Codebreaker, a new film by Patrick Sammon, tells the story of the brilliant life and tragic death of Alan Turing. He died at age 41, having revolutionized our world by inventing the first computer programs -- and then computers themselves.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Literary theorist Terry Eagleton's Dangerous Idea? The humanities are dying.
Fleda Brown, poet laureate of Delaware reads some of her poems and talks with Steve Paulson.
Biologist Elisabet Sahtouris left her teaching job to go live on a Greek island and re-think her life as a scientist.
Anne here. My conversation with Turkish writer Elif Şafak back in April still sticks with me as the year comes to a close. In many parts of the world, 2016 was the year of the populist leader—especially in Turkey, where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a crackdown on free speech and all forms of opposition. 120 journalists have been jailed, more than 2,000 academics have been dismissed from universities, and more than 100,000 public workers have been fired. How did Turkey—once a model of new democratic nations—become such a different place? Not only did Şafak see this coming, she warned that the West should not consider itself immune.
In March of 2000, the conceptual artist Mark Lombardi was found hanged in his studio. In the art world, speculation swirled about whether his death was suicide or murder? Why would anyone want to murder Lombardi? Maybe because his intricate drawings revealed connections between George W. Bush and the bin Laden family, as well as other connections between banking, organized crime and intelligence agencies. Patricia Goldstone is the author of "Interlock: Art, Conspiracy, and the Shadow Worlds of Mark Lombardi." She talks about Lombardi's work and the mystery behind his death.
Ersi Arvizu tells Jim Fleming about growing up longing to get involved in the sport of boxing. Her dad ran a boxing gym for boys in their backyard.
Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgaard recommends a chilling read: "The Flame Alphabet" by Ben Marcus.
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