Chris Anderson, the Wired Magazine Editor who is best known for The Long Tail, has published his latest book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price. You can buy it on Amazon, or read a free version on Scribd. As you may know, this book has already generated some controversy.

I’m proud to say my first novel, JACK WAKES UP, is available in hundreds of bookstores nationwide—Barnes & Nobles, Borders, Independent Booksellers, and most-likely the store closest to you. Three Rivers Press (Random House) has sent out 6,000 copies of the book for people to buy.

Robert McNamara, the architect of the failed Vietnam War, died earlier this week. He was a major force on the American political scene throughout the 1960s.

If you’ve watched The Wire, you know him as Jimmy McNulty, the smart, boozing Baltimore cop that likes an occasional romp and goes rogue here and there. Now, here’s your chance to see another side of Dominic, the side that’s more at home, at least geographically speaking.

Without Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, Americans wouldn’t have the Declaration of Independence (listen to a reading here). Rather strangely, both men died on the same day, exactly fifty years after the signing of the Declaration – July 4, 1826. Quite the factoid.

Al Franken, the former SNL comedian, the Harvard graduate, and now US Senator, has a special talent. He can draw the map of America, state-by-state, while chatting up a crowd. Almost makes me feel the 4th of July spirit…
Thanks for Eric for this one.

The title says it all. Lots of science lectures from leading thinkers. Some scientists (Dawkins, Hawking, etc.) listed here are household names. Others are not. Note that most lectures come from broader video collections that we were mentioned in our popular piece: Intelligent Video: The Top Cultural & Educational Video Sites.
via @acourosa.