“It’s All a Big Action Movie”: An Interview with Hungrybox
You've heard of video game competitions before, but no one player's life has been as filled with drama or redemption as that of Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma.
Internet
Everyone’s a Polymath on the Internet
The concept of polymath has become a pop culture meme. But what is a polymath, really?
Domestic Infelicity: ‘Way Out’ Is Lost and Found on YouTube
Roald Dahl's short-lived anthology feels like a merging of Rod Serling's horror and sci-fi with Alfred Hitchcock's obsession with unhappy marriages.
Are You ‘Wasting Time on the Internet’? Is That Such a Bad Thing? (Excerpt)
"I'm reading these days -- ironically, on the web -- that we don't read anymore," writes Kenneth Goldsmith in this excerpt of Wasting Time on the Internet, courtesy of HarperCollins.
Richard Herring Proves That Talk Is Cheap and Incredibly Entertaining
Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast gives comedians a chance to be honest and the audience a chance to laugh like hell.
Pop Music and the Demise of Genre
Is musical genre outdated in today's Network Society? Or might it be harnessed for democratic ends?
Lick Your Fingers. Bite Your Nails. Now How’s That Appetite?
You’ll really feel like you’re in a KFC when those 11 herbs and spices waft up your nostrils on a wave of ethyl acetate.
Consider the Troll
The pressing question isn't so much what a troll is and how he came to be, but what to do when confronted with a troll.
You’ve Got Zombies: Devoured by E-mail in the Technological Apocalypse
E-mails are non-living beings that consume the time and attention of the living. Like the zombies in The Walking Dead, hoards of emails devour us.
Our Insatiable Techno Zombie Love
The popularity of zombies indicates that powerful techno-social forces have ramped up our fear of joining or being surrounded by a mindless zombie herd.
How Ethical Are Ad Blockers?
For many netizens, a free Internet would be the apogee of its early techno-utopian vision. Yet the "free internet" rallying cry is one of the latest, greatest manifestations of consumerism.
The Brilliant Failure of Miranda July’s Social Media App ‘Somebody’
On its website, Miranda July’s social media app Somebody is described as the “antithesis of the utilitarian efficiency that tech promises”.