The Latest Posts

Smoking Is More Hassle Than It’s Worth

I more usually tend to present my dis-avowal of smoking as a kind of glorious epiphany.

The Big Whimper

Why the cosmology may not start or end with a big bang.

How I Finally Learned My Name

When I was a boy, my family was small: my parents, my mother’s parents, and my older brother.

Could the War in Ukraine Go Nuclear?

Sixty years ago the world was staring at a nuclear cataclysm.

The Post-Putin Peace

It is now doubtful that the Kremlin would be able to set up a solid “separation line”.

Remembering LED Pioneer Nick Holonyak

Holonyak left GE in 1963 to become a professor of electrical and computer engineering and researcher at his alma mater.

How Big Is Infinity?

Of all the endless questions children and mathematicians have asked about infinity, one of the biggest has to do with its size.

An Elusive Form of Quantum Matter

An elusive form of matter called a quantum spin liquid isn’t a liquid, and it doesn’t spin — but it sure is quantum.

’Twas Thrilling When Trilling Wrote a Blurb

The renowned literary critic famously withheld his imprimatur from the books of peers and students, with two notable exceptions. What do they reveal?

Blue-eyed Buddhist

The story of a working-class radical from Ireland who became a celebrated monk and challenged the British Empire in Asia.

How to Have Better Arguments

Arguing well isn’t just about winning. A philosophical approach will help you and the other person get much more out of it.

Coal Built the EU. Will Gas Destroy It?

Today, in a new era of war and geopolitical rivalry, it is energy once again — this time gas — that’s threatening to tear that unity apart.

How Did We Get To Be So Different?

Those of us who are able to see what is in front of our eyes acknowledge the vast gulf between humans and even our nearest primate kin.

The Stone Collector

A man was walking ahead of us, a tall man wearing a cap and black leather jacket.

Life’s a Glitch

This dramatization of what could happen as 1999 became 2000 was obviously ridiculous.