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Writers

James Somers

Health

Immune Disorder

At a laboratory in Manhattan, researchers have discovered how SARS-CoV-2 uses our defenses against us.

James Somers The New Yorker Nov 2020 30min Permalink

Science

Cold War

Snow science against the avalanche.

James Somers New Yorker Mar 2020 30min Permalink

Tech

Binary Stars

On the friendship that made Google huge.

James Somers New Yorker Dec 2018 20min Permalink

Tech

Saving the World From the Code Apocalypse

A small group of programmers wants to change how we code—before catastrophe strikes.

James Somers The Atlantic Sep 2017 40min Permalink

Keepers of the Secrets

Inside the New York Public Library’s archives.

James Somers Village Voice Sep 2017 15min Permalink

Tech

Torching the Modern-Day Library of Alexandria

“Somewhere at Google there is a database containing 25 million books and nobody is allowed to read them.”

James Somers The Atlantic Apr 2017 25min Permalink

Science Tech

The Man Who Would Teach Machines to Think

A profile of cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter, who has spent the last 30 years trying to replicate the human mind.

James Somers The Atlantic Oct 2013 30min Permalink

Arts Business Tech

Are Coders Worth It?

On cushy jobs in web development, deeply un-cushy opportunities in writing, and our assumptions about the value of labor.

James Somers Aeon Jun 2013 15min Permalink

Business Tech

On the Floor Laughing

A field trip to the video gamey world of the modern trader.

James Somers The Atlantic May 2011 10min Permalink