Surprising Science — May 6, 2009

Welcome to the New 1-2-10 Media Interface

Nick Bilton, a designer, user interface specialist, technologist, journalist, hardware hacker, who is currently the design integration editor and user interface specialist at The New York Times and The Times Research & Development Lab, has a few things to say about media integration.

Bilton was featured in that cool New York magazine story about tech renegades at the New York Times. He also works as an adjunct professor in the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU where he teaches a course on one-two-ten design interaction. The idea is to tell stories for the one-foot distance between you and your phone, the two-foot distance between you and your computer and the ten-foot distance between you and your television. Here’s Nick with a video explanation.

How does hardware relate to the future of news? from Knight Pulse on Vimeo.

Collage of classical art suggesting a theme related to somatic markers.

Business

How “somatic markers” can transform your decision-making

Ditch the old brain vs. heart assumptions, and instead think about a heart-led brain.

A black and white image of a bunch of spheres, symbolizing the multiverse concept discussed by scientists.

Starts With A Bang

How logic and reasoning can fail as scientific tools

In logic, 'reductio ad absurdum' shows how flawed arguments fall apart. Our absurd Universe, however, often defies our intuitive reasoning.

A wooden sign indicating "assisted migration rep 2" in a pine forest under a clear blue sky.

Life

Moving trees north to save the forests

As the world warms, trees in forests such as those in Minnesota will no longer be adapted to their local climates. That’s where assisted migration comes in.

Historical map illustration depicting a planned city layout with a circular central area and radiating streets.

Strange Maps

Ohio’s Circleville ditched the grid system. Then it got squared.

A small Ohio town tried to escape America’s addiction to rectangular grids. It didn’t last long.

Bullet Cluster separation mass gravity x-ray lensing

Starts With A Bang

Flagship NASA space telescope faces a penny-pinching death

NASA's only flagship X-ray telescope ever, Chandra, still works and has no planned successor. So why does the President want to kill it?

Up Next

Technology & Innovation

Youth Leadership Now

Our world needs youth leaders in our communities now from ages 14-25. We need to harness their energy and ideas, give the tools effective leadership and then let them lead! Our leaders in the US congress, corporations, and non-profits need term limits to ensure that the torches of leadership pass smoothly. This will allow our elders to Think Big about new projects as the pass existing programs onto others.