Daniel Tammet has memorized the number pi into the tens of thousands of digits. He's learned new languages in a few weeks. He describes the gift - and the burden - of being an autistic savant.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Writer David Morris explains why "Solo Faces" by James Salter is one of his favorite books.
Anne here. My conversation with Turkish writer Elif Şafak back in April still sticks with me as the year comes to a close. In many parts of the world, 2016 was the year of the populist leader—especially in Turkey, where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a crackdown on free speech and all forms of opposition. 120 journalists have been jailed, more than 2,000 academics have been dismissed from universities, and more than 100,000 public workers have been fired. How did Turkey—once a model of new democratic nations—become such a different place? Not only did Şafak see this coming, she warned that the West should not consider itself immune.
David Ferris is the director of the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project. He tells Anne Strainchamps the project began as a conceptual art project that provided gainful employment to the animals put out of work by the collapse of Thailand's timber industry.
Debra Dickerson tells Steve Paulson she knows first hand that systemic racism still exists in America.
Christopher Moore talks with Steve Paulson about the world’s most untranslatable words.
Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knausgaard recommends a chilling read: "The Flame Alphabet" by Ben Marcus.
Donald Kraybill tells Steve Paulson that Amish attitudes towards technology are nuanced and complex. He says they prefer to think through the implications of new technology before they adopt it.
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