Brian Eno introduces The Book of Inspirations with enthusiasm, saying that we
all need to think laterally to make our lives less wasteful, more positive and
fruitful. This is a mixed bag of ideas from the frankly loopy (UN to supply free
virus software) to the intriguing. Teaching children in kindergarten how to save
energy could have incalculable results, and capping city buildings with gardens
to cut global warming sounds fun. But subtitling pop songs on TV to increase
literacy is out of touch—lots of music videos are festooned with captions,
and the tide of literacy isn’t rising appreciably. Published by Institute for
Social Inventions, £15, ISBN 0948826525.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Technology
Test moderators use AI-generated writing to judge literacy standards
News
Mind
THC in cannabis may reduce nightmares in people with PTSD
News
Environment
Fishers detonate a bomb every hour on one Indonesian coral reef
News
Environment
How bad is the UK drought and how long will it continue?
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles