Robert Krulwich http://nipr.fm en The Boomerang Rocket Ship: Shoot It Up, Back It Comes http://nipr.fm/post/boomerang-rocket-ship-shoot-it-back-it-comes <p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoxiK7K28PU</p><p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orUjSkc2pG0</p> Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:45:00 +0000 Robert Krulwich 14013 at http://nipr.fm The Boomerang Rocket Ship: Shoot It Up, Back It Comes A 'Who Do You Hang With?' Map of America http://nipr.fm/post/who-do-you-hang-map-america Look at the center of this map, at the little red dot that marks Kansas City. Technically, Kansas City is at the edge of Missouri, but here on this map it's in the upper middle section of a bigger space with strong blue borders. We don't have a name for this bigger space yet, but soon we will.<p>I would call it, for the moment, "The Part Of America Kansas City Hangs With" because that's what this map is saying. It's a new, intriguing way to see our country. This one was built by tracking dollar bill circulation. There've been similar maps built from phone call data. Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:31:00 +0000 Robert Krulwich 13425 at http://nipr.fm A 'Who Do You Hang With?' Map of America The Big Squeeze: Can Cities Save The Earth? http://nipr.fm/post/big-squeeze-can-cities-save-earth Let's get dense. If we take all the atoms inside you, all roughly 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 of them, and squeeze away all the space inside, then, <a href="https://twitter.com/bgreene/status/320173198178136066">says physicist Brian Greene</a>:<strong></strong><p>That's a very tight fit. So tight that in real life, it couldn't happen. It's not physically possible. Atoms won't crunch that close. But people, it seems, are willing to try. Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:18:00 +0000 Robert Krulwich 12980 at http://nipr.fm The Big Squeeze: Can Cities Save The Earth? What Happened When Humans Met An Alien Intelligence? Sex Happened http://nipr.fm/post/what-happened-when-humans-met-alien-intelligence-sex-happened <p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i_oJn-9d_0</p> Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:16:00 +0000 Robert Krulwich 11665 at http://nipr.fm What Happened When Humans Met An Alien Intelligence? Sex Happened Falling Off The Moon http://nipr.fm/post/falling-moon <p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o3Oi9JWsyM</p> Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:02:00 +0000 Robert Krulwich 9707 at http://nipr.fm Falling Off The Moon Phooey On Flu http://nipr.fm/post/phooey-flu A lot of you have had it by now, or are having it or are about to be exposed. This year's flu is called "H3N2" and this week it's doing big business in about 47 states, Chicago and New York. If you've had a flu shot and if you wash your hands several times a day for 20 seconds, (which is the time it takes to hum "Happy Birthday to You" two times through) you might reduce your odds of getting sick.<p>But your biggest ally is your immune system. It's hard, during flu season, to avoid inhaling a virus or two (or three, or 10,000), but that doesn't mean they're going to take you over. Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:33:00 +0000 Robert Krulwich 9129 at http://nipr.fm A Very, Very, Very Delicate Balance http://nipr.fm/post/very-very-very-delicate-balance <p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JykJrVbCMuM</p> Sat, 05 Jan 2013 11:06:00 +0000 Robert Krulwich 8844 at http://nipr.fm A Very, Very, Very Delicate Balance Grrr, Said The Grylloblattid. I'm Not Leaving. Not Yet. http://nipr.fm/post/grrr-said-grylloblattid-im-not-leaving-not-yet <p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbR-dT83zKM</p> Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:38:00 +0000 Robert Krulwich 8709 at http://nipr.fm Grrr, Said The Grylloblattid. I'm Not Leaving. Not Yet. Another Year And I'm Still Here: A New Year's Meditation http://nipr.fm/post/another-year-and-im-still-here-new-years-meditation <em><strong>Updated Jan. 1, 2013:</strong> I've added a postscript to this post. You can find it at the bottom of this page. </em><p>Look at yourself. Right now.<p>You are muscle,skin, bone, brain, blood, warmed by energy, and all of you, every cell, even the subsets of those cells, all trillions and trillions of them, are going to tire, waste and depart. In 10 years almost every bit of you will have been replaced by new bits.<p>And yet, you will still be you. Mon, 31 Dec 2012 17:26:00 +0000 Robert Krulwich 8638 at http://nipr.fm Another Year And I'm Still Here: A New Year's Meditation Double Thanks http://nipr.fm/post/double-thanks <p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9jghLeYufQ</p> Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:27:00 +0000 Robert Krulwich 7064 at http://nipr.fm Double Thanks