Thoreau 2.0
On simplicity, self-reliance and refusing to cooperate with “the apparatus of secrecy” that surrounds online surveillance.
Tech
"It Was the Biggest Game of Chicken I’ve Ever Seen."
A post-acquisition profile of Tumblr’s David Karp.
How BlackBerry Blew It
Ego, hubris, and the failure to adapt.
Poison Tree
An open letter on Grand Theft Auto 5 and aging out of the Rockstar Games franchise.
Friends Without Benefits
What the rapidly changing world of teenage hook-up culture means for young women.
Lost to the Ages
Myst, twenty years later.
Conflict Minerals
“Turns out your laptop—or camera or gaming system or gold necklace—may have a smidgen of Congo’s pain somewhere in it.”
The Geeks on the Front Lines
The battle between government and industry for America’s best hackers.
The End of Kindness: Weev and the Cult of the Angry Young Man
The prevalence of online threats against women and why the people who make them go unpunished.
The Child Exchange
A five-part investigation into “private re-homing,” in which adoptive parents give their problem children away with the help of internet message boards.
Barrett Brown Faces 105 Years in Jail
Why a former Anonymous spokesperson was arrested for, among other things, copying and pasting a link.
The Strange Story of Skype
How a group of serial entrepreneurs with an already impressive string of hits changed the way the world talks.
Harnessing the Power of Feedback Loops
How real-time information can make you a better human.
The Truth About Marissa Mayer: An Unauthorized Biography
A 22,000-word profile of the Yahoo CEO.
How Microsoft Lost Its Mojo
The story of a lead squandered.
Thinking Through the Tomato Harvester
The story of a machine.
The Tedium Is the Message
A history of spam on the internet.
Meet The Dread Pirate Roberts, The Man Behind Booming Black Market Drug Website Silk Road
A profile of a virtual kingpin.
Scandals of Classic Hollywood: The Ecstasy of Hedy Lamarr
“Let me say that again: Hedy Lamarr, arguably the most glamorous star of the pre-war period, also helped invent your cell phone and WiFi connection.”
Will Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley Finally Get It Right?
A startup’s rocky search for profitability.
Not Even Silicon Valley Escapes History
What remains of the past’s cutting edge.
Trial by Twitter
Was justice served in Steubenville?
Better Living Through Curiosity
A profile of Amar Bose, founder of the Bose Corporation.
How the NSA Targets Germany and Europe
Countries that the NSA has defined as close friends, or “2nd party,” include the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. These countries, documents indicate, cannot targetted. “3rd Party” nations, like Germany, are offered no such protection and spying all the way up to the office of the Chancellor is suspected.
The Watchers
A startup’s plan to launch a fleet of cheap, small, ultra-efficient imaging satellites and revolutionize data collection.
