Focus: The Web

Are Fantasy Sports Really Gambling?

Fantasy sports are more skill-based than real ones.

From Issue 039 Chapter One by Nikhil Swaminathan

Early one Saturday morning in Las Vegas, I sat down at a Texas Hold ‘em poker table with seven or eight other men, all middle-aged. Being 30 at the time, I was the youngest player…

The Future of the Web Is 100 Years Old

In the debate between structure and openness, 19th-century ideas are making a comeback.

From Issue 021 Chapter Two by Alex Wright

The Earth may not be flat, but the web certainly is. “There is no ‘top’ to the World-Wide Web,” declared a 1992 foundational document from the World Wide Web Consortium—meaning…

The Meme as Meme

Why do things go viral, and should we care?

From Issue 005 Chapter Four by Abby Rabinowitz

On April 11, 2012, Zeddie Little appeared on Good Morning America, wearing the radiant, slightly perplexed smile of one enjoying instant fame. About a week earlier, Little had been…