MIT is taking some actions to deal with credentialism in higher education, though we'll have to wait and see how it plays out.
Megan McArdle discusses the ways that adults exploit youth activism to support favored causes while ignoring kids' needs when it's no longer convenient.
An old article from PEW Journalism on how the media covers topics disproportionately to their real-life implications and importance. Related: who fact checks the fact checkers?
Rationalist bloggers review Twelve Rules for Life.
The European Space Agency is testing an air-breathing electric engine. It's not quite a jet engine that works in space, but it's surprisingly close. NASA, meanwhile, is working on 3D-printed rocket nozzles.
Planetary Resources is struggling after funding setbacks. It's unclear what their new strategy will be but the soundbytes don't inspire optimism.
People had some weird ideas about averages in the first half of the 20th century, with implications ranging from airplane design to fashion. Unsurprisingly, the fields where mistakes had measurable consequences learned the lesson faster. We're still beholded to those lessons today, with most aircraft dimensions sized to accommodate 95th percentile males and 5th percentile females.
Ethereal art, made with drones.
