Culture & Religion — November 19, 2009

The Chips Fall in Washington

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Jim McManus visited Big Think today to talk about the poker habits of the men who have inhabited the White House. The stories he told come from his new book “Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker.” We’ll post our video interview with him in the coming days. In the meantime, if you like poker, take a look at our conversation with female gamester Annie Duke.

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

Union soldiers in blue uniforms escort prisoners past a burning building with a large hole in the wall while smoke and flames rise, during the American Civil War.

Books

The rise and fall of John Wilkes Booth: America’s first celebrity assassin

Before becoming America’s most infamous assassin, John Wilkes Booth was a magnetic actor who was beloved by audiences and courted by critics.

A flowchart with a large question mark at the top leads to boxes containing photos, abstract patterns, and arrows connecting each step on a textured green background.

Smart Skills

When to quit: A simple framework for life’s toughest decisions

Annie Duke, a poker champion turned decision scientist, talks with Big Think about how to choose well under uncertainty.

Starts With A Bang

100 years ago, Cecilia Payne discovered what the stars are made of

For centuries, even after we knew the Sun was a star like any other, we still didn’t know what it was made of. Cecilia Payne changed that.

A man in a green suit standing in an art gallery, using a spray bottle to clean a large painting of three hands reaching towards each other.

High Culture

Art critic Jerry Saltz: A “Francis Bacon of AI art” will emerge, but today’s work falls flat

“I believe that in the future, there will be a Francis Bacon of AI art,” Saltz tells Big Think. “We just haven’t seen that artist yet.”

An image of a dark forest at night infused with the mysterious aura of the Bell Witch.

The Past

The baffling and terrifying mystery of the Bell Witch

Serving as the inspiration for the modern horror classic “The Blair Witch Project,” what does our fascination with this unsolvable mystery tell us about our modern psyche?

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