That's, like...deep, man.

Whether you're talking the war on terror, gay marriage, evolution in the classroom, or even global warming; the underlying theme that is framing these debates is religion. More specifically: the infallibility of religion.

So, it was a breath of fresh air when I stumbled across this great article on Time Magazine's website called "Einstein & Faith."

Einstein described himself as "religious" but never admitted to following the Christian or Jewish faiths, exclusively. When asked what he meant by calling himself religious, Einstein replied with one of the best quotes I've read in a long time:

"The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. To sense that behind anything that can be experienced there is something that our minds cannot grasp, whose beauty and sublimity reaches us only indirectly: this is religiousness. In this sense, and in this sense only, I am a devoutly religious man."

Click here to read the full article. It'll give you a new perspective on what it means to be religious.

Carl Sagan explains the Universe, for free, on Hulu.

I came across an interesting article during my daily trolling of the interwebs. The Discovery.com blog post announces that Hulu is hosting the entire Cosmos series. Before this I had heard Carl Sagan but this was my first, true introduction.

For those who are as ignorant as myself, Carl Sagan was an American astronomer and author who simultaneously advanced our understanding of astronomy and astrophysics while still being able to present this incredibly complex information in a way that doesn't make your brain hurt. After I watched a few episodes, I could see why Cosmos is the most widely watched PBS program in history.

The popularity of the series propelled Sagan into "Celebre-scientist" status. An area occupied by very few. Guys like: Einstein and Wernher von Braun, before Sagan; and Stephen Hawking and (my man) Neil deGrasse Tyson, after. These men had/have a way of sparking an intellectual flame that is rarely seen in the public today.

So, soak up some free info. If for no better reason than:

Weird Science!

Cognitive psychology was one of my favorite subjects in school. It's a science focused on discovering how we learn language, solve problems, and the concepts that our brain uses to define our world. (Why can't you remember everything? Does how you raise a child effect its adult life? How do you learn to speak?).

It was like they were trying to write a owner's manual for you brain. I ate it up with a spoon.

I learned your brain doesn't care much about your daily life. It quickly goes on autopilot, only perking up when the right stimulus appears. Autopilot is fine for most occasions but most people don't know their brains are set to idle.

I recently came across some videos that shows exactly what I'm talking about. Here and here. Enjoy.