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Essays

Boomerang

Empires have a way of seeding their own destruction.

Essays

Retrograde

Like water, gold simply can’t tell you what it used to be.

  • Sinica Podcast: “The China Debate We’re Not Having” | Part 1: What China Wants

    Listen: https://ift.tt/34AftcD Opening Remarks & Session 1: What China Wants Johns Hopkins SAIS ACF Conference, April 3, 2026 This week's episode features audio from a day-long conference hosted by the Institute for America, China, and the Future of Global Affairs… more ›

  • What Memento reveals about human nature, 25 years later – Ars Technica

    Director Christopher Nolan’s breakout film explores themes of the nature of memory and personal identity. https://arstechnica.com/culture/2026/04/memento-turns-25/?utm_source=semafor more ›

  • Chartbook 439 Electrostates v. petrostates. Clarifying a tricky distinction.

    Some time last year a distinction began to be drawn between electrostates and petrostates. https://open.substack.com/pub/adamtooze/p/chartbook-439-electrostates-v-petrostates?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=oj2p5 more ›

  • Best Case Scenarios: Drew Endy on Bio-Science

    Listen: https://ift.tt/EG5skLA In this conversation, Drew Endy, a bioengineer at Stanford, discusses the future of synthetic biology and its potential to transform society by 2050. He envisions a world where 10 billion people can live flourishing lives through abundant resources… more ›

  • China’s AI Education Experiment – by Lily Ottinger

    Pilot schools in China are already using AI to grade children’s artwork, monitor their facial expressions during lectures, and screen them for psychological problems — and the Ministry of Education (MOE) wants schools across the country to follow suit. https://www.chinatalk.media/p/chinas-ai-education-experiment more ›

  • The LRB Podcast: On Politics: Iran and the Oil Crisis

    Listen: https://ift.tt/ZJkuUwh Trump’s war on Iran has highlighted recent dramatic changes in the politics of oil. While the United States still guarantees maritime security in the Middle East, it is no longer the primary beneficiary, with most oil and gas… more ›

  • Why Not Mars

    The goal of this essay is to persuade you that we shouldn’t send human beings to Mars, at least not anytime soon. Landing on Mars with existing technology would be a destructive, wasteful stunt whose only legacy would be to… more ›

  • The best video essays of 2025 | Sight and Sound

    Now in its ninth year, our annual poll showcases 255 vital video essays, nominated by 72 international voters. https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/polls/best-video-essays-2025 more ›

  • How we tested and evaluated AI-generated dance videos – The Markup

    None of the videos produced by the leading AI platforms showed the actual dances we requested. https://themarkup.org/show-your-work/2026/01/21/how-we-tested-ai-generated-dance-videos more ›

  • God is with the Lazy – The Millions

    The lazybones attracts all the waves of the sea. “Let me sleep,” he begs, “so nice and warm under my white sheets and blue blankets.” And would you believe it? The sun’s on his side. — Edmond Jabès, 1945 https://themillions.com/2013/11/god-is-with-the-lazy.html more ›