From Vaping Mists and Myths, New Dangers Emerge
Vaping has been thought of as a healthier alternative to smoking, even as a stepping-stone to quitting. But with fast-rising use particularly among teens, new dangers are becoming apparent.
Category: Culture
He Started #DeleteFacebook… Nine Years Ago
Nine years ago, three artists created a controversial site to make a statement about Facebook’s practices. The company sued and accused them of scraping data. Oh, the irony.
iPhone, Therefore I Am
Once we’re all parroting back Wikipedia entries to each other, what unique knowledge or wisdom do we have to offer?
Spotify Automates; Humans Get Played
When Spotify’s music algorithms lead one writer to a band he can’t stand that he loves, he wonders about who’s programming who.
Literary Twitter: Marketing, Shaming, & Censorship in the World of Publishing
Twitter has become deeply integrated into the literary world, creating a vastly different dynamic between authors and readers.
Superman and the Singularity
A recent discussion of the AI film Ex Machina brings up ideas about the desire for the perfectability of humans and our irresistable urge to play god.
Art Appreciation Under Pressure: The Evolution of Evaluation
With endless feeds and ubiquitous ratings, connecting with a work of art online in an autonomous, meaningful way has become difficult.
Zines Keep it Real, Defying Digital Trends
The culture of zines, those xeroxed, do-it-yourself pamphlets, goes back decades. Instead of dying with the Internet, it’s as strong as ever.
Warped Incentives Cultivated by US Industrial Agriculture
Industrial agriculture has increased the food supply, but it has done so at tremendous cost to the environment, food quality, health, and family farming.
Tangible Things and Why They Matter
In The Revenge of Analog, David Sax explains how the lure of things like vinyl records and paperback books is on the rise, with good reason.