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When Ben Bowlin isn't chasing down conspiracies, writing about little-known inventors or hanging with CarStuff co-host Scott Benjamin, he fills his free time with any number of unusual and fascinating pursuits. He's studied English at Georgia State University and Spanish at the Universidad Rural de Guatemala. Currently he's pursuing a graduate degree in International Affairs at Georgia Tech and (slowly) learning Mandarin. He relishes adventures. He owns two hats. You can find Ben on Twitter at @ConspiracyStuff and on Facebook at the official Stuff They Don't Want You To Know page.
Most Recent: Ben Bowlin Postings
Here’s the thing about recycling: It’s a lot like voting, in that its effectiveness depends on its scale. Millions of people recycling can make a huge difference, as can millions of people voting. Unfortunately, the majority of the world’s waste is not recycled. Let’s look at the United States: According to the EPA, Americans generated [...]
Education is one of society’s most important long-term investments. Like so many other important issues, schooling can be an incredibly controversial topic. Pretty much everyone agrees that some sort of education is vital, but after that the consensus breaks down: What should we be teaching children, exactly? And how should we teach them? In the presentation [...]
Each year, the developed world pours billions of dollars in aid to developing countries — in 2006, private aid in the United States alone added up to about 34.8 billion dollars. And, while this money has certainly made some sort of difference, it hasn’t solved the chronic problems of developed countries: High rates of crime [...]
If so, DARPA and NASA would like to hear from you. These organizations have numerous experts working with them on any number of endeavors, but they’re asking for outside help tackling the next big question: How can we create a spaceship (and a society) capable of surviving a 100-year-long journey into space? If you have [...]
Between 1981 and 2005, AIDS killed more than 28 million people. As of June 5th, it’s been 30 years since the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first identified a group of anomalous infections in LA. Over the decades AIDS spread across the planet, infecting people from all walks of life. Due in large part to a lack [...]
In the United States, the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) keeps a database of transplant candidates waiting for organs. The statistics are daunting: Demand for organs has outstripped the available supply, meaning that patients must wait for months or years before receiving an organ. According to LifeShare (via our article), each passing day brings [...]
I recently checked out an excellent TED talk from Alex Steffen of Worldchanging.com. In the clip below, Alex addresses the subject of a sustainable future (and what it will take to achieve one). This wide-reaching presentation touches on numerous issues, from the emergence of megacities to patterns of technology adoption and brilliant inventions built to empower [...]
Have you looked at the moon lately? It’s fascinating. And, if a certain Japanese construction firm has its way, it could also become the answer to Earth’s burgeoning energy crisis. Look, I know it might sound like I made this one up, but it’s true: The R&D group at Shimizu, one of Japan’s largest construction firms, [...]
Have you ever used Google to search for your own name? If you haven’t, I suggest you give it a try: The results may surprise you. Google probably knows more about you than you’d assume. And, although Google receives a hefty share of criticism for its policies regarding private information, it’s far from the only [...]
In the great game of evolution, elephants have racked up an impressive list of achievements. For example: They’re the largest living land animal, and scientists are still studying the their prodigious brainpower. This intelligence is readily observable in the wild. Some appear to have an artistic streak (check out the video below). Humans even pay homage [...]
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Golden Fields of Canola
- The Park That Never Sleeps: Central Park
- Draw a Pretty Picture With Your Bike and Your Phone
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
- How the Kinsey Report Fueled Whiskey Sales
- How to Get Your Wedding Announcement into The New York Times
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- Blow Your Mind: Nebula in a Box
- Blow Your Mind: Three Minutes Till Impact
- Touching the Void: Psychedelics and Death
Stuff You Should Know
- Stuff You Should Know at SXSW
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
- Deformed Baby Spider Brains
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Listener Mail: What’s the world’s largest engine?
- Listener Mail: What makes a “classic car” classic?
- Was Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl commercial a little too political?
How-to Stuff
- How to Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor
- How to Travel the World in 4 Days
- How to Smell Like Someone at HowStuffWorks
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 68: Astrology: What’s PopStuff’s Sign?
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 67: Collecting: PopStuff’s Cabinet of Curiosities
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 66: Tracy and Holly’s Running Playlists
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
- Good News from the Oldest Mayan Calendar
- One Year Later: Colony Collapse Disorder
- Who Killed Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
- Are we rooting for D.B. Cooper?
- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics
