One of the biggest actresses of MGM’s Golden Age, also lived a quiet life as an inventor. During World War II, Hedy Lamarr invented a form of wireless communication that led to Bluetooth, GPS and more.
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/27/142664182/most-beautiful-woman-by-day-inventor-by-night
Author Steven Johnson’s new book, The Invention of Air, is, on the one hand, a supple examination of the man largely credited with the discovery of oxygen. On the other, it’s a subtle reminder of the intellectual glories of bygone days when great thinkers mastered numerous fields, not merely one.
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=93525086
It’s a good time to be holed up with the supercharged pages of some new thrillers. Here are four: Noir by Olivier Pauvert, Eclipse by Richard North Patterson, Daemon by Daniel Suarez, and Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98964876