“Our cursed age of self-monitoring and optimisation didn’t start with big tech: as so often, the Victorians are to blame.”
History
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Rhythms of “Rock Creek Park”
“The Blackbyrds’ ode to DC inspired a new generation of artists.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How to Make Art Out of Confederate Monuments
“A new show featuring decommissioned statues forces a reckoning with American history at a moment when Donald Trump is trying to stop just that.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
We Salted Nannie: A Real-Life Southern Ghost Story
“Nannie, and the land around her, was thoroughly haunted. In less than a year we would break the lease, perform a binding ritual, and leave.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
My First Months in Cyberspace
“The earlier internet was a haven, everyone making it up as they went along.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
It’s Dead Around Here
“A ghost town enthusiast searches for the essence of these scarcely populated locales.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Don’t Touch That Dial!
“As automakers lobby to yank AM radio from new models, broadcasters argue that the trusty 105-year-old medium is an irreplaceable lifeline for millions of Americans. But is anybody listening?”
Posted inFeature
Uncanny Testimony
As the last Holocaust survivors approach the end of their lives, an AI scholar grapples with technology that promises to freeze them in time.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The (Mostly) True Story of Galveston’s Legendary Deaf Lifeguard
“LeRoy Colombo was a champion swimmer and even landed in the Guinness Book of World Records. But his legacy is complicated.”
Posted inNonfiction
The Worst Air Disaster You’ve Never Heard Of
“In the early days of flight, airships were hailed as the future of war. Then disaster struck the USS Akron.”