Guest Thinkers — February 16, 2011

Academics don’t know design

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This is a screenshot of the page for AERA proposal reviewers. Can you find the link to download the proposal I’m supposed to review? (click on the image for a larger version)

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

A human silhouette filled with birds and insects is overlaid with a circular target, binary code, and abstract shapes against a sky background with clouds.

The Well

Social media supercharged our disagreements. Could AI help us resolve them?

Duke sociologist Dr. Christopher Bail on the tech’s potential to foster empathy in an age of division.

Books

5 of the strangest books ever written

Some books are remembered for their lyrical prose or engaging stories. Others are remembered for simply being weird.

Two people sit on a deck at night, illuminated by red light, looking up at a star-filled sky with mountains silhouetted in the background.

Smart Skills

The meaning of your life isn’t a puzzle to solve

It’s something to wrestle and live with, says behavioral scientist Arthur Brooks.

Starts With A Bang

LIGO’s heaviest black hole demands next-generation science

With over 300 high-significance gravitational wave detections, we now have a huge unsolved puzzle. Will we invest in finding the solution?

A human skull and bone rest beside colorful flowers and sheet music in a detailed memento mori still life composition.

Smart Skills

Why memento mori is the ultimate life hack

A mid-flight scare reveals how embracing death can bring purpose and meaning to everyday life.

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Why is staff development so bad?

[cross-posted at the TechLearning blog ] We have known for a long time (decades!) about what constitutes effective staff development. As the latest version of the National Staff Development Council […]