Ministry of Fun
A look at the ministry of Rich Wilkerson Jr, the pastor favoured by Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, along with other celebrity friends.
The Lost Civilization of Dial-Up Bulletin Board Systems
The author revisits the lost world of Bulletin Board Systems, and finds himself “strolling through a community frozen in time, Pompeii-style.” He finds discussions perfectly preserved, and in some cases maintained, since their heyday as an intimate precursor to the internet in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Agency
An extraordinary story profiling the Internet Research Agency, a Russian agency allegedly dedicated to spreading misinformation online about Russia’s enemies, both foreign and domestic.
Present at the Creation
A source present at the creation of ISIS provides insight into how it came into being and its ongoing operations.
Erik Prince In The Hotseat
Fans of the recent arms dealing escapades of Hugh Laurie in The Night Manager may enjoy this profile covering the latest shenanigans of Eric Prince, a man who is described in his Wikipedia as a philanthropist, but elsewhere has been called a neo-colonialist mercenary.
Plastic Surgery With a Mouse Click
An article that looks at how deep the special effects industry’s abilities run in changing the way that film and TV stars appear. Beyond simply documenting how this industry works, the piece raises some questions about what viewers actually want – reality or artifice?
Welcome to the Dark Net
A poacher turned gamekeeper hacker acts as a guide to the clandestine world of the dark net, a home for all sorts of illegal trade.
The Wetsuitman
Two bodies – one found in Norway, the other in the Netherlands, and both wearing Tribord wetsuits. The police were unable to identify them. This article, from Norwegian tabloid Dagbladet, tells their story. The translation is ever so slightly clunky in places, but this is a truly gripping and eye-opening view of how a global crisis affects people on an individual level.
The Doctor
Tom Catena is the only doctor for thousands of miles in South Sudan, living and working in the midst of a brutal civil war. This article examines life for ‘Doctor Tom’ and his team.