Category: Zeitgeist

Forgetting is important

I've noted before that our memories corrupt over time, and that we're constantly forgetting things.  All things we should try to...remember when recalling events or evaluating eyewitness testimony. Anyway, it turns out that if something goes wrong with our forgetting mechanism, it has serious consequences. In order to function properly, the human brain requires the … Continue reading Forgetting is important →

SpaceX prepares to take the biggest step towards affordable space travel: Soft landing the Falcon 9 rocket

Recently, I've observed how the multistage rocket system probably isn't going anywhere and that the best approach might be to embrace it and make it work as effectively as possible.  I've noted the appeal of VTOL (vertical take off and landing) rocket. Well, it turns out SpaceX was way ahead of me on both points. … Continue reading SpaceX prepares to take the biggest step towards affordable space travel: Soft landing the Falcon 9 rocket →

Defending Giordano Bruno: A Response from the Co-Writer of “Cosmos” – Out There | Discovermagazine.com

Cosmos co-writer Steven Sotor has responded to Corey Powell's criticism of Cosmos's highlighting of Giordano Bruno on its opening episode.  Powell published the response on his blog, and responded in turn. Powell writes that the new Cosmos is “downright wrong” because “Bruno was not the first to link the idea of infinite space with the infinite glory … Continue reading Defending Giordano Bruno: A Response from the Co-Writer of “Cosmos” – Out There | Discovermagazine.com →

Why the Asteroid Belt Doesn’t Threaten Spacecraft

When Cosmos showed the asteroid belt Sunday night, I noticed that, taking some artistic license to quickly get a point across,  they showed it as crammed with asteroids.  Anyone familiar with the real asteroid belt knows that's not accurate.  Even in the belt, asteroids are lonely rocks. When you think of the asteroid belt, you … Continue reading Why the Asteroid Belt Doesn’t Threaten Spacecraft →

Did “Cosmos” Pick the Wrong Hero?

As I suspected, there's consternation about Cosmos's highlighting of Giordano Bruno, and not all of it is coming from religious apologists. In Cosmos, Tyson does carefully say that Bruno was not a scientist, and instead describes that picture of infinite worlds as a “guess.” But Bruno was not guessing. He was advancing his own, heretical … Continue reading Did “Cosmos” Pick the Wrong Hero? →

How Scientists Are Learning to Read Our Minds

An interesting, if at points disturbing, article which is an excerpt from Michio Kaku's book, 'The Future of the Mind'.  Kaku never fails to deliver wonder. Houdini believed that true telepathy was impossible. But science is proving Houdini wrong. Telepathy is now the subject of intense research at universities around the world where scientists have … Continue reading How Scientists Are Learning to Read Our Minds →

The Unexpected Way Philosophy Majors Are Changing The World Of Business

Dr. Damon Horowitz quit his technology job and got a Ph.D. in philosophy -- and he thinks you should too. "If you are at all disposed to question what's around you, you'll start to see that there appear to be cracks in the bubble," Horowitz said in a 2011 talk at Stanford. "So about a … Continue reading The Unexpected Way Philosophy Majors Are Changing The World Of Business →