Science, Technology, Society
Cancer survivor Xeni Jardin says that while she was touched by the outpouring of support for Senator John McCain after his diagnosis of brain cancer, hearing cancer once again described as form of combat continued to bother her.
Source: Why cancer is not a war, fight, or battle (opinion) – CNN.com
Zillow has backed off from suing McMansion Hell, a blog that highlights architectural atrocities committed by tasteless homeowners on their own houses
Source: McMansion Hell revives its hilarious blog after ending legal spat with Zillow
One Y Combinator–incubated startup founder makes the case for “STEAM” over “STEM.”
Plague, famine, heat no human can survive. This is not science fiction but what scientists, when they’re not being cautious, fear could be our future.
Source: When Will Climate Change Make the Earth Too Hot For Humans?
From 1347 to 1351, a nightmare disease ravaged Europe, afflicting victims with putrid black boils, fevers, vomiting, and in short order, death. Daily life ground to a halt as the Black Death spread along medieval trade routes, claiming an estimated 20 million lives with ruthless efficiency. Now, a team of researchers is asserting that the plague had an unexpected impact: clearing the air of a toxic pollutant for the first time in over a thousand years.
Source: The Black Death May Have Had a Surprising Effect on the Environment
A Stanford professor argues that a profit imperative is in tension with the needs of a democratic society.
Source: Does Silicon Valley Have Any Obligations to Democracy? – The Atlantic
