Absolutely mesmerizing…photographer Aram Pan brings back HD video from North Korea. Enjoy!

From Vox, interview is here. I’ve blogged on this topic previously here. Not much to add except the notion of epistomological closure seems to be important. That is hanging out with like-minded conspiracy theorists seems to harden belief in the conspiracy theory.

The other interesting tidbit from the Cass Sunstein video is the notion that when the authorities deny a conspiracy theory, that also acts to harden belief in the believers.

Provost and Deans, George Mason University 2014

My colleagues and I got together for our annual informal photo just prior to commencement this morning. These are wonderful folks to work with. Today’s ceremony marks the end of my 16th year in this position. It’s been an incredibly fulfilling job. Happy Summer!

Blogposts will be scarce…

Science Magazine’s Adrian Cho has the story, here. This is a long complicated tale….when I was up on the Hill in the late 1970’s, fusion energy was in my portfolio. My own opinion is that if human’s are to thrive and eventually colonize space, we’re going to have to figure out how to do this.

The report estimates that 1 in 68 children has autism spectrum disorder. The announcement is here. The actual report is here. There is a great deal of geographic heterogeneity in the data (Alabama 1/175, New Jersey 1/45) which I suspect has more to do with general differences in health care delivery rather than the environment.

The change in the prevalence is indeed worrying. One has to wonder whether this is a real increase or rather represents increased awareness of autism among those doing the diagnosing. It would also be very interesting to see the global data if it exists. I guess the other question I would have is what percentage of those diagnosed are high functioning (as in Aspergers).

1. Max Tegmark’s book on multiverses
2. Simon Winder’s personal travelogue history of Habsburg Europe, Danubia
3. Thomas Piketty’s new book on inequality, Capital in the 21st Century
4. Gerald K. O’Neill’s 1976 book on space colonies, The High Frontier

On the whole, 2013 was not as disastrous for science as I had feared. Both here at the Krasnow Institute and nationally, the worst effects of the federal budget debacle seem to have been managed or at least ameliorated. Our students continue to make us proud with their scholarship. Our faculty continue to make really substantive contributions to their fields, and our staff make it possible for all of that to happen. So I thank everyone.

Looking forward, in the coming months we will begin implementing our Institute-wide strategic plan. This includes plans for seriously stepping up our research funding in some pretty novel ways, making the case to our donors for funding Phase III of the Krasnow facility and introducing a new emphasis of the Institute: the intersection of science and art, within the global context of human and animal cognition. So big plans ahead, time to execute.

I wish all of the loyal readers of Advanced Study a very happy and prosperous 2014.

This year’s group photo: George Mason’s Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study

Just in time to resume blogging. Having spent some quality time in some of the less metropolitan parts of the US, I’ll simply note this piece in today’s US edition of the Financial Times. My readers can draw their own conclusions.