Poole seems to think the innocuous-sounding terms the Pentagon issues to describe the goings on at Abu Gharib prison will make us all fall for the spin and dismiss the plight of torture victims as a result.

"You don't want to take yourself too seriously," Pretor-Pinney cautions, "we make fun of a certain nerdiness in talking about clouds and it's important to see the funny side in what you do. Finding shapes in the clouds is a pointless, aimless activity that has great value in reminding us not to be too adult or clever."

We tend to view brain states (right/left, reason/emotion) as warring factions, but neuroscientist and magazine editor Lehrer presents a refreshing case that these either/or propositions actually work together to give our consciousness the best representation of our environment, our most prized ability in our hunter/gatherer days.