Celebrated jazz pianist Vijay Iyer has a Ph.D. in music cognition and the rare ability to describe the interplay between music and the brain. We talk with Vijay and listen to his music.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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What does the growing popularity of podcasts mean for public radio? Are they competition? Inspiration? For insight, we turned to one content director who's also launched a few podcasts.
In her new novella, "Sleep Donation," Karen Russell mentions a documentary called "Is Sleep Going Extinct?" That got us wondering what this fictional documentary would sound like. Chances are it would NOT sound anything like this.
Before the Internet, a good memory wasn't just useful; it was prized as a sign of intelligence. And there were memory geniuses who developed mental tricks for storing information. Philosopher and novelist Simon Critchley delves into the fascinating history of the memory palace, which once promised almost God-like wisdom.
G. Willow Wilson just won the World Fantasy Award for her novel, “Alif the Unseen”. Also, Marvel Comics is launching a new Muslim girl super-hero and Willow will be the series’ writer.
William Dean teaches theology. His book is “The American Spiritual Culture, and the Invention of Jazz, Football, and the Movies.”
Stephen Long is the founder of Northern Woodlands Magazine. He takes us for a walk in his Vermont woods and teaches us how to "read" a forest.
What compels someone to commit acts of terror? Anthropologist Scott Atran has spent a decade talking with jailed suicide bombers and jihadist leaders. He says they're motivated by core human values: brotherhood, loyalty and the dream of a better world.
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