Navigating a world in flux demands some understanding of who you really are, and some of my favorite pieces from this year speak to that need.
Peter Rubin
If You Quit Social Media, Will You Read More Books?
“Books are inefficient, and the internet is training us to expect optimized experiences.”
The Business of Care
“The story of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital — the dominant political and economic institution of Albany, Georgia — is the story of American health care.”
Why Does A.I. Write Like … That?
“If only they were robotic! Instead, chatbots have developed a distinctive—and grating—voice.”
The Airport-Lounge Wars
“When you’re waiting for a flight, what’s the difference between out there and in here?”
George Bell Served 24 Years in Prison for a Crime He Didn’t Commit. Now He’s Learning to Live Again.
“After a quarter century behind bars, he was exonerated for the 1996 crime and received the largest payout ever from New York City. But money can’t buy back all that time.”
Boomers Are Passing Down Fortunes — And Way, Way Too Much Stuff
“As the $90 trillion Great Wealth Transfer begins, millennials and Gen X aren’t just inheriting money. They’re being buried under an avalanche of baseball cards, fine china and collections of all sorts.”
Da Art of Storytellin’ (A Prequel)
“I’d heard that moan in the presence of older Southern black folk my entire life, but I’d never heard it connecting two rhymed verses. Art couldn’t get any fresher than that.”
