People in the army describe him variously as a geek and an ace. But the geek who grew up playing Warcraft is now a highly prized soldier on the cutting edge of real war craft. He’s the Israeli army’s top rocket interceptor.
Demystifying Conducting: The Connection Between Gesture and Music – NYT
Alan Gilbert, music director of the New York Philharmonic, demonstrates and discusses the role of a conductor.
Why Magicians Are a Scientist’s Best Friend – Wired
A magician will instantly see the truth behind any colleague’s illusion. But we have a bit of an advantage: We know we are being fooled. Scientists are instinctive doubters who employ a rigorous method to zero in on the truth, but they aren’t necessarily trained to expect deception by subjects and collaborators.
Oh, This Is Great: Humans Have Finally Ruined the Ocean – Vice
It gets so convoluted with all the yelling and the politics that sometimes you just want something huge and incontrovertibly awful to come along for everybody to agree on. Something you can show anyone a picture of and go, “See? We’re fucked.”
George Dyson on the Origins of the Digital Universe – technology review
interview with George Dyson about his new book, Turing's Cathedral. The book is a fascinating, meticulously researched account of the effort to build the first universal Turing machine, under the leadership of the mercurial John von Neumann
An Expert's View on Google's Goggles – technology review
Mark Changizi, a neurobiologist and the author of The Vision Revolution, discusses Google's augmented-reality glasses.
Electronic Dance Concerts Turn Up Volume, Tempting Investors – NYT
For an industry increasingly reliant on aging headliners — like Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and the Rolling Stones — the appeal of a genre with fresh stars and a huge young audience is undeniable.
The Invisible Army – The New Yorker
For foreign workers on U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, war can be hell.
Concentration Camp (Sep 1939) – The Atlantic
The arrests took place in various ways, partly through the S.A. or S.S., partly through uniformed police, partly through plain-clothes men or secret police. It was the latter in my case.
The Berlin district of Neukölln is considered one of Germany's poorest and most troubled neighborhoods. But for hundreds of residents of a small village in Romania, it has become a welcome new home, a source of generous state benefits and a symbol of hope for those left behind.