Politics tends to flatten people. Over time, complex lives get reduced to a handful of talking points, a voting record,… Read more
Category: Media
The Creative Economy Is Not a Niche. It Is the New Default.
Consider Marcus, a software engineer in Indianapolis who has not written a straightforward line of code in years. His job,… Read more
The New Town Square Has a Login Screen
A generation ago, if you wanted to find the cultural center of gravity, you could do worse than stand in… Read more
The Economy Shifted From Ownership to Access and Nobody Announced It
Consider a composite figure who is easy to find in any American city right now: a healthcare administrator, say, 39… Read more
The Sound of the Siren
Your phone buzzes before the sky changes color. A cone graphic appears on television, tracking a spiral mass across warm… Read more
The Quiet Reinvention of America’s Last Shared Event
On certain February Sundays the country pauses and performs a ritual that feels older than it is. Families gather, food… Read more
Who is Simona de Silvestro and why you want to know.
There are many ways to become an Olympian, and they tend to follow familiar lines. Childhood specialization. Early promise. A… Read more
The Machinery of Democracy: Literature as a Software Service and a Public Good
In 2020, Kanye West tried to get on the presidential ballot in Wisconsin. He needed 2,000 signatures. He submitted 2,422…. Read more
A Melladee and an Eight Dollar Pi
Some ideas show up so simple that you almost miss how good they really are. Melladee was one of those… Read more
A VLAN for Christmas: The Smart Home Upgrade Parents Don’t Know They Need
Parents usually ask for practical gifts. A working coffeemaker. A night without chores. Something wrapped. This year there is a… Read more