Technology & Innovation — January 19, 2010

Media News Roundup

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The New York Times is reportedly close to charging for its online content. It is considering a model similar to the Financial Times’ which sets a limit on the number of articles readers can access for free.

How Gabriel García Márquez arrived to fiction through journalism.

The University of Chicago’s Gary Becker and Richard Posner discuss the Internet, competition, and censorship. Justice Posner gives the Internet thumbs up, but barely.

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Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Couldn’t COVID-19 have originated in a Chinese lab?

In theory, scientists could’ve produced a deadly virus that accidentally infected lab workers. In practice, we know that didn’t happen.

The word "enough" stands boldly in black at the center, with incorrect spellings like "enugh," "enuph," "enuff," and "enuf" crossed out in red above and below, subtly highlighting the quirks of English spelling.

The Past

When enough is “enuf”: The strange and futile history of English spelling reform

In “Enough Is Enuf,” Gabe Henry traces the history of simplified spelling movements and the lessons they teach us about language.

A miniature tank made from rolled and stacked U.S. hundred-dollar bills is displayed on a red background.

The Present

How the United States turned the world economy into a battlefield

By weaponizing the global economy, the U.S. initiated a new era of economic warfare and transformed how major powers compete.

The letters "AI" appear with a glitch effect in multicolored pixels against a black background.

The Present

AI skeptic Gary Marcus on AI’s moral and technical shortcomings

The cognitive scientist argues the current AI environment is failing us as consumers and a society. But it’s not too late to change course.

A person holds a smartphone and a book with an ornate cover, clasped together in both hands.

The Present

Silicon Valley’s obsession with AI looks a lot like religion

The tech world’s fixation on artificial intelligence has spawned beliefs and rituals that resemble religion — complete with digital deities, moral codes, and threats of damnation.

Up Next

Culture & Religion

Martin Luther King, Interrelatedness, Haiti

King wrote his Letter from Birmingham Jail in April 1963, almost five years, to the day, before his assassination. The letter remains resonant for its poetry (“injustice anywhere is a […]