March 13-17
Ann started the week with a Q and A with Sharon Weinberger author of The Imagineers of War, unraveling the history of DARPA, making a secretive weapon-creation agency not so secret, including the rise of the jet pack. Bring your fire retardant pants!
Jessa welcomed the new robot overlords, introducing us to experimental socially-assistive androids whose job it is to make sure people with dementia eat everything on their plates.
With a Skype and beer interview, Emma brought in David Grinspoon, author of the new book, Earth In Human Hands: Shaping Our Planet’s Future, for a run down of sci-fi literature, what you should be reading and why dystopia is all over the place.
Guest poster Jenny Cutraro is back, adding her second-grade daughter’s observations of climate change and spring budding cycles of trees outside her window to the work of ecologist Richard Primack. A child and a scientist both validate each other, a perfect collaboration.
Finally, my post yesterday was an attempt to not put my foot in my mouth about gender inequality among scientists and river guides.
Photo: declassified picture of a jet pack in action.