Arts & Life

Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) faces insurmountable odds as he tries to survive on a hostile planet.

Arts

Ridley Scott Finds An Optimistic Space In 'The Martian'

11:57am October 02, 2015

by Chris Klimek

Starring Matt Damon as an astronaut stranded on Mars, The Martian retains the humor and ingenuity of Andy Weir's novel, even if Damon's crewmates are a bit too good-looking after months in space.

Arts

In 'The Martian,' Matt Damon Tries To Make It Back From The Red Planet

9:47am October 02, 2015

by Kenneth Turan

Director Ridley Scott's new movie, "The Martian," stars Matt Damon as an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars. He must fend for himself on the Red Planet. Film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

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D. Watkins' work has appeared in The Baltimore Sun and Salon. He will start teaching English at Goucher College in the spring.

Baltimore Author Discusses 'Living (And Dying) While Black'

9:01am October 02, 2015

Author D. Watkins says that crack destroyed his East Baltimore neighborhood, and he explains how the real day-to-day of selling drugs is nothing like the movies. His new book is The Beast Side.

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"Any time you see a huge business success ... you see that at the heart of it is a whole bunch of people who were prepared to support each other." — Margaret Heffernan

Arts

Is The Professional Pecking Order Doing More Harm Than Good?

9:01am October 02, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

Drawing from an experiment with chickens, entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan explains how our cultural obsession with individual success is threatening our potential for collaboration and productivity.

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"People want meaning in what they do and the meaning comes often from ... improving the lives of members of their society, of their community." — Barry Schwartz

Science
Arts

How Can A Monotonous Job Be Meaningful?

9:01am October 02, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

Psychologist Barry Schwartz says our current thinking about work focuses too much on paychecks and too little on ways we can find fulfillment — even in jobs many might consider mundane.

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"Small acts of meaning can actually change how people value things." — Dan Ariely

Science
Arts

What Pushes Us To Work Hard — Even When We Don't Have To?

9:01am October 02, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

Behavioral economist Dan Ariely says we work hard not because we have to, but because we want to. He examines the intrinsic values we need to feel motivated to work.

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"You can always tell ambitious women by the shape of our heads: They're flat on top for being patted patronizingly." — Dame Stephanie "Steve" Shirley

Science
Arts

How Do You Break Into an Industry While Breaking All the Rules?

9:01am October 02, 2015

by NPR/TED STAFF

What's in a name? For tech entrepreneur Dame Stephanie Shirley, bidding contracts under the name "Steve" enabled her to launch and grow a freelance software company with a virtually all-female staff.

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The Walk dramatizes the French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) 1974 walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

Arts

Suspense And Emotion Teeter Alongside Each Other In 'The Walk'

6:53am October 02, 2015

by Scott Tobias

Aside from a shaky French accent from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Walk is pretty compelling once it actually gets to the story of a famous wire walk between the twin towers.

Director Jafar Panahi drives a yellow taxi cab through Tehran and interviews the diverse passengers he picks up in a single day.

Arts

'Taxi': A Banned Filmmaker Works From The Road

5:08pm October 01, 2015

by Mark Jenkins

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has continued to make films since being officially barred from doing so. His latest finds him driving a cab, picking up passengers.

Malala Yousafzai at the Kisaruni Girls School in Massai Mara in Kenya on May 26, 2014.

Arts

An Activist Examined In 'He Named Me Malala'

5:03pm October 01, 2015

by Ella Taylor

A new documentary follows the well-known young activist who survived being shot, won a Nobel Peace Prize, and still advocates for education for girls.