1843 magazine

Prostitution
She was trafficked into a giant brothel. Now she runs it

Meet the madam of Bangladesh’s oldest brothel

Rewind
How the iPhone killed the custom ringtone

Getting your Nokia to play a Britney tune used to be cutting-edge technology

Brave new word
From doomscrolling to zombie-boxes: a guide to screen-time slang

If you’re going to take yourself off mute, make sure you can speak the lingo

Space
The alien hunter of Harvard

Did Avi Loeb spot an extraterrestrial spaceship in the night sky – or was it merely the reflection of his own obsessions?

Childish things
I’m spending more time than ever with my children. No one is enjoying it

I used to scorn the idea of quality time. Now I yearn for it

Behind the news
Myanmar: “A coup is worse than covid. I’ve lived through three”

Voices from the streets of Yangon as the generals seize control again

The state of things
A house redivided: how the pandemic changed our homes

We’ve overhauled our living spaces for work, rest and play. The results reveal our fears and desires

Rewind
Ye olde Substack: publishing’s hot new business model has 17th-century origins

The gossip sheets of yesteryear have been reborn as email newsletters

Restaurants
Gulp! The secret economics of food delivery

How DoorDash and Deliveroo are changing the way we eat

How we live now
Coronavirus has robbed me of petty annoyances

I’ve learned to be grateful for a good grumble