Flower power (no, not that kind...)
Why a 19th-century invention is only now finding its place in the sun as a 21st-century energy source. Greg T. Spielberg | October 2010 issue The SunCatcher is an enormous solar dish made of mirrors and metal, but it’s best thought of as a giant silver flower. At thirty feet (11 meters) tall, the Read More...
How the Stirling engine works
Greg T. Spielberg | October 2010 issue A Stirling engine uses internal gas that’s alternately heated and cooled to produce energy. Hydrogen, for instance, is sealed in a chamber connected to a series of pistons. When the hydrogen is heated, it expands, driving the pistons through the chamber. Read More...
Standing barefoot before God
The agony and ecstasy of writing as a spiritual practice. Rabbi Rami | October 2010 Read More...
This is island Earth
A glimpse inside the lives of the Bajau Laut, who could play a crucial role in preserving biodiversity in the Indian and Pacific oceans' Coral Triangle. Marco Visscher | October 2010 Read More...
This is your life
Stop tweeting, texting and multitasking for a minute. Instead, tell your story. Michael McQueen | October 2010 issue Communication is the currency of our age. Americans send an estimated 2.5 billion text messages every single day—and this is just the start. Add to this the avalanche of tweets, Read More...
The usefulness of enemies
Two stories about what worthy opponents can teach us. Paulo Coelho| October 2010 issue The enemy without My reader Murali, from India, tells the story of a girl who decided to climb a mountain to visit her grandmother. It was pouring rain and a cold wind was blowing. Thunder rolled at each second. Read More...
Who's the patient here?
| October 2010 Read More...
Cosmic salad
Bring the abundance of nature to your plate. Elbrich Fennema | October 2010 issue The science of economics revolves around the concept of scarcity. How do you handle something you have too little of, like money? How do you distribute something that isn’t plentiful enough, like food? And how much Read More...
All you can eat
Author Jonathan Bloom offers fresh thinking on how to reduce food waste. Diane Daniel | October 2010 issue Just as Jonathan Bloom and I settle in to talk, a piece of freshly baked chocolate cookie falls out of my hand and onto the floor. We’re sitting on the outside deck at Foster’s Market, an Read More...
Bad news "forces us to be problem-solvers"
If you're fed up with the negativity of today's media, psychologist and trauma expert Charles Figley urges you to not turn away. Instead, absorb some more, he says, because bad news is good for you. Marco Visscher | October 2010 Read More...