If you are approaching a four-way intersection in the U.S., one that does not have traffic lights, the most common way to deal with the conflict between cars travelling in intersecting directions is to have one stop sign at each crossing. The four-way stop is...

In Frank Herbert's 1965 science fiction novel Dune, there is a phrase—really a mantra or incantation—used by the main character and his mother at various times when they are facing particularly challenging circumstances:  "Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will...