bigthinkeditor

Building more gas power plants (rather than nuclear ones, for instance) could see UK consumers paying more for energy or miss its 2020 carbon targets, a think tank warns. 

More and more of the soldiers being put in harm’s way in Iraq are actually machines. Scholar and Wired for War author P.W. Singer explains what happens when science fiction becomes battlefield reality.

LulzSec announces “we have blissfully obtained records of every single citizen who gave their records to the security-illiterate UK government for the 2011 census.” What’s next?

The notion of “collaborative consumption” isn’t new but social networking, coupled with “geo-located” smart phones, has super-charged the concept.

Facebook is set to grow its net U.S. display revenues by 80.9% this year to $2.19b, toppling Yahoo to become the largest U.S. display advertiser, an internet research firm claims.

The value of virtual currency Bitcoin has plummeted after a catastrophic hacking on Sunday, raising questions asked about whether it’s the beginning of the end for it.

How gamification can help us achieve mastery and accomplish our goals. Excerpts from an interview with Buster Benson, founder of Health Month.

As we enter a new era of online education it is crucial to determine what types of tools engage students in this environment. More specifically, what is the most effective […]

Justine Rivero shares how her dad’s ‘foolproof’ car-buying secrets are relevant to achieving any goal. Sticking to a clear purpose and knowing when to walk away are two tips.

Jeff Haden urges would-be entrepreneurs to get some experience in a big company (not some small start-up) first. Why? They’ll get the skills and knowledge essential for success.

Author Lois Frankel talks about how to go from a nice girl to a winning woman in the workforce. Tips include to talk less and not be shy about using connections.

What’s behind Tumblr’s meteoric rise? Why are its users more engaged than those on Twitter? It meets the desire for simple, elegant, short-form-content blogs heavy on imagery.

Companies can  be focused, diligent, and dedicated to constant improvement—even excellence—but when markets shift it’s easy to become obsolete. Has that happened to Dell?

Booz & Company’s Chief and Marketing and Knowledge Officer Tom Stewart moderated the Big Think panel made up of Michael Schrage, MIT Sloan School of Management research fellow, theoretical physicist […]

A panel of Big Think experts debates the impact of education on the industries of the future.

A European space telescope has found 10 previously unknown alien planets, all of which are gaseous like Saturn or Jupiter. They boost the count of extrasolar planets to 565.

Airbus says in 40 years time we’ll be able to take night flights, 30,000 feet in the air, and be able to stargaze thanks to the plane’s nature-inspired transparent fuselage.

Is the sun about to enter a quiet phase in the 11-year solar cycle and what does that mean for our planet? Is there anything in all the talk about another “Little Ice Age”?

Members of an Italian commission that assesses major risks like earthquakes have been accused of manslaughter for allegedly not adequately informing residents of risk in 2009.

Why the urban model of widely separated high-rise towers in single-use residential districts—the “tower-in-a-park” model invented in the 1920s in Europe—is inefficient.

When Spain claimed to have dismantled the leadership of the leaderless hacktivist organisation Anonymous”, was this real ignorance or an intentional attempt to disinform?

What is the significance of the hacking of the U.S. Senate’s website? Should we be concerned about the small, “just-for-kicks” release of some internal Senate data?

iPhone photo-sharing service Instagram is just 8-months-old and already has 5 million users. But revenue is almost zero. Such a start-up could monetize its success, but should it?

Twitter excels in aligning relevance with those who understand how to filter streams to their advantage. The paradox is that this human seismograph shouldn’t work, but it does.

Facebook privacy is the new oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp, says Alexandra Petri. She sees us in the grip of a digital Stockholm syndrome. Sometimes we want to leave, but we never will.

Professionals who use ingratiation as a career aid may avoid the psychological distress that affects others who are less cunning about their workplace behavior, says new research.

The only way to build an organization that’s truly fit for the future is to build one that’s truly fit for human beings. Why we need to reinvent management.

An Army investigation after the suicide found the man had been  subjected to “cruel, abusive and oppressive treatment.” But his superiors weren’t made to leave the service.

“I never want to build something that nobody wants to buy.” How Edison learned from his unsuccessful attempt to get Congress to buy his automatic vote-tally system.

A healthy dose of skepticism and a realistic look at the odds you’re up against can do a lot more to help energize you toward a goal than a rosy image of a successful outcome.