A week ago, I stood with hundreds of other people near a construction site on New York’s Fifth Avenue so that I could buy my…
We edited Louis C.K.’s “apology” to make it a real apology
Louis C.K. has issued a public statement to five women who accused him of sexual misconduct, including masturbating in front of them on multiple occasions.…
I’m Instagram famous, and I have crippling body image issues
This story is part of a series called Craigslist Confessional. Writer Helena Bala has been meeting people via Craigslist and documenting their stories for over…
Inside the mechanical brain of the world’s first robot citizen
Jimmy Fallon is concerned. “You brought a friend with you here, and this is really freaking me out,” the Tonight Show host tells David Hanson,…
200 universities just launched 600 free online courses. Here’s the full list.
If you haven’t heard, universities around the world are offering their courses online for free (or at least partially free). These courses are collectively called…
If the sun is so hot, why is space so cold?
Apparently, this is a question people ask, and they don’t like it when you make fun of them. On Nov. 8 Bill Nye, America’s iconic…
My trip to China shattered my biases about developing nations
When I went to China for two weeks on a recent reporting trip, I had certain expectations. Officially, China is still a developing country. I…
Larry David is the latest celebrity to apologize—for his bad jokes
Comedian Larry David last night, Nov. 11, offered a tacit apology for jokes made during his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live (SNL) last week,…
YouTube’s algorithms are terrorizing a generation of children
Please be advised: This essay describes disturbing things and links to disturbing graphic and video content. You don’t have to read it, and are advised…
The ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya is visible from space
In just months, more than 600,000 members of Myanmar’s ethnic Muslim minority, the Rohingya, have fled persecution into neighboring Bangladesh. When that many people move…
IBM has freed itself from the tyranny of Helvetica
For years, IBM has spoken in the language of Helvetica, an efficient, machine-like typeface designed to evoke a modern sensibility. Today, the 109-year old company…
The EPA has approved the release of weaponized mosquitoes in 20 US states
The US Environmental Protection Agency has given its approval for MosquitoMate, a Kentucky-based biotechnology company, to release its bacteria-infected male mosquitoes in several parts of…