have social media overwhelmed these propaganda machines?
"What's wrong with praising our troops to the rafters and adding them to our pantheon of heroes? A lot." A retired lieutenant colonel laments the blanket praise heaped on our troops.
Entomologist Mark Moffett stopped by the Big Think offices today to share a few lessons that he’s gleaned from his work studying ant societies and his time as a nature […]
Tomorrow at 2:00 PM EST, Big Think will host a live-streamed interview with the Jason Fried, co-founder of 37signals and author of the modern workplace manifesto “Rework.” Fried’s thoughts on […]
Novelist Bret Easton Ellis is used to people asking him about the numb, disconnectedness of his characters—and whether that’s a reflection of his own worldview. Not so much, he says: […]
Paul Di Filippo on, "How a long-dead Frenchman became one of the most important science fiction writers in current American culture." Join the Jules Verne revival at Salon.com.
"If something has been around longer, it must be better. New research suggests we hold onto that bias even in instances where quality has nothing to do with longevity."
"Thanks to period-music evangelists, breathtaking virtuosity, and millions of listeners, the art form remains vibrant." The City Journal on the relevance of classical music today.
The arms industry, much like our domestic pacific economy, is looking for a bump in exports given the recession. Weapons manufacturers want to sell arms in the Middle East and Asia.
Is freedom of religion still a valued principle in America? "The Ground Zero mosque is only one of several mosques that are being strongly opposed. Opposition to mosques is on the rise."
"Experts writing this year's dietary guidelines say strong evidence indicates that moderate alcohol consumption results in a longer life and slower cognitive decline."
Without the ability to daydream and hallucinate, computers will never think as humans do. David Gelernter, Yale professor of computer science, predicts the next stages of AI.
"Amazon reports that sales of e-books have finally surpassed sales of hardcovers. That's a pretty momentous development." Megan McArdle at The Atlantic thinks the Kindle's day has come.
"MIT political scientists demonstrate how much candidate appearances affect election outcomes, globally." Good looks seem to win out across cultures with very different histories.
"So even though a meat-free world sounds good on paper, it is likely that a utopian future will still have some animal products in it. And we are talking meat, not just milk and eggs."
How can companies like BP recover from devastating PR disasters like the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Just get the cleanup done, and keep the public informed, […]
Are CEOs rewarded more for their perceived success or the success of their companies? In his recent Big Think interview, biographer T.J. Stiles says robber barons like Cornelius Vanderbilt may […]
"In a marriage, the common symptoms of A.D.H.D.—distraction, disorganization, forgetfulness—can easily be misinterpreted as laziness, selfishness and a lack of love and concern."
"Is our modern mobility sustainable? We are facing an energy crisis, a climate crisis, and an economic crisis—and perhaps a mobility crisis as well." An urban studies professor on the car.
Charles Simic recalls the excuses he offered the first time he watched his native Yugoslavia lose at the World Cup. The poet lists the four universal excuses given when a soccer team loses.