An AI That Couldn’t Care Less About Humans
The quirky show Murderbot suggests that intelligent machines might be interested in something other than humanity.
That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.
Endless wait times and excessive procedural fuss—it’s all part of a tactic called “sludge.”
The ‘Dirty and Nasty People’ Who Became Americans
How 13 colonies came together
What Moving Your Body Can Mean
Sometimes it takes a new community or type of exercise to reset your relationship with working out.
Ken Casey: ‘I’m Not Going to Shut Up’
A conversation with the Dropkick Murphys front man about punk, politics, and Donald Trump
Trump’s Betrayal of Ukraine
Bridget Brink, the former ambassador to Ukraine, on that country’s war with Russia, America’s betrayal of Ukraine, and why she resigned
This Summer’s Most Pointless Sequel Is Here
The latest Jurassic World film somehow makes dinosaurs boring.
The Feminine Pursuit of Swoleness
Casey Johnston’s new book, A Physical Education, considers how weight lifting can help you unlearn diet culture.
Trump Targets Google After Meta and X Payouts
Mark Zuckerberg paid $25 million. Elon Musk followed with $10 million. Now it could be Sundar Pichai’s turn.
Why Can’t Americans Sleep?
Insomnia has become a public-health emergency.
The Paradox of Hard Work
Why do people enjoy doing difficult things?
The Ciceronian Secret to Happiness
To feel good, do good.
A Classic Childhood Pastime Is Fading
Kids on bikes once filled the streets. Not anymore.
No One Loves the Bill (Almost) Every Republican Voted For
But they didn’t want to anger the president.
Nobody Cares If Music Is Real Anymore
“Rubber burns, the map fades away / Chasing the ghosts of yesterday.” Sure, fine.
The Most Mysterious Cells in Our Bodies Don’t Belong to Us
You carry literal pieces of your mom—and maybe your grandma, and your siblings, and your aunts and uncles.
The Putinization of America
Trump’s deference to the Russian dictator has become full-blown imitation.
The Narcissism of the Angry Young Men
What to do about the deadly misfits among us? First, recognize the problem.
The World Economy Is on the Brink of Epochal Change
Capitalism’s operating system is due for a major upgrade. How that turns out depends on enormously consequential political choices.
A Sea Story
One of the worst maritime disasters in European history took place in 1994. It remains very much in the public eye. On a stormy night on the Baltic Sea, more than 850 people lost their lives when a luxurious ferry sank below the waves. From a mass of material, including official and unofficial reports and survivor testimony, our correspondent has distilled an account of the Estonia’s last moments—part of his continuing coverage for the magazine of anarchy on the high seas.
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