Technology & Innovation

What is the Big Idea? Pension funds have gone from a state of surplus to a state of deficit in the last decade and no matter what measures are taken […]

A spending and income report shows American’s spent less on “big ticket” items in May. Experts believe consumer spending will continue to be “sluggish” for months to come.

Professional demands in the US typically require women to sacrifice familial responsibilities, but women should not have to choose between the two, says Anne-Marie Slaughter. 

A new generation of college graduates has been had by the American higher education system, which insists on costly degree programs to justify its corrupting influence on society. 

With Silicon Alley and Silicon Valley well-established, Jeff Slobotski believes that cities like Omaha, Des Moines and Kansas City may form the backbone of a new generation of tech start ups.

Forget Google. Larger data-gathering corporations combine decades of pre-Internet consumer research with online tracking tools to create a frighteningly powerful database.  

The Internet’s standards body is debating technology that allows users to make their surfing habits unavailable to advertisers. How far should the body enter the policy making realm?

A team of Danish researchers are working to help villagers in eastern Namibia preserve their cultural traditions, which are becoming more difficult to pass down in an age of urban migration. 

The day is nearing for discussions to take place in Moscow, but there is one direct-to-direct discussion that really should happen: Iran and America. According to reports, Washington is prepared to listen.

There is so much going on in the economy, and much of what economists put out there about it is pretty depressing news. Three of the phrases that economists will continue to throw around—although scary—are ones everyone should be familiar with and know what they mean. 

Most Americans not only misperceive currently levels of income inequality, says Joseph Stiglitz, they underestimate the tectonic changes that have occurred in the last ten years.   

Following in the footsteps of urban bicycle sharing programs, a folding car originally designed at MIT in 2003 may finally reconcile the long dispute between the city and the car. 

What’s the Latest Development? There is no question as to whether or not the web provides us with a wealth of information. Every day an average of “300 billion emails” […]

The challenge for democracies is to become just as farsighted as the state capitalist systems that have drawn the world’s envy. But while we try to bring about this small revolution in our thinking, the state capitalists may be dealing with a much bigger revolution of their own.

The agriculture in America is growing weaker because lack of farmlands and the people willing to tend to them. 

Cambridge University researcher and former derivatives trader John Coates says that big profits boost testosterone levels, making traders more likely to take even bigger financial risks. 

In this third video from our interview with Slavoj Žižek, the philosopher and author of Big Think’s most recent Book of the Month answers the question, “Which summer film are you anticipating most?” Watch […]

Small groups of people have better ideas and get more done. Making sure meetings are populated only by people who have something to contribute is essential to good business. 

With private companies announcing their intentions to mine the lunar surface and asteroids for precious minerals, legal questions have arisen over how far the concept of ownership can be applied. 

 

Would you be happier working for a company or being your own boss?

The quantity of knowledge contained by humanity increases by about five billion bits per second, yet our poor understanding of how information systems work could spell disaster. 

Google’s effort to map every street in the world has given the company troves of data it can use to create self-driving cars. Today, innovation means extracting data in novel ways. 

Industry and government are pushing back against commercial Internet tracking, but most consumers don’t mind the intrusion too much. In fact, many even appreciate the tracking. 

Monique Leroux managed to get herself elected (yes, elected) as the first female CEO in the organization’s history.

Today, the crisis in Europe has gotten worse for some countries; the recent U.S. employment rates are disappointing; China is looking strong, but will that last for long?  Four years ago, countries were able to devise a plan to help prevent a global depression, so why not now? 

Yesterday (5/30/12), Big Think President and Co-Founder Peter Hopkins moderated a panel at the UN Social Innovation Summit, a private, invitation-only forum that explores “What’s Next?” in the world of Social […]

Researchers at a British university have turned to Mother Nature to maintain the current rate of progress in the computer industry, specifically a bacterium which contains iron oxide. 

To solicit financial support from the public, something the government has made easier recently, it helps to create funding tiers that allow you to connect personally with your audience.   

Facebook is working to release its own brand of smartphone. After a $16 billion payday at its IPO, the company has found it needs to justify its paycheck, especially as ad revenues decline.