Culture & Religion — September 19, 2009

Gary Vaynerchuk Crushes It

Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV may be overtaking Robert Parker as the country’s most recognizable – and polarizing – wine expert. This weekend, watch him on BigThink.com giving a seven minute wine course, talking about overrated winemakers, and declaring that online social media is the next generation of business. After the jump, catch a sneak preview of Gary’s interview: he shares his foolproof techniques for impressing a dinner date while talking to a sommelier.

UPDATE: Gary is now live on the site. Aside from the above, Gary talks about his heroes, his career (including the moment he fell in love with wine), and more.

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

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