A Neighbor's Kind Act
They lived across the street from each other for years, but didn't know each other well. James Bronson was a fixture in Adams Morgan, a retired barber who'd been greeting passerby from his front stoop for more than 3 decades. John O'Leary was 25 years younger, a sound engineer who'd bought his six-bedroom townhouse just as the neighborhood was beginning to gentrify. Not the likeliest of roommates.... posted on Feb 17 2011, 6,071 reads

The 3 A's of Awesome
It's the little things in life. The waitress who notices your empty glass, and refills it without asking. Grabbing hold of a tissue, right before a sudden sneeze. The sound of snow falling. Freshly laundered clothes... An observer of life's smiling snapshots, Neil Pasricha reveals 3 secrets (all starting with A) to leading a life that's truly awesome.... posted on Feb 16 2011, 23,852 reads

Over Ten Thousand People Attend His Funeral
Government officials shut down the streets. As everyone silently stood in line to pay the final respects, the magic of Ishwar-kaka was evident -- the richest men in the country stood next to human-waste scavengers next to powerful politicians next to reknowned Gandhians next to vegetable sellers next to his next-door neighbors next to kids who had merely read about him. A humble man who built ov... posted on Feb 15 2011, 14,576 reads

Mind vs. Machine
In the race to build computers that can think like humans, the proving ground is the Turing Test-an annual battle between the world's most advanced artificial-intelligence programs and ordinary people. The objective? To find out whether a computer can act "more human" than a person. In his own quest to beat the machines, the author discovers that the march of technology isn't just changing how we ... posted on Feb 14 2011, 2,947 reads

7-Month-Old Babies Can 'Read Minds'
Babies as young as 7 months old may be able to take into account the thoughts and beliefs of other people, a younger age than previously demonstrated. 7-month-olds have little experience with conversation, which has long been thought to play a key role in acquiring this capacity. As a result, this study is thought to be significant in building new theories about how this capacity develops. In the ... posted on Feb 13 2011, 1,711 reads

Visit the MET From Your Desk
Google has taken its 360-degree Street View cameras into some of the most famous and acclaimed galleries, opening the world's art collection to the internet. From the Tate Britain in London to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, you can now browse 385 rooms in 17 galleries, and see more than 1,000 works by 486 artists. Zoom in close enough, and you can see individual brushstrokes, hairline cracks in t... posted on Feb 12 2011, 6,092 reads

How Meditation May Change the Brain
"Over the holidays, my husband went on a silent meditation retreat. He said the experience was so transformational that he has committed to meditating for two hours daily, one hour in the morning and one in the evening. He's running an experiment to determine whether and how meditation actually improves the quality of his life," one NY Times contributor writes. Scientists say that meditators like ... posted on Feb 11 2011, 5,595 reads

Baby Reunited with Doctor Who Saved Her
In her thoughts and prayers over the past year, Nadine Devilme has thanked God countless times for saving her baby after Haiti's earthquake. She's also wanted to thank the doctor who treated Jenny Alexis after the 2-month-old spent four days alone, crushed in the rubble with nothing to drink. There was one problem: Devilme never knew the doctor's name, never knew exactly whom to thank for treating... posted on Feb 10 2011, 3,922 reads

Southern Masked Weaver
They call it home. The delicate orb that sits on the tree branch, a woven tangle of grass and twigs all strategically placed. It's small and inconspicuous enough that you'd probably miss it walking by. Luckily, one photographer didn't. "It was a priceless opportunity to watch these amazing builders constructing their homes from the very beginning till the end, from the first framework made of a fe... posted on Feb 09 2011, 3,990 reads

Removing Stigma One Idli At A Time
A small idli shop in south Tamil Nadu, India, is the talk of the town. At daybreak, people crowd around to buy idlis and dosas from two women who are HIV positive. Despite the stigma of HIV/AIDS in their town, the customers are aware of their condition and continue to patronize their shop. With community support, Vijayarani and Sumathy have overcome the devastating news, "look as healthy as any... posted on Feb 08 2011, 2,345 reads