We were all taught to believe in the paradigm of innate intelligence and gene-given talent, "gifts, and no one is going to be convinced otherwise by a few micro-biographical fragments. I go into much greater depth about gene expression and the nuances of the new developmental model of talent (Hint: It doesn't mean we all control our own destiny, or that it all comes down to hard work). Over time, we'll learn to think past the black and white notion of nature vs. nurture. And the world will be a richer place for it.

Joshua Bell makes a passable busker.

"The end of an empire is messy at best..."

And so I wonder about the engrained nature of solo academic work, of individuals pitted against each other in competition, the the zero-sum game of pedagogy....