This week, with the Pope about to visit, Mayor de Blasio ordered a fresh coat of paint for New York City.
- Old Print Articles: The end of Sigmund Freud (1938/39) + The tyrant of Wrangel Island is sentenced to death (1936).
- 3 Classic Videos: Harold Robbins (1971), the Exorcist Cast (1984), David H. Shepard (1959).
- 3 Classic Videos: Jimmy Carter (1974), Salvador Dali (1973), Peter Sellers (1964).
- In his own quiet way, Ben Carson is a scarier candidate than Donald Trump.
- Economist David Autor says we won’t see mass technological unemployment.
- Jacques Attali believes the record industry implosion is manufacturing’s future.
- James Surowiecki isn’t satisfied with Joseph Stiglitz’s inequality theories.
- Anders Sandberg did a great AMA about Transhumanism, space travel, etc.
- In an excellent AMA, Peter W. Singer discusses the future of warfare.
- Amazing digital assistants may soon serve us. That’s not all good.
- Hitachi has appointed the world’s first AI manager.
- Ai Weiwei discusses China’s modernization, social media, etc.
- Japan, a graying and homogenous culture, is betting big on robots.
- Jaron Lanier want’s information companies to pay us for our data.
- Mattel wants to use Barbie dolls to introduce AI to children.
- British paranormal investigator Jayne Harris specializes in haunted dolls.
- NASA is conducting myriad tests to prep astronauts for a Mars mission.
- Tim Harford thinks Amazon’s bad reputation may be underserved. I don’t.
- Travis Kalanick likely won’t be Uber CEO by the time driverless is a reality.
- We should be able to charge for something we’re allowed to do for free, right?
- It’d probably be good to experiment with Unconditional Guaranteed Income.
- Erstwhile Aeon editor Ross Anderson now lead The Atlantic science section.
- Chemist Hervé This has a unique plan for feeding the world.
- Pitcher Andrew Heaney is selling stock in his baseball future. Bad idea.
- Gary Indiana writes of terrorist motivations. I think he’s simplifying things.
- A brief note from 1947 about a snake ban.
- A brief note from 1954 about space ship sales.
- A brief note from 1934 about forbidden handshakes.
- This week Afflictor keyphrase searches.