Don’t Fear the Robots

“I invented Roomba and assure you, robots won’t take over the world.”

Author: Joe Jones
Source: Nautilus
Published: May 6, 2020
Length: 12 minutes (3,131 words)

Stuck in 2020, Pretending It’s 2014

Can nostalgia for the recent past bring comfort now that pandemic has made time stand still?

Source: Vox
Published: May 9, 2020
Length: 9 minutes (2,282 words)

Why a Struggling Rust Belt City Pinned Its Revival on a Self-Chilling Beverage Can

“Welcome to Youngstown, Ohio, home of Chill-Can, the self-chilling beverage container you’ve probably never heard of. Officials have gambled millions of dollars and demolished a neighborhood for the product. Not one job has been created yet.”

Source: ProPublica
Published: May 11, 2020
Length: 22 minutes (5,692 words)

The Twilight of the Iranian Revolution

“Even as Iranians speculate about who will succeed Khamenei, many believe that, whoever becomes Supreme Leader, the revolution is no longer salvageable.”

Source: New Yorker
Published: May 18, 2020
Length: 39 minutes (9,920 words)

Qualities of Earth

“That violent heteronormative cultures of sex and reproduction among humans are attributed to ‘nature’ feels astonishing after spending time on the allotment. The slutty ingenuity of vegetables when it comes to desire and reproductive methods is a marvel that makes a mockery of conservative ideas of the natural.”

Source: Granta
Published: May 13, 2020
Length: 16 minutes (4,171 words)

The Lie of ‘One Last Time’ with My Ex

A personal essay in which Ella Dawson learns about the perils of break-up sex the hard way.

Source: Longreads
Published: May 18, 2020
Length: 15 minutes (3,819 words)

Kid Culture

Americans have always had issues raising their children as citizens instead of tiny, mighty monarchs.”

Source: Aeon
Published: May 14, 2020
Length: 15 minutes (3,996 words)

Long Journey Home: The Stranded Sailboats in a Race to Beat the Hurricanes

We heard about the cruise ships — but Covid-19 has also marooned people living on small boats worldwide.

Source: The Guardian
Published: May 12, 2020
Length: 6 minutes (1,700 words)

Quarantining With a Ghost? It’s Scary.

“Some of these people are frightened, of course. Others say they just appreciate the company.”

Published: May 14, 2020
Length: 7 minutes (1,942 words)

A Biblical Mystery at Oxford

“I told my wife, Cindy, ‘If this proves to be first-century, I may be involved in researching one of the most important pieces of the Bible ever discovered.’ ” It wasn’t, and he didn’t.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: May 14, 2020
Length: 33 minutes (8,452 words)