An excerpt from The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit — Michael Finkel’s book on Christopher Knight, the hermit who survived by committing 1,000 break-ins over nearly three decades.
Quote Posts
‘When Neanderthals Disappeared From Here, We Became the Sole Inheritors of Our Continent’
In Gibraltar, science writer Gaia Vince discovers that analyzing the genetics of ancient humans means changing ideas about our evolution.
‘Why Pay for Therapy When the Advice of Strangers Has Proven to Be Helpful and Free?’
Ben Popper takes a look at Koko, a startup with an app that helps people connect and provide emotional support to peers and, in the process, allows them to recognize and “rethink” their own problems.
From Food Scraps to Profit: The Compost King of New York City
Charles Vigliotti, chief executive of American Organic Energy, has a vision for the future: transforming the food waste of New York City into clean energy — and a profit.
‘There Is Something Distinctly Grown-Up About Being Attracted to Tiny Things’
At Harper’s, Alice Gregory ruminates on the world of miniature collecting, and explores why people make and admire such tiny things.
‘It Was Too Good To Be True’: A Case of Scientific Fraud
In 2011, Diederik Stapel, a bright social psychologist at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, was suspended for fabricating data on a study that brought him much praise. At the Guardian, Stephen Buranyi profiles the team of researchers from the university’s psychology department, Chris Hartgerink and Marcel van Assen, who have since focused their research on scientific fraud.
The Inner Tiny House Journey: Jay Shafer on Finding Meaning in Things
Mark Sundeen, writing for Outside, traveled to the National Tiny House Jamboree in 2016 and talked to some of the tiny house movement’s pioneers, including its “godfather” Jay Shafer. Over a cigarette break in the woods — away from all the tiny space swooners, wannabe-minimalists, and sales reps — Shafer tells him a bit about his design philosophy and the purpose of material objects.
The Intelligence, Intuition, and Sex Lives of Octopuses
Sy Montgomery, author of the book “The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness,” reflects on the uncanny intelligence, intuition, and surprising sex lives of octopuses.
From Auditions to Airports: Actor Riz Ahmed on Being Typecast as a Terrorist
Actor Riz Ahmed — star of the miniseries The Night Of and films The Road to Guantánamo and Rogue One — describes what life, work, and traveling through airports is like as a British Pakistani.
‘The Things We Own Can Own Us Too’: One Man’s Collection of Nazi Memorabilia
Kevin Wheatcroft, a man in Leicestershire, England, has amassed the world’s largest collection of Nazi memorabilia.
