John Maeda: Art + Science = Innovation
We stumbled upon some of John Maeda’s classic design work today, over at Fast Company. One of the world’s most famous designers, and ever prescient, John’s been preaching some form of “design thinking” for many years now. As a keynote speaker, and as President of the Rhode Island School of Design,... Continue Reading →
Lev Grossman Writes Two of TIME Magazine's Most Talked About Stories of 2010
If you are an important person and Lev Grossman is writing a profile on you, there’s actually a pretty good chance you’ll end up on the cover of TIME magazine. In fact, your very appearance on the cover — and all the freighted significance that carries — may itself become news. It’s happened twice... Continue Reading →
A Materials Girl: Neri Oxman is Redesigning the Modern World
Neri Oxman is one of the coolest people I know. Everyone that I explain her work to responds in the same way: with follow-up Web browsing to learn all they can about the woman who designed a chair that moves with your body weight! That chair — called Beast (photo below), a stunning mix of Eamesian... Continue Reading →
Nathan Wolfe: We Don't Know Enough
Humans know very little about most of the natural world, says Nathan Wolfe. But this isn’t a cause for concern. It should be seen as a call to arms for further discovery. Here’s Nathan, in an exclusive Lavin video, wrapping up one of his typically fantastic speeches, imploring the young scientists... Continue Reading →
Jonah Lehrer: What's Wrong With The Scientific Method?
The scientific method is supposed to be one of life’s givens — an unassailable truth, like death and taxes. But just how perfect is it? In last week’s New Yorker, Jonah Lehrer wrote about troubling flaws in the scientific method, focusing on something called The Decline Effect. A number of... Continue Reading →
Daron Acemoglu is the 88th Most Influential Thinker on the Planet
MIT economist Daron Acemoglu has been named to Foreign Policy’s list of 100 Global Thinkers, for “showing that freedom is about more than markets.” In their write-up, the FP editors stop just short of saying he will one day win a Nobel — a not unlikely outcome given that he’s already won the John... Continue Reading →
Kwame Anthony Appiah: "Why I Nominated Liu Xiaobo"
In Oslo today, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to writer Liu Xiaobo, who was unable to attend the ceremonies due to his ongoing imprisonment by the Chinese government. An empty chair sat on stage, pointedly, representing his absence. Below is an excerpt from a much-circulated letter that... Continue Reading →
Why The Net Matters: David Eagleman Releases Latest Book as iPad App
Non-fiction fans, you knew this day was coming. And now it’s here. David Eagleman — novelist, neuroscientist, and Lavin speaker — has written his new book, Why the Net Matters: How the Internet Will Save Civilization, as an iPad-only app. Mind-blowing video demo above. Continue Reading →