Subject 046M, two years old, was seated nervously across from me at the table, his hands clasped tightly together in his lap. He appeared to have caught an incurable case of the squirms. I resisted the urge to laugh and leaned forward, whispering conspiratorially.
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Feed SubscriptionToo Hard for Science? Simulating the Human Brain
Supercomputers may soon approach the brain's power, but much is unknown about how it works In "Too Hard for Science?" I interview scientists about ideas they would love to explore that they don't think could be investigated. For instance, they might involve machines beyond the realm of possibility, such as particle accelerators as big as the sun, or they might be completely unethical, such as lethal experiments involving people
Read More »Too Hard For Science? Dean Kamen Defying Gravity
A silent jetpack would be like swimming in air, but it is likely beyond the physics of thrust In "Too Hard for Science?" I interview scientists about ideas they would love to explore that they don't think could be investigated. For instance, they might involve machines beyond the realm of possibility, such as particle accelerators as big as the sun, or they might be completely unethical, such as lethal experiments involving people
Read More »Artificial Intelligence: If At First You Don’t Succeed…
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--The last symposium in MIT's 150-day celebration of its 150th anniversary (who ever said that geeks don't like ritual?) is devoted to the question: "Whatever happened to AI?" Of course, that is a particularly appropriate self-introspection for MIT because a lot of artificial intelligence action occurred there during the past 50 years.
Read More »Does Revenge Serve an Evolutionary Purpose?
Spontaneous patriotic chants and flag-waving crowds were sparked by word that Osama bin Laden had been killed earlier this week.
Read More »Rock Stars Lend Their Sound To Ugandan Women Of The Voice Project
High note: The Voice Project’s long chain of covers began with a women’s choir in Uganda’s Gulu region. | Photograph courtesy of The Voice Project. A network of rock stars fuels the Voice Project and benefits the women of Uganda.
Read More »Too Hard For Science? Recreating What Killed Pompeii
Even if one was allowed to make a volcano explode, creating the flows of interest looks impossible In "Too Hard for Science?" I interview scientists about ideas they would love to explore that they don't think could be investigated. For instance, they might involve machines beyond the realm of possibility, such as particle accelerators as big as the sun, or they might be completely unethical, such as lethal experiments involving people.
Read More »How To Make People Tell The Truth
DIY survey platforms make constructing questionnaires easy, but the results could be biased, contradictory, or deeply misleading. Online surveys often have to compete for attention against the backdrop of Netflix , Gmail alerts, and 25 open browser tabs. The minimal cognitive effort given to answering questions may exacerbate all the problems that lead to biased or outright distorted results.
Read More »Would You Like Some Vodka on Those Pancakes?
That could be the question someone might jokingly ask upon first learning of this unusual, individualistic, and hauntingly flavorful vodka from Vermont, which lends credence to the fact that it is made with the sugars from 100 percent natural maple syrup. That in itself makes Vermont Gold maple vodka ($40/$20) ...
Read More »Too Hard for Science? Philip Zimbardo creating millions of heroes
If outside influences can make people act badly, can they also be used to help people do good? In "Too Hard for Science?" I interview scientists about ideas they would love to explore that they don't think could be investigated. For instance, they might involve machines beyond the realm of possibility, such as particle accelerators as big as the sun, or they might be completely unethical, such as lethal experiments involving people.
Read More »With Microsoft’s Patent Battle, Innovation Goes On Trial
Many of our Most Innovative Companies appear to want to weaken an element of patent law. But don't patents protect innovation?
Read More »Too Hard for Science? Creating naked singularities
Neutrino beams might create such enigmas, but dare we risk making anything so unpredictable? In "Too Hard for Science?" I interview scientists about ideas they would love to explore that they don't think could be investigated
Read More »Twitter TV Hashtag Tips From Twitter’s Own Expert
Twitter's director of media partnerships, Chloe Sladden, discusses expert hashtag tips for TV shows At the 2011 NAB Show this week,
Read More »Interviewing Geoffrey Moore: New Book in the Fall
This article is Part 2 of an 8 part series. Read Part 1 to get caught up. Geoffrey Moore ’s work is required reading at top business schools
Read More »Too Hard For Science? The Adventures of a Biomolecule in a Cell
Following the motions of a specific molecule inside a cell is no easy task In "Too Hard For Science?" I interview scientists about ideas they would love to explore that they don't think could be investigated. For instance, they might involve machines beyond the realm of possibility, such as particle accelerators as big as the sun, or they might be completely unethical, such as lethal experiments involving people.
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