Curiosity is a road paved with riches (if you dig deep enough). I was lucky enough to find a few baubles along the way. When I began the curious g blog back in February, I never anticipated finding so many new interests. My plan was to become more technically savvy, which I have, but I [...]

To scale a mountain, you have to earn the summit – says mountaineer Ed Viesturs. Back in may, the curious g wrote about a fascination with mountaineering. I had mentioned Viesturs briefly, but his achievements are legendary. He is the first American to climb all fourteen 8,000 meter (26,000+ feet) peaks, and one of only [...]

The Grinch: It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags. Narrator: Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. The Grinch: Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas… Narrator: He thought… The Grinch: …means a little bit more.   ~ Dr. Seuss / How the Grinch [...]

And speaking of space… It’s been quite a year for pushing the boundaries of space travel. In March, the curious g wrote about the simulated Euro/Russian Mission to Mars which tested human boundaries for interplanetary travel. The results of the experiment proved very positive for continuing the Mars program. US participation in the mission consisted [...]

For a mere 10% down (that’s 20Gs) you could be flying high – approximately 62 miles high, above the earth. That’s what $200,000 will get you – a three-day trip into space aboard Richard Branson’s spaceliner, the VSS Enterprise. The mothership, The White Knight (a/k/a Virgin MotherShip Eve), will transport the two-pilot, six-passenger ship above [...]

What can we do with all that sand? Desertification (the extreme deterioration of land in arid areas due to loss of vegetation and soil moisture resulting from human interference and climate variations) continues to displace many of the peoples of Saharan Africa. Architectural student Magnus Larsson explains his plan to transform the harsh Sahara into [...]

Are democrats created during a downturn? Or does a recession encourage conservative instincts? This NYTimes opinion piece takes a look at shifting political parties during challenging times. Have your political leanings changed one way or the other since Meltdown Monday? Illustration © 2009 Janet Giampietro

Time Magazine has called this soon-to-be-over decade “The Decade from Hell.” It seems unlikely that anyone who lived through it would ask why. The early part of this decade began with explosive attacks on New York City and Washington D.C. and the latter part ends with an imploding economy. Rounding out events: an electoral-appointed president [...]