One year ago today
Edward Snowden checks out of hotel, whereabouts unknown: Edward Snowden has reportedly checked out of the hotel in Hong Kong where he had holed up to leak a series of NSA documents to the Guardian and the Washington Post. The US will not say if it is seeking his extradition.
Five years ago today
The Brain that Changes Itself: hopeful book on the science of neuroplasticity: Norman Doidge’s 2006 book The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science was rightly celebrated on its initial release, and remains fascinating today. It’s a chronicle of the checkered history of the theory of lifelong brain plasticity, an on-again/off-again theory that the brain’s deepest, most specialized structures can be rewired to accomplish new tasks and to view the world in new ways, all through our lives.
Ten years ago today
Arcata Eye Police Log now a book: Arcata is a small, funky Northern California college town. Its laid-back style, liberal politics, and location on Route 101 makes it an attractive way station (or permenant home) for a wide variety of (ahem) colorful characters.