online archive
5:00PM
MAY 26 2008
We know less than ever about the world
From The Atlantic Monthly, the sky is falling: The odds that a potentially devastating space rock will hit Earth this century may be as high as one in 10; so why isn’t NASA trying harder to prevent catastrophe? From Seed, to find life on other worlds requires thinking about how other life would find us. Plans to return humans to the moon are under way — but will the moon be a stepping stone to Mars or a destination all its own? Why the Moon?: Developing a strong rationale for returning to the Moon becomes ever more important. Who owns the Moon?: Glenn Harlan Reynolds on the case for lunar property rights. The Space Archaeologists: What does the past look like from 200 miles up? A new generation of archaeologists has found that the history of civilization may look far clearer from the top of the atmosphere than it does from the bottom of a dig. From TED, Alisa Miller on why we know less than ever about the world; and Mark Bittman on what's wrong with what we eat. Redeeming Dubya: The national memory often confuses hubris with greatness — that’s good news for George W. Bush. Matthew Yglesias on the appeasement paradox: Understanding the usefulness of diplomacy and the limits of American power (and more). A review of The Mind of the Market by Michael Shermer. The future looks bleak for book clubs, an archaic corner of old media.
