Number of words: 126 Sothesyntax of the verbs of sex uncovers two very different mental models of sexuality. The first is reminiscent of sex–education curricula, marriage manuals, and other sanctioned views: Sex is joint activity, details unspecified, which is mutually engaged in by two equal partners. The second is a darker view, somewhere between mammalian … Read more
Number of words: 474 Sex has high stakes, including exploitation, disease, illegitimacy, incest, jealousy, spousal abuse, cuckoldry, desertion, feuding, child abuse, and rape. These hazards have been around for a long time and have left their mark on our customs and our emotions. Thoughts about sex are likely to be fraught, and not entertained lightly. … Read more
Number of words: 545 The historical root of swearing in English and many other language is, oddly enough, religion. We see this in the third commandment, in the popularity of hell, damn, and God, and in many of the terms for taboo language itself: profanity (that which is not, sacred), blasphemy (literally “evil speech” but … Read more
Number of words: 772 The historical root of swearing in English and many other language is, oddly enough, religion. We see this in the third commandment, in the popularity of hell, damn, God, and Jesus Christ, and in many of the terms for taboo language itself: profanity (that which is not, sacred), blasphemy (literally “evil … Read more
Number of words: 467 Theubiquity and power of swearing suggest that taboo words may tap into deep and ancient parts of the emotional brain. Words have not just a denotation but a connotation: an emotional coloring distinct from what the word literally refers to, as in principled versus stubborn and slender versus scrawny. The difference … Read more
Number of words: 557 Shakespear wrote, “But words are words. I never yet did hear/That the bbruised heart was pierced through the ear.” Yet most people don’t see it that way. The FCC and network censors are not inveterate prudes; they are responding to a huge constituency of listeners who light up a station switchboard … Read more
Number of words: 299 I am from the village of Parra in Goa, hence we are called Parrikars. My village is famous for its watermelons. When I was a child, the farmers would organise a watermelon-eating contest at the end of the harvest season in May. All the kids would be invited to eat as … Read more
Number of words: 624 Boston: Scientists have designed an oral capsule which can deliver insulin and other drugs, that usually have to be injected to the lining of the small intestine and release them for uptake into the bloodstream. Many drugs, especially those made of proteins, cannot be taken orally because they are broken down in the gastrointestinal tract before they … Read more
Number of words: 1,750 The “old design”—the creation of artifacts for consumption—has traditionally been managed in the form of individual projects. This is most obvious when a consultant works with a client. The typical engagement works like this: A client—often a large corporation—identifies a problem that requires design skills. The client assigns a budget and … Read more
Number of words: 907 How many times have you taken a flight at midnight or even at 3 am, spent the rest of the night sitting uncomfortably in an economy class seat, and reached your destination bleary eyed and sleep deprived? And what about those living close to airports in metros, who complain that the … Read more
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