Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
The world is constantly changing, and the ability to accept that is the only thing that protects us from feeling an unending sense of loss. But on occasion, something pierces your adaptive armor and a steady stream of sloppy nostalgia pours from the wound; the American Museum of Natural History’s Halls of Gems and Minerals…
Image via screenshot/Geostorm. The appeal of watching the planet get decimated by evil weather patterns at the movies has waned for some reason that I can’t quite put my finger on. Geostorm is a total catastrophe at the box office. According to Paste Magazine, Geostorm’s budget was $120 million (far larger than originally intended), which…
Sure, there have been times when I’ve looked at the mirror and not liked what I saw, but I always thought that mirrors themselves were immune to my loathing—I never blamed any of the world’s problems, or my own, on a mirror. And now I fucking hate this mirror I’m about to describe to you….
After marathoning through the entirety of Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, I can confidently say two things about it. The first is that the game is built on a complex set of mechanics that gamify slavery and make it “fun.” The second is that its narrative wants us to be critical of the slavery that it…
Real estate startup WeWork Cos. has struck a deal to acquire Lord & Taylor’s flagship New York City store for $850 million, a move that will convert the landmark building into the startup’s headquarters next year. The transaction, part of an effort by Lord & Taylor’s parent Hudson’s Bay Co. HBC +2.04% to reduce its debt, is the most dramatic…
Executive Summary Numerous reasons have been proposed for why gender inequality remains frustratingly stagnant. One persistent argument says it’s because of differences in men and women’s behavior. But do men and women act all that differently? An analysis of men and women’s behavior in one company suggests that the difference in their promotion rates wasn’t…
In FIFA, as so many fans of EA’s all-conquering football series know, you can buy FIFA Coins with real world money. And with those FIFA Coins you can buy packs of cards for use in FIFA Ultimate Team, the series’ most popular mode and the one that makes EA so many millions of dollars each…
Roy E. Handy III was on an aeroplane sitting next to a professor marking exam papers – or so the viral tweet goes. On Thursday 19 October, Roy gained over 80,000 Retweets and 300,000 likes on a tweet sharing his experiences of the flight. “This professor graded tests next to me the whole flight,” the tweet began. “If…
“Alexa, I’m depressed.” “Alexa, I’m being abused.” “Alexa, I’m considering suicide.” When Amazon introduced Alexa in 2014, it quickly discovered that users wanted more than traffic reports and Taylor Swift songs. According to the company, more than 50% of interactions with Alexa are “nonutilitarian and entertainment related,” a category that includes professions of love for…
“In an interview with the BBC published early Sunday, director Woody Allen addressed the wave of allegations against Harvey Weinstein, calling it ‘tragic for the poor women’ but also warned against a ‘witch hunt atmosphere.’” — New York Times, 10/15/17 – – – 1. George is a middle-aged man who works in an office with…