Guest Thinkers — December 21, 2010

No April Fools For You

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Or so says Shaykh ‘Abd al-Muhsin al-‘Abaykan of Saudi Arabia.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Collage showcasing a stratospheric balloon soaring over Earth and a close-up of fingers, with "The Nightcrawler" emblazoned at the top, capturing the spirit of a creative renaissance.

How AI is ushering in a creative renaissance

Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.

Gertrude Bell, a formidable traveller, archaeologist and diplomat, defied the action fallacy by challenging conventional wisdom and achieving remarkable success in her endeavors.

Business

The “action fallacy” tells us that the most effective leaders are unseen

We rightly celebrate Winston Churchill as one of the world’s greatest leaders — but for all the wrong reasons.

Strange Maps

You can drink the tap water in these 50 countries — maybe

According to the CDC, 50 countries worldwide have drinkable tap water. But look closer, and the picture is more nuanced.

A painting of a man with a turban and a map.

Strange Maps

The medieval mapmaker remembered for the wrong map

The history of cartography might have been very different if the Latin version of Muhammad al-Idrisi’s atlas had survived instead of the Arabic one.

A bust of Cleopatra, the woman wearing a crown.

The Past

Cleopatra’s perfume: We now know what the Egyptian queen smelled like

A classical equivalent to Chanel No. 5.

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Really easy tea leaves

GENEVA – The United Nations food agency said on Friday a lack of funds had forced it to cut back rations for around one million people in Yemen, despite growing […]