People used to dream of growing up and acquiring a bunch of stuff. Now, it seems, dreams are different and millennials prize experience. For a globally connected generation whose only constant is change, permanence is burdensome—and that includes furniture.
Syria’s answer to Banksy is Abu Malik al-Shami, 22-year-old rebel fighter. He paints on rubble in Darayya, a suburb outside Damascus hit hard by the civil war.
Changes in language happen organically and deliberately. John Koenig, filmmaker and creator of the multimedia Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, is working on the latter, filling in linguistic holes with a compendium of subtle emotions for a new age.
The silver economy is on the rise.
Fashion guru Tim Gunn felt out of place at the James Beard Foundation Food Conference in New York—”like a mongrel at the Westminster Kennel Club,” he said at the Oct. 19 event. But he was, as ever, put together in a pinstripe suit and printed tie, and wasn’t too shy to share that dressing up alleviates this anxiety, making him master of the message.
Corporations intent on making employees more engaged and creative are focusing on happiness as the answer. Chief Happiness Officer is an actual job at many companies.
Coconut oil, like lard, is white, hard, keeps without spoiling, and fries nicely. It’s also hailed as a natural miracle food.
Classicists who covet gadgets may have a new favorite tool in Augmented Paper, Montblanc’s luxury response to the dominance of electronics. The bluetooth pen and leather-bound pad together transmit handwriting directly to digital devices.
Science seems solid and verifiable, reliable, practical, and nothing like an abstract art. Yet developments in physics seem totally opaque, as easily explained as a Mark Rothko painting, right? It’s fine to admit ignorance. This happens to physicists too.
What if you had no proof of who you are? What would you do when the bank manager asked for ID when you tried to open an account or when the hospital asked for your documentation?
Without a warm smile, a reassuring tone, or other clues traditionally offered in live exchanges, a perfectly neutral statement sent via email can come across as cold or even cruel. To correct this ”negativity bias,” be conscious of it and evaluate your messages carefully. And consider making use of the word “yet.” It’s a small word with few letters, but it packs a lot of power.
That the Nobel Prize in Literature just went to a celebrity folk singer whose heyday has long since passed has been lauded by Bob Dylan lovers, mocked by literary critics, and mourned by some writers.
Turns out there’s a science behind being creative. According to new research, the creative process actually involves 14 components, which both work together and build on each other.
The tonic of the wilderness was Henry David Thoreau’s classic prescription for civilization and its discontents, offered in the 1854 essay Walden: Or, Life in the Woods. Now there’s scientific evidence supporting eco-therapy. The Japanese practice of forest bathing is proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce stress hormone production, boost the immune system, and improve overall feelings of wellbeing.
Agriculturalists dream of making deserts bloom. Now the dream is coming true using sun, seawater, and little else.
So many books, so little time. In the age of media binging, too often we end up buying books we never actually read.
Parents often worry that adverse experiences can shape a child’s outlook for years to come. Now there’s evidence to suggest that certain kinds of childhood woes show up physically in the body and alter it in ways that last through adulthood.
A man who livestreamed his child’s birth to the world on Facebook is suing CBS and MSN for sharing. Kali Kanongataa filed a copyright infringement claim in federal court in New York on Sept. 22, demanding money and an injunction to stop unauthorized use of his video, which he says is the first live Facebook birth (a fact that’s unverifiable). His copyright claim is typical of the digital age. It puts the media companies in a pickle.
Emotion was once thought to be the realm of humans alone, but it increasingly appears that feelings are an evolutionary adaptation for all beings. Bees, it seems, have feelings too.
Women are ambitious, competitive, and dominant. Still, research shows that go-getting ladies don’t apply for jobs that advertise those requirements. Change the language of the ads and it will attract women, says Santander UK chairwoman Shriti Vadera.
Prison works as punishment. But many argue that it doesn’t prevent repeat offending, or recidivism, on its own. The US Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that 75% of released inmates are rearrested within five years—which is not just a societal problem, but also a major taxpayer expense.
Dogs may be man’s best friend but cats too have earned a place in our hearts and homes. Cats, it seems, colonized the planet by doing odd jobs for farmers and hitching rides on sailing ships. Or, at least that’s what new research on feline DNA suggests.
Body awareness, or proprioception, helps us navigate space and relate to the world around, just like vision or hearing or touch. It’s a sort of sixth sense that works in conjunction with the rest—and has now been linked to a specific gene in humans, PIEZO2.
Conventional wisdom tells us that, despite its many benefits, swearing isn’t a good idea around children. But then, it happens, invariably and internationally.
