X

Posts

February 22, 2013

+
2:00 PM | The Science Of 'Zero Dark Thirty': When We Can Condone Torture
Zero Effect Ryan SnookA Hollywood thriller meets the science of perception. Critics have applauded the realism of the film Zero Dark Thirty, an Oscar favorite that claims to re-create the hunt for Osama bin Laden. But some have protested an early scene in which intelligence officers torture a man, then use the threat of further torture to persuade him to reveal a crucial bit of evidence. The New York Times called the controversy "a national Rorschach test on the divisive subject of torture." In […]
Popular Science
General Science

January 29, 2013

+
2:00 PM | With More Food Than Ever, Why Is Hunger On The Rise?
Data Diet Ryan SnookOne of the dangers of virtual demand. Virtualization is a powerful tool for improving the real world. When we translate material things, from genes to jet planes, into numbers, we can analyze and manipulate them far more easily. But two recent reports suggest that virtualization can also have disastrous real-word consequences, especially when it comes to food. Fred Kaufman begins his new book Bet the Farm: How Food Stopped Being Food by identifying a troubling paradox of […]
Popular Science
General Science

December 28, 2012

+
6:30 PM | What It's Like To Use The Beautiful, Futuristic Nest Thermostat
Nest Thermostat Nest programs itself based on your habits, and even tells you how long it will take for your home to reach the desired temperature. NestBeyond the hype, what's the day-to-day life of a Nest user like? Is there planet-saving involved? The Nest thermostat is a test case for the proposition that better consumer products can save the world. It is indeed an excellent consumer product, but the early results on world-saving are inconclusive. Most programmable thermostats are clunky at […]
Popular Science
General Science

November 09, 2012

+
3:03 PM | How The Science Of Tribology Could Smooth The Way To A Better Energy System
The Fiction Of Nonfriction Ryan SnookFor manufacturers, less friction means more efficiency. In 1964, a lubrication expert named Peter Jost gathered with his colleagues at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in Cardiff, Wales, to discuss a vexing paradox. Factory machinery everywhere was producing more and better goods than ever before. But it was also failing at an increasing rate. The immediate problem was friction: Lubricants were breaking down, bearings were wearing out, metal […]
Popular Science
General Science
1
4 Results