Radiation’s threat to humanity is potentially absolute, yet worryingly abstract.
Real Life Mag
Posted inEditor's Pick
Doomsday Pattern
Atomic bombs smell like a waterfall. You can get some radiation out with soap and water. Oh, and nothing is safe.
Posted inBusiness & Tech, Food, Nonfiction, Quotes
Viral, Yet Ephemeral: Death On Your Cellphone
China’s WeChat app has become a place to both mourn death and share graphic videos of the moment itself.
Posted inEditor's Pick
End Notes
How is a death mourned after it’s gone viral? China, WeChat, and the public consumption of private tragedy.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Where Are You Really From
Many people aren’t from one place and are in constant motion. So why must we choose one nationality from a drop-down menu?
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
A Side Effect of Airport Design: Protests
Christopher Schaberg writes about the recent travel ban protests for Real Life magazine — they didn’t gum up the works so much as take advantage of the ways airports are already designed for mass action.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Terminal Democracy
At airports, ideals of free movement collide with protocols of restriction and privilege. That makes them vital sites of protest.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
“A Seriousness That Fails”: On the High Camp of Melania Trump
Daniel Spielberger wonders whether turning Melania Trump into a laughable, campy caricature is more than just mockery, but a way to feel a sense of control in a disempowering political climate.