On a convict too young to vote but old enough to be strapped to a chair.

From our guide to the death penalty at Slate.

On a pair of Israeli psychologists who between 1971 and 1984 “published a series of quirky papers exploring the ways human judgment may be distorted when we are making decisions in conditions of uncertainty.”

In 1987, a terrible accident kills five Ole Miss sorority members. The author catches up with her Chi Omega sisters who survived.

A history of the divide between computing and language, and why we “define and regiment our lives, including our social lives and our perceptions of our selves, in ways that are conducive to what a computer can ‘understand.’”

Darren Lumar lived in mansions he didn’t own, ran companies that didn’t make a dime, went to colleges that didn’t exist and slept with “any number of women” despite being married to James Brown’s daughter. When he was murdered, the cops had a problem: too many possible suspects.

A woman thought a Coen brothers movie was a “true story” and tracked it to her death. Now someone’s made a fictional film about her, further blurring the lines between reality and artifice.

Most people think they’d be thrilled to have their memoir snapped up for a movie. The author had a different, more troubled experience.

An oral history of Industrial Lights & Magic, which gave birth to Star Wars and countless films, as well as playing a hand in the creation of Photoshop and Pixar.

Foursquare and Gowalla are in a VC-funded race to become the dominant location-based social network. But their founders say both companies have a larger purpose.

The number one item confiscated by U.S. customs for four years in a row: fake shoes. As brands continue to crack down, counterfeiters continue to up their game.

Roy Petersen was blind in one eye, had two replaced hips, and was twice divorced. His job was to solve a gold mine robbery case in the Peruvian Andes. He would need some help.

On August 1, 1966, Charles Whitman entered the University of Texas at Austin’s Main Building. Armed with a number of rifles, he proceeded to kill 14 people and wound 32. Among them was a pregnant Claire Wilson.

The Federal Trade Commission has brought more than 60 cases related to data security against businesses. Only one has refused to settle.

An East German weightlifter ingested more anabolic steroids than any other athlete in recorded history. It didn’t end well.

An investigation into how “Mr. Putin, a student of martial arts, had turned two institutions at the core of American democracy — political campaigns and independent media — to his own ends.”

A discovery in a Lithuanian forest brings a tale of survival back to life.

A profile of Missy Elliott.

The Tarahumara became famous for running incredibly long distances. In recent years, cartels have exploited their talents by forcing them to ferry drugs into America. Now they’re running for their lives.

The company has been battling its store owners for years, using tactics that include planting hidden cameras and and tailing franchisees in unmarked vehicles. It seems to have found a new tool: U.S. immigration authorities.

A secretive hedge fund used the British court system to punish an IP thief‚ even though he was already in jail.

A glimpse of life on the suburban road, featuring Russian mobsters, Fox News rage addicts, a caged man in a sex dungeon, and Dick Cheney.

When IP mapping goes awry dozens of strangers show up to the same home again and again looking for their stolen gear.

Just a few years ago, universities had a chance to make a quality education affordable for everyone. Here’s the little-known and absolutely infuriating history of what they did instead.

A profile of the actor following a car accident that left him briefly in a coma and ultimately with a settlement so large he never has to work again.

“Three giant telecoms are gonna make and own all the content, and they’re not gonna want anyone else to make it.”