FREAK Shots: Eclipsing Anxiety

Wednesday's eclipse didn't cause mayhem; it didn't even affect Shanghai

Captain Steve Answers Your Airline Questions

A while back, we began soliciting reader questions for Captain Steve, a captain with a major U.S. airline. He made his debut here, with his rather spirited take on the state of the modern pilot, and now is back with his first round of answers to reader questions. Thanks to him, and to you -- and please leave new questions for Captain Steve in the comments section below.

Q Seriously, how does my keeping my iPod on affect flights taking off? It

Crime, Punishment, and Typewriter Tape

We blogged a while back about how cassette tapes have found a niche in prisons, where the retro tech is considered a safe alternative to CD's. Where else is old technology hanging on? In New York City police stations, where typewriters are still regularly used to fill out paperwork. The N.Y.P.D. spent nearly $1 million on typewriters in 2007. Just because a technology has been superseded doesn't make it completely irrelevant.

Do Taste and Smell Adjectives Signal Value, or Do They Create It?

We may disagree about our favorite artists and musicians, but it

Not Darwin's Year?

According to a Zogby poll taken this year, Darwin's 200th anniversary, Americans favor intelligent design over Darwinian theory. According to the poll, 33 percent of respondents said they agreed with Darwinism, but 52 percent agreed that

Bubble Science

Gary Stix looks at recent developments in the science of human decision-making and economic bubbles. Stix examines the growing influence of behavioral economists, the neuroscience behind various economic phenomena, and the research of George Akerlof and Robert Shiller, Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler, and Andrew Lo.

Is Free Free?

Wired editor and Long Tail author Chris Anderson sees free things everywhere -- Google, YouTube, even The New York Times -- and concludes that $0.00 the price has revolutionized the modern world as much as zero the concept revolutionized the ancient world. Anderson's book on the subject, Free: the Future of a Radical Price, goes on sale next week for the decidedly un-radical price of $26.99. You can, however, read Malcolm Gladwell's not-so-friendly review of the book online for free. Free, except of course for the price you paid for your computer, mobile device, electricity, and internet connection. This hitch is just one problem Gladwell has with Anderson's idea. (Separately, Anderson seems guilty of Wikiplagiarism.)