In Praise of Unglamorous American Invention
Forget Blue Origin, Silicon Valley, and unicorns—small but mighty innovations are the true breakthroughs of human ingenuity.
The Future Is Bleak. Pondering Pangaea Gives Me Hope
In 200 million years, our far-flung continents may join up again. It reminds us of humans’ tiny place in this intergalactic drama.
When You’re Living in an Immaterial World, What’s for Sale?
On influencers, symbolic analysts, and buying and selling in the age of turbo-capitalism.
TikTok Smells Like Gen X Spirit
On the app you’ll see a raucous reboot of “slacker” attitude. Or not. Whatever.
On Microphones, Music, and Our Long Year of Screen Time
Pianist Glenn Gould proved long ago that an existence heavily mediated by technology is not nonexistence.
To Observe the Muon Is to Experience Hints of Immortality
Attempting to model the universe as precisely as possible is to try to see the one thing that even the strictest atheist agrees is everlasting.
Trump Abused the System. Facebook Created It
The company’s oversight board failed to mention one thing in its ruling this week: Facebook’s responsibility for making the tools to wield undue influence and power.
Who Let the Doge Out? The Cryptocurrency Is As Nutty As Ever
The much wow Dogecoin has had its notable influencers—including, for a brief moment, me.
Bed Tricks, Cod, and the Hidden History of Catfishing
Intriguing, maddening deception can shake up our existence and sometimes—sometimes—set us free.