--- description: Convicts learning to code, how a beetle's camouflage could foil counterfeiters, protecting sensitive ecosystems so they can help us weather climate change and more. title: These Are Today's Best Ideas. image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Innovation](/tag/innovation/) ## Innovation Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Five Best Ideas of the Day: November 20 by [The Aspen Institute](/author/the-aspen-institute/) ## The Aspen Institute Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 20, 2014 5:01 PM CUT by [The Aspen Institute](/author/the-aspen-institute/) ## The Aspen Institute Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 20, 2014 5:01 PM CUT **1\.** [**Hacking out of prison: San Quentin inmates are learning to code.**](https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-11-18-hacking-out-of-prison-san-quentin-inmates-learn-to-code "undefined") By Charley Locke in EdSurge **2\.** [**Your breath could reveal a fake: How a beetle’s camouflage trick might make money harder to counterfeit.**](http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2014/11/beetle-behind-breath-test-bank-notes-counterfeiting "undefined") By James Urquhart in Chemistry World **3\.** [**Russia has learned there’s a great deal it can get away with in Ukraine.**](http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2014/nov/19/flight-mh-17-will-russia-get-away-it/ "undefined") By Amy Knight in the New York Review of Books **4\.** [**Protected areas like wetlands and coral reefs are at highest risk from climate change but can also be part of the solution.**](http://blog.ucsusa.org/the-vital-role-of-protected-areas-in-climate-disaster-risk-reduction-730 "undefined") By Adam Markham at the Union of Concerned Scientists **5\.** [**A U.S. deal with Iran could reset the Mideast balance of power.**](http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Columns/2014/11/10/US-Deal-Iran-Could-Reset-Balance-Mideast-Power "undefined") By Patrick Smith in the Fiscal Times  [_The Aspen Institute_](http://www.aspeninstitute.org/ "undefined") _is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3596685/five-best-ideas-of-the-day-november-20/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3596685/five-best-ideas-of-the-day-november-20/"},"headline":"Five Best Ideas of the Day: November 20","datePublished":"2014-11-20T17:01:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:07:00.119Z","description":"Convicts learning to code, how a beetle's camouflage could foil counterfeiters, protecting sensitive ecosystems so they can help us weather climate change and more.","url":"https://time.com/3596685/five-best-ideas-of-the-day-november-20/","keywords":["Innovation","Ukraine","russia","Iran","climate change","climate","U.S.","hackers","Nuclear Weapons","Prison","Chemistry","Coding"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Aspen Institute","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/the-aspen-institute/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/innovation/","name":"Innovation"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3596685/five-best-ideas-of-the-day-november-20/","name":"Five Best Ideas of the Day: November 20"}}]}] ```