Something massive and important has happened in the United States over the past 50 years: Economic wealth has become increasingly concentrated among a small group of ultra-wealthy Americans. You can read lengthy books on this subject, like economist Thomas Piketty's recent best-seller, Capital in the Twenty-First Century (the book runs 696 pages and weighs in … Continue reading This Cartoon Explains How the Rich Got Rich and the Poor Got Poor
Others
TPG’s Bill McGlashan is put on indefinite leave after being charged in a giant college admissions cheating scandal
Bill McGlashan, who built his career as a top investor at the private equity firm TPG, has been put on “indefinite administrative leave, effective immediately,” says the firm after McGlashan was caught up in what the Justice Department said today is the largest college admissions scandal it has ever prosecuted. McGlashan is among 49 others … Continue reading TPG’s Bill McGlashan is put on indefinite leave after being charged in a giant college admissions cheating scandal
Quantum Monism Could Save the Soul of Physics
“The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible, ”Albert Einstein famously once said. These days, however, it is far from being a matter of consensus that the universe is comprehensible, or even that it is unique. Fundamental physics is facing a crisis, related to two popular concepts that are frequently invoked, … Continue reading Quantum Monism Could Save the Soul of Physics
How I Quit Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Amazon
A reflection on my month without Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Amazon, plus a how-to guide if you want to quit the biggest companies in tech. It was just before closing time at a Verizon store in Bushwick, New York last May when I burst through the door, sweaty and exasperated. I had just sprinted—okay … Continue reading How I Quit Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Amazon
Why is art so expensive?
A visitor takes a photo of the painting “Salvator Mundi” by Leonardo da Vinci at Christie’s New York auction house. The painting sold for more than $450 million in November 2017. Christie’s, the famed auction house, recently sold an AI-generated painting for $432,500. The piece, titled “Portrait of Edmond Belamy,” was made by Obvious, a … Continue reading Why is art so expensive?
Are Computer Glasses Worth It?
Eyeglasses that claim to filter out blue light from computers, smartphones and tablets are becoming increasingly popular. Ads for these glasses claim overexposure to blue light can cause a number of problems. The problems supposedly linked to blue light range from dry eyes to digital eye strain, sleep cycle disruption and even macular degeneration, which causes … Continue reading Are Computer Glasses Worth It?
Why Do Octopuses Remind Us So Much of Ourselves?
They change shape and color, and squirt ink. But they also will return your gaze, "as if they're scrutinizing you." You’re sitting on the seabed, just off the coast of the Indonesian island of Lembeh. You’re not deep—20 feet or so—and there’s plenty of light. As you’d expect in such a tropical place, the water … Continue reading Why Do Octopuses Remind Us So Much of Ourselves?
