The Age of Instagram Face
A look at how at the strange phenomenon whereby “social media, FaceTune, and plastic surgery” has resulted in “a single, cyborgian look” becoming predominant in fashion, entertainment, and media. https://bit.ly/ny-cyborgian
Icebound: The climate-change secrets of 19th century ship’s logbooks
A story looking at what we can learn from historical climate records, in this case the log books of 19th-century vessels.
The False Romance of Russia
A story about American right’s somewhat surprising love affair with Russia.
Chaos at the Top of the World
The story of a tragic day on Mount Everest, and the factors that contributed to it.
I Worked for Alex Jones. I Regret It.
A conflicted former staffer reports from ringside seats with the far-right controversialist Alex Jones.
Reading in the Age of Constant Distraction
A meditative piece on the value of reading books, in comparison with our digital lives – “the internet, is a nowhere space, a shallow time. It is a flat and impenetrable surface. But with a book, we dive in; we are sucked in; we are immersed, body and soul.”
Libra’s biggest problem? Facebook
A look at the travails at Facebook’s proposed alternative financial system.
We spent 10 years talking to people. Here’s what it taught us about Britain
A review of a decade of vox pops across Britain, asking ordinary people what they think about politics and more.
Does Who You Are at 7 Determine Who You Are at 63?
A fine look at the landmark documentary series Up, that has met a group of people every seven years throughout their lives, and has just released its latest instalment with its subjects aged sixty-three. As the author notes the series plays with the idea that to “spend time with a child is to dwell under the terms of an uneasy truce between the possibility of the present and the inevitability of the future”.
Waiting for Obama
A look at the delicate balance that President Obama has had to strike since Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton, and latterly since his former Vice President Joe Biden threw his hat into the ring for the 2020 election. He has not shown his hand, consulting liberally with many candidates, and preparing to intervene only once the Democratic nominee is decided.