Afflictor: Thinking Russia has a secret weapon for the competitive-eating portion of the Olympics.
- Old Print Articles: When hypnotized, Edgar Cayce “became a doctor” (1910) + Tchaikovsy dies from cholera (1893).
- Featured Videos: Muhammad Ali “trains” with David Frost and Clint Eastwood (1968), spars with Howard Cosell (1972) and talks through a wired jaw to Dick Cavett (1973) + Marcel Duchamp interviewed by the BBC (1968) + Timothy Leary interviewed by Greg Kinnear (1994).
- Recently Posted on NYC’s Craigslist: Thank you, Obamacare! + Yes, you are overthinking it + There’s a chance it was written by a frustrated realtor.
- Technology and biology both bring destruction and progress.
- George Packer analyzes what the Digital Age has done to culture.
- Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee see the Digital Age as a long-term win.
- In 1968, John C. Lilly believed we would soon communicate with other species.
- By the 1980s, Lilly was using Apple computers to “speak” with dolphins.
- Stephen Cave ponders what sets humanity apart from other species.
- David Epstein casts doubt on the genetic screening of child athletes.
- Futurist Ray Kurzweil reviews Spike Jonze’s Her.
- Bill Gates did a wide-ranging Ask Me Anything.
- For better or worse, the 1984 Games changed the Olympics forever.
- Douglas Hofstadter contends that our Artificial Intelligence isn’t so smart.
- Bill Simmons discusses film and sports with screenwriter William Goldman.
- MIT’s Alex Pentland sees Big Data as a way to direct human behavior.
- Jimmy Wales considers NSA revelations.
- Robotics may return manufacturing to the U.S., but create few jobs.
- It’s surprisingly cheap to have someone killed.
- Gene therapy is slowly moving from fiction to fact.
- A look at what happens to Olympic host cities after the Games end.
- Some Gitmo prisoners are drawing up elaborate post-prison plans.
- Vacuum magnate James Dyson wants to put a robot in every home.
- Valentine’s Day, sweet holiday that it is, had brutal origins.
- Much as we might like to deny it, good looks count.
- A brief note from 1920 about hangmen’s salary.
- A brief note from 1901 from a family reunion.
- This week’s Afflictor keyphrase searches.