Aurora

"There is no Planet B" - Kim Stanley Robinson makes an impassioned argument that if we wreck earth, we may not have another planet to live in. BTW, I finished reading his novel 'Aurora' and I think it was the best book of 2015. Guardian review of Kim Stanley Robinson's Aurora agrees.

To quote this review of this sci-fi masterpiece:
terraforming new worlds proves much harder than fixing the environmental problems of our own beautiful planet – although we seem to be finding it difficult to do even that simple thing.

Star Wars - Force snoozes

Not only was the new Star wars movie disappointing in its lack of ambition, re-watching Episode 1 now, I think George Lucas got a raw deal for the prequels. Sure Jar Jar Binks is ridiculous but he is no more annoying than C3PO.

Active learning

You're innocently walking down the street when aliens zap away the sensory neurons in your legs. What happens?
a) Your walking movements show no significant change.
b) You can no longer walk.
c) You can walk, but the pace changes.
d) You can walk, but clumsily.

A look at how active learning is transforming education, particularly in the sciences.