March, 2008
Shermer on Science
Much of what gets published in scientific journals and is help up as “good science” these days is just an excuse for the authors to show off their math skills. Never mind whether the mathematical models being used correspond to the reality they are supposed to be describing. There is strong incentive based on the “publish or perish” dictum in academia for this trend to continue. Michael Shermer wrote a recent Scientific American article which makes the case well and calls for more integrative and narrative scientific publishing.…
TED Talk: Richard Dawkins
After watching about 150 of the TED talks from archive, and around 100 live ones, I’ve collected a few favorites. I’ll try to post one of them a day. Let me know what you think!
The universe is queerer than we can suppose
…Complex Links: TED
I attended the TED Conference this year for the first time. It was a transformative experience, one that I hope everyone can have in some form or another before too long. One way to simulate being there is watch as many of these incredible talks from past TED conferences as you can in a short period of time. If you are inspired, check out the TED Prize and how you can be a part of a growing global meta-movement for positive change in the world.
I will be blogging about things that piqued my interest at TED, but below are some cool links that I came away with:…
X Prize Annuity Funds
In the March 9, 2008 Sunday Magazine section of the NY Times, Freakonomics authors, Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt wrote about an idea I shared with them (with my permission of course). Given all of the interest and critique that’s resulted, I am posting the original conception below and encourage you to express your thoughts about the project either in the comments here or on the Freakonomics blog. If you are interested in becoming involved beyond just providing public input, just say so in your comment and I will contact you directly.
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