🌍 Society

• 🎧File sharing

  Where music meets community in a cozy setting.

• 🚫Too much information

  An exploration of how highlighting negative behaviors can inadvertently reinforce them.

• 🎬Looks like work

  An exploration of the creative challenges filmmakers face in portraying everyday digital interactions dramatically.

• 📱What do 80 texts a day add up to?

  A look into how texting affects the development of teenage autonomy, with insights from psychologist Sherry Turkle.

• 🏠Case Study Home, by Peter Bialobrzeski

  Exploring the unique blend of traditional architecture and impermanent structures in the Baseco compound, showcasing the resilience of community spirit.

• ☠️To arrr is human

  Exploring our fascination with pirates reveals deeper existential themes about boundaries and identity.

• 🎭Instead of adoring eyes, a sea of lenses

  An exploration of how technology impacts our experiences at high school performances, emphasizing the contrast between the roles of different types of videographers.

• 🚫Blue law blues

  From Kat Long's exploration of the unintended consequences of New York City's attempts to regulate vice and morality.

• 🎬Fridge logic

  An exploration of TV-writer jargon that highlights the intricacies of scriptwriting with a humorous touch.

• 🚫Invest now in youth prevention!

  An exploration of societal attitudes toward youth, featuring unconventional methods to deter teenagers from certain spaces.

• 🌐Babel bubbles

  An exploration of linguistic expressions for incomprehensibility across different cultures, inspired by a question about the varying equivalents of "it's Greek to me."

• 👃Community you can smell

  Exploring the essence of true community beyond virtual connections.

• 🏘️Slums are the answer

  Insights into community resilience found in the world's squatter cities.

• ✍️Speechless and renewed

  A reflection on the dual nature of poetry's impact, highlighting both its limitations and its profound significance.

• 📺No more than an hour

  A reflective observation from 1939 about the limitations of television and its impact on family life.

• 🏞️The noisy, crowded past

  Reflecting on the contrasts of solitude and noise throughout human history, Alan Jacobs looks into the complexities of personal space.

• 📉You might be in a recession if …

  A look at how economic downturns can shift pop culture trends, as people prioritize savings over celebrity interests.

• 🎬Fascinating virtues

  As a fan of Whit Stillman's films, I appreciate how they explore convention and virtue with a unique perspective.

• 🏆Cape Canaveral, by Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

  Reflecting on the sweetness of victory, even from the sidelines.

• 🏞️Crematory, by Jake Longstreth

  This painting captures a striking and somber landscape, reminiscent of a gingham tablecloth.

• 🎥Decisive moments

  An exploration of the critical role a broadcast director plays in conveying the narrative of televised sports.

• 🤷‍♂️Snark is what you make of it

  Alan Jacobs reflects on the divisive nature of snark in criticism and its impact on discourse.

• ✝️Africa and missionaries, pt. 2

  A heartwarming exchange between cultures, showcasing the impact of priests serving in U.S. parishes and their connection to home.

• 🌧️Lazy futures

  A critical look at the limitations of dystopian fiction's vision for the future, questioning its lack of hope and action.

• 🤔The price of irony

  A thought-provoking exploration of the nature of irony and its impact on moral reasoning.

• 🌐The Web before the Web was the Web

  Exploring the parallels between urban life and online communities, this excerpt draws intriguing comparisons between the vibrancy of New York City and the Internet.

• 🎭Not as I do

  An examination of hypocrisy reveals its emotional grip, despite not invalidating the stance of the hypocrite.

• ⚖️The tiniest culture war

  An exploration of the polarized perceptions surrounding nanotechnology and its societal implications.

• 📚Bringing back the New Deal for writers

  The Federal Writers Project highlights a call to revive such initiatives for modern journalists affected by economic downturns.

• 📚If you offer it, they will come

  Reflecting on the resurgence of literary interest, John Parker examines the appeal of classic literature amidst modern cultural critiques.

• 📊Mystery (shoppers) and manners

  An exploration of how churches are adopting consumer marketing strategies to improve engagement and feedback.

• 🎨Frickin’ awesome!

  A reflective look at the balance between cultural giving and more pressing humanitarian needs from Allison Schrager.

• 📺The Station Nigeria

  This popular Nigerian soap opera, funded by Search for Common Ground, tackles significant societal issues facing Nigeria today. The captivating narrative unfolds in a fictional television news station, offering insights into the challenges of a diverse population.

• 💇Beauty aid

  Beauty salons become safe havens for women, creating a vital space for discussions on domestic violence.

• 🚇Bodies in motion and at rest

  A reflection on the creativity sparked by daily subway commutes in Brooklyn, as shared by artist Stephen Gardener.

• 🏬Boxes of worship

  The idea of transforming defunct big-box stores into churches offers a unique and creative reuse of space.

• 🏃What are the Japanese up to right now?

  An intriguing glimpse into the daily routines of the Japanese population, as captured by the census data. "As part of the Japanese census, people were asked to keep a record of what they were doing in 15 minute intervals. The data was publicly released and Jonathan Soma took it and graphed the results so that you can see what many Japanese are up to during the course of a normal day."

• 💔Leaving Las Vegas

  Exploring the complex factors contributing to suicide risk in Las Vegas.

• ⛪Worship first, then farm

  This excerpt explores the revolutionary idea that religious structures may have prompted the formation of early Neolithic societies before the advent of agriculture.

• 💔Geography of longing

  Here's an alternative to the state-by-state maps we're being bombarded with in these latter electoral days

• 🕊️Comic grace

  A reflection on the interplay of grace and passion in human lives and societies, highlighting both their significance and humor.

• 🌍The places we live

  Explore the lives of a billion people living in slums through immersive photography and personal stories.

• 📚Necessity > custom > obligation > institution

  Luis Soriano's inspiring journey to bring books and education to impoverished communities in Colombia is a testament to the impact one individual can have.

• 🫒Sorting olives

  Witness the olive-sorting process as captured in this poignant image of a Palestinian woman during the harvest.

• 💉All sorts of humanity mixed up in it

  Derived from the emotional and ethical turbulence present in modern medicine, this piece explores how bioethics is intertwined with real-life dilemmas faced by healthcare professionals.

• 🤝Correct method to raise a soldier

  This remarkable historical photograph captures the effort of soldiers demonstrating the proper technique to lift and carry a comrade in need. "Three soldiers carry a fourth to demonstrate one stage of the correct method to raise a soldier from a reclining position for carrying."

• 🍲Chicken stock

  A reflection on how the Campbell Soup Co. stood out during a market downturn, highlighting a shift in American values.

• 🤝Shepherding an online community

  A thoughtful exploration of the necessity for moderation in online communities.

• 👫The old 7–13–50–90–150

  Exploring the dynamics of group sizes and their implications for community structure and survival.

• 📱Mobile phones and the flood

  In the wake of devastating floods, mobile phones have emerged as a vital tool for rescue and communication in Bihar, India.