From SciAm, an article on the science of economic bubbles and busts. In These Times on the only road out of crisis: Yes, it is socialism, but nationalize the banks already. More on The Frock-coated Communist: The Revolutionary Life of Friedrich Engels by Tristram Hunt. Eric Boehlert on why the GOP lost the Web race. Burqa politics in France: What happens when feminism and sexual liberation become tools for nationalism? Year of the Cougar: Why older women pursuing younger men are all over TV and movie screens this year. Sherlock Holmes is renowned for being super-rational, yet his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, claimed to speak with the spirits of the dead. And Data for All: Why Obama's geeky new CIO wants to put all government information online. The outrageous and mysterious popularity of LOLCats has provided an updated take on the personification of cats, as well as a bizarre new translation of the Bible. Depression 2.0: Scott Thorson learned the hard way that some days a guy can’t win. As the World Turns: Global soap operas speak the universal language of heartbreak. A review of The Pleasure Center: Trust Your Animal Instincts by Morten L. Kringelbach. A review of Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis. A review of Is God a Mathematician? by Mario Livio.
