Headlines

Mediocre means average

Two different ways to consider this: First, in the marketplace, where most people, most of the time, want the thing that most people want. The average one. Exceptional is the exception. Second, in the committee meeting, where the easiest way forward is to sand off interesting

The Unlikely Friendship of Mark Twain and Nikola Tesla

Mark Twain was, in the estimation of many, the United States of America’s first truly homegrown man of letters. And in keeping with what would be recognized as the can-do American spirit, he couldn’t resist putting himself forth now and again as a man of science — or, more

Louise Bourgeois’s Overdue Biography

The countdown to 2026 — and the deluge of end-of-year lists — has begun in earnest, but we're not quite done with 2025 yet. This week, our reviewers tackled two colossal subjects: monuments and the late great Louise Bourgeois. Monumental by Cat Dawson invites us to contemplate a

Why Is Everyone Running In Rom-Coms?

I am not generally a fan of rom-coms so I didn’t think I was going to post Evan Puschak’s newest video , but he’s so good at them. Puschak argues that rom-coms are compelling because they reflect the modern challenge of finding meaning as individuals. In the modern day, we

Q: “Want to Feel Old?” A: “Yes.”

In 2010, Randall Munroe’s fiancée (now wife) was diagnosed with cancer. Every once in awhile, he updates his audience at XKCD on how that’s going. The most recent missive: Fifteen Years . If you’re not up on XKCD lore, here’s an explanation . 💞 Tags: cancer · comics ·