Links 2/17/11

More like this

I closed my reflections on Egypt with the title's Ben Franklin quotation. And I want to expand on that point briefly, because there's often confusion about what it takes to make a republic. We sometimes think that a nation has become a democratic republic because it elects its leaders and has a…
Breaking news of the potential end to Egypt's President Mubarek's time in office indicates that the "transition" may well become a resolution very soon, perhaps tomorrow, Friday, February 11. Will this date mark a new chapter of Egyptian history? I sincerely hope that this crisis ends quickly…
A balmy....27 degrees. At least the link supply isn't frozen. Science: Reviving 100-year-old resting spores of diatoms Electric Vehicles: Myths vs. Reality Nobel Prize-winning chemist Kary Mullis offers a radical new way to treat infectious diseases as the effectiveness of our current antibiotics…
A year ago, I was at a conference in Alexandria, Egypt, and then spent a few days in Cairo. I got to experience the Egyptian culture, to see antiquities, and to meet some amazing people. It was my first trip outside the bubble of Western developed democracies, and was an eye-opening experience.…