archive

The beginning is half the battle

A new issue of Surveillance and Society is out. Bite Me: Jesse Bering on an evolutionary case for cannibalism. The beginning is half the battle: John McPhee writes about the importance of the "lead". Virtual world order: What can be done about the theft of a magical sword that doesn’t actually exist? Law professor Greg Lastowka explains. From The New York Observer, a special section on The Power 150. Who are the anarchists behind the Rome embassy bombs? Not all smurfs and sunshine: A look at the brooding moral universe of writer Chris Jones. A review of Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky (and more) and Infinite City by Rebecca Solnit. Grown-Up Startups: Why old people make better entrepreneurs than young ones. The murder of bully Ken Rex McElroy is unsolved, and residents want it that way. How much does age matter when you're looking for a mate? Dan Ariely on how "free" can get us to make foolish decisions. Is there a more Christmas-y sound on God’s earth than the “whumpf” of ghost-written, stocking-stuffing celeb autobiographies landing on the “New Arrivals” table at Barnes & Noble? In an increasingly interconnected world, the actions of the few can rapidly spiral into a global crisis — policymakers must learn from recent events to control the risk latent in our interdependence. A review of When Empire Meets Nationalism by Didier Chaudet, Florent Parmentier and Benoit Pelopidas.