The Light of the Gospel

In his novel, This Is Happiness, Niall Williams’ elderly narrator, Noe (pronounced No), remembers when electricity and light came to their little ...

The Reason Self-Checkout Kiosks Have Mirrors

Amid the increasing number of self-service check-out stations cropping up at grocery stores and other vendors, companies have devised a unique measure ...

New Year’s Resolution: Rediscover Boredom in the Smartphone Age

Smartphones have changed the way we inhabit public space and more specifically, how we fill our time while waiting. Consequently, day-dreaming, thinking, ...

The Internet Is Changing Our Brains

In his book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, Nicholas Carr calls the Internet "a technology of forgetfulness" and describes ...

Beethoven and the Gift of Silence

In 1801, at the age of 30, Ludwig van Beethoven complained about his diminishing hearing: “From a distance I do not hear the high notes of the instruments ...

What Mirrors Reveal About Society

Author Katy Kelleher reflects on something that is ubiquitous in every home--mirrors. She observes that mirrors are a lot like photographs:

… Like ...

Famous Chef Shuts Down Restaurant to Stop and Reflect

Spanish chef Andoni Luis Aduriz is considered one of Spain's most influential and creative chefs and restaurateurs. His restaurant, Mugaritz, has ...

Ten Thousand Year Clock Promotes Long Term Thinking

Danny Hillis is a computer engineer and inventor who thinks all types of leaders should care more about the long-term future. He is so committed to that ...

Your Whispering Spot

In 1956 environmentalist Sigurd Olson built a small cabin on the banks of a lake in northern Minnesota. The naming of lake homes is customary in the land ...

Film Director Goes to Church to be Bored

Paul Schrader is the writer and director of the film First Reformed, which centers on a divorced minister who is experiencing a crisis of faith related ...