Technology & Innovation — February 10, 2012

Is Kim Jong-un Dead?

On China’s microblogging site Weibo, rumors of Kim Jong-un’s death surfaced earlier today when bloggers posted that he was assassinated in Beijing. Media outlets have yet to issue any official reports, but the rumors have spread to Twitter and they are ripe for punny jokes.

Gawker was one of the first to report the Weibo posts and warned against falling prey to what bloggers call “reliable sources.”

The Atlantic Wire reported that Chinese journalist Joe Xu tweeted about the unusual number of cars in front of the North Korean embassy in Beijing.

Kim Jong-un, if you’re reading this, can you tweet us your status to let us know you’re alive?

The Atlantic Wire is providing updates. Read them here.

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.

▸

7 min

—

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.

Up Next

Start Your Business Without Going Broke

Thinking of starting a business, but unsure of where you will find the cash to open the doors? Here are a few tips on how to launch a business with little to no money out of pocket.