TO SIRI, WITH LOVE
How One Boy With Autism Became BFF's With Apple’s Siri
Just how bad a mother am I? I wondered, as I watched my 13-year-old son deep in conversation with Siri.
WHAT YOUR DOCTOR LOOKS AT WHILE YOU WAIT
The Uncanny Language Of Medical Instagram
What Figure 1 does is take conversations that doctors or students might have had in private — over email, over coffee, at the golf course, after class — and puts them in a semi-public place. They are therefore conducted with professional familiarity verging on casualness. They read like I imagine actual doctors talk, when they're looking at something weird or novel or horrible or confounding or even funny.
UNFRIENDING THE DEA
Facebook Calls Out DEA For Fabricated Profiles
Facebook wants assurances from the Drug Enforcement Administration that it's not operating any more fake profile pages as part of ongoing investigations.
SHOULD YOU GET WHISKEY STICK?
We Tried This Whiskey-Enhancing Stick Of Wood So You Don't Have To
Time and Oak is a Portland-based startup with a fanciful idea. Their one and only product is a stick. Not just any stick but a laser-etched hunk of charred wood with maximal surface area that, when added to any whiskey, is supposed to enhance its flavor.
LET'S HOPE CATHOLIC GUILT TAKES HOLD
Vatican Bishops Decide To No Longer Welcome Gays
Catholic bishops scrapped their landmark welcome to gays Saturday, showing deep divisions at the end of a two-week meeting sought by Pope Francis to chart a more merciful approach to ministering to Catholic families.
A HARD BOILED CHALLENEGE
Jimmy Fallon Plays Egg Russian Roulette With Bradley Cooper
One dozen eggs, ten cooked, two uncooked. Fallon and Cooper face-off to see who gets egg on their face.
POSSIBILITY OF CIVIL RIGHTS CHARGES DOUBTFUL
Darren Wilson Recounts A Struggle To Federal Investigators
The police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., two months ago has told investigators that he was pinned in his vehicle and in fear for his life as he struggled over his gun with Mr. Brown, according to government officials briefed on the federal civil rights investigation into the matter.
FEEDING THE TROLLS
'Am I Being Catfished?'
When a bad review of her first novel appeared online, Kathleen Hale was warned not to respond. But she soon found herself wading in .
'THE WORST HIKING DISASTER IN NEPAL'
Nepal Snow Storm Death Toll Reaches 38
A rescue helicopter spotted nine more bodies Saturday on a trekking trail in northern Nepal, bringing the death toll to 38 from this week’s series of snow storms and avalanches in the worst hiking disaster in the Himalayan nation.
THE HUMOUROUS LOGICK OF JAVA-SCRIPTE
If Shakespeare Wrote In JavaScript, Here’s What It Would Look Like
"While it’s easy to dismiss coding as rote exercise — a matter of following rules — it’s worth remembering that natural language is subject to rules of its own: grammar, syntax, spelling. [...] With that in mind, I wanted to apply the quirks and transgressions of the great authors to JavaScript, to see where that pushed the language."
RENTAL AMERICA
Why The Poor Pay $4,150 For A $1,500 Sofa
At Buddy’s, a used 32-gigabyte, early model iPad costs $1,439.28, paid over 72 weeks. An Acer laptop: $1,943.28, in 72 weekly installments. A Maytag washer and dryer: $1,999 over 100 weeks.
ON HER MAJESTY'S POSTAL SERVICE
Can The Royal Mail Sort It?
Britain’s 500-year-old postal service, privatized a year ago, is under threat as letters dwindle and Internet-shopping delivery becomes the new battleground.
CARRIE KELLEY RETURNS
Jenna Malone Reportedly Playing Robin In 'Batman Vs. Superman'
It has been rumored that new release "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice" will feature a female Robin. The role has reportedly been filled by Hunger Games actress Jena Malone and was first reported by Michigan television station WILX 10, which was advised by a source on condition of anonymity.
A CONFOUNDING DECISION
Supreme Court Allows Texas To Use Voter ID Law
The Supreme Court on Saturday allowed Texas to use its strict voter identification law in the November election. The court’s order, issued just after 5 a.m., was unsigned and contained no reasoning.
SPACE DRONE COMES HOME
Secret Space Plane Lands At U.S. Air Force Base After Unknown Two-Year Mission
Resembling a small space shuttle, the X-37B landed in southern California after a 674 days in orbit on a classified mission.
SELL SHAFTS? YOU GET THE SHAFT
It’s Hard Out There For A Sex-Toy Entrepreneur
When Stacy Rybchin — founder of a small, New York-based sex-toy startup — tried to sign up for online payment services with Stripe in August, she was turned away.
IT'S JUST A LITTLE NERVOUS
Paris 'Sex Toy' Sculpture Deflated In Historic Place Vendome
Vandals have toppled a giant green art installation in Paris, punching it and cutting the support wires, after the inflatable 82-foot piece drew plenty of criticism on the streets and social media.
WINNING A (LITERAL) SEAT AT THE TABLE
Drama. Ego. Protocol: Washington Dinners Have It All — And That’s Just The Seating Chart
You walk into a fancy dinner and pick up the little envelope that reveals your fate: the seat assignment for the evening. Did you score a prized spot at the best table? Or are you in “Siberia,” consigned to a seat in the back of the room? In a city full of status symbols, nothing distills power more quickly than your literal place at the table.
NO WORSE THAN ANY OTHER CRUISE
Inside The Cruise Ship Quarantined Over Ebola Fear
GET OFF MY TWITTER
How My 98-Year-Old Grandfather Embraced The Internet
"Do I have Twitter ? Should I have this account ? If so what is it for ? How do I set it up ? Thanks Grandpa."
SNAPCASH
Snapchat Says Its First Ads Are Coming This Weekend
The company says they will appear in “recent updates,” and users can choose to view them if they want. Snapchat also says they are trying to make ads that aren’t “creepy.”
SCANNING THE SEAS
This Guy Takes Awesome Underwater Photos With A Desktop Scanner
Nathaniel Stern is diving off the coast of Florida, scanning the gorgeous seascape before him — literally.
FUSS AND FEATHERS
What It Takes To Produce One Ton Of Chicken
Is conventional chicken production, which has been relentlessly optimized by farmers, more or less energy intensive than free-range chicken raising?
#BENGHAZI
A History Of The Benghazi Acrostic On Its One-Year Anniversary
On the evening of October 17, 2013, a Twitter user named SpreadButter issued a tweet. The tweet has since entered the pantheon of media-weird Twitter memes. It has inspired hundreds of parodies. Its simple model — an acrostic that doesn’t have to mean anything — enabled effortless imitation
ALEGRA ERINA
The Maester Learns Dothraki, Week 1: The Baby Steps Of A New Language Warrior
"To learn this language, to do it the right way, the only way, means to travel to the source. To cross the Narrow Sea, ford the Rhoyne, turn on my laptop, and log onto LivingLanguage.com."
OR, YOU KNOW, THE SKIRMISH
We're Losing The War For The Smart Home
Our tech is smarter than ever, so why is the industry so dumb?
PRETTY TRICKY
The Kardashian Look-Alike Trolling For Assad
Maram Susli calls ISIS an American puppet, compares Nazis to Zionists — and is quickly gaining a global following, including one of MIT’s most storied professors.
NO READY-MADE SOLUTIONS
What Should We Do About Ebola?
I’ve been asked more than once what the formula for effective action against Ebola might be. It’s often those reluctant to invest in a comprehensive model of prevention and care for the poor who ask for ready-made solutions.
SNEAKERHEAD OVER HEELS
You See Sneakers, These Guys See Hundreds Of Millions In Resale Profit
How limited-run sneakers, a few ambitious entrepreneurs, and fanatical collectors all create one of the strangest resale markets.
THIS IS MR. LEHMAN
The Artist Who Trained Rats To Trade In Foreign-Exchange Markets
And the people who want to believe in his success.
LET'S GO FOR A SPIN
How to Draw A Perfect Circle Freehand
This is one of those things that seems so obvious, and yet if it were actually as intuitive as it feels, why the heck haven't we been doing it our whole lives?
THE TASTE OF MADELEINES
The Evidence Of Memory
Can we use adult recollections of childhood as a source of scientific data or as a basis for charging someone with child abuse years after the alleged offense? Can we trust eyewitness identifications in the courtroom? Can we put an understanding of how memory works to practical use by, say, devising treatments for people with disabling post-traumatic stress disorder? Recent work on the biology of memory retrieval offers some disturbing answers and some encouraging ones.
'A SEXIST TEMPER TANTRUM'
Anita Sarkeesian On GamerGate: 'We're Going To Fix This'
How a video game fan weathered a misogynist backlash to become pop culture's most valuable critic.
PREPARE FOR PUKE
Flying Along With A Red Bull Air Race Pilot
“You’ll be flying in the front seat,” I was told on a clear, sunny morning in Las Vegas. My pilot Petr Kopfstein — who was about to hold my stomach (and my life) in his hands — said it with an easy smile, so I responded with a laugh. I thought he was joking. He wasn’t.
YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHAT HE SAYS
Sir Ian McKellen Has Some Sage Advice For These Young Students
An age-old meme finally comes to life. And there was much rejoicing. We knew exactly what was going to happen but it was still excellent.
SPLITTING THE DIFFERENCE
Semi-, Hemi-, Demi-: What’s the Difference?
English has a number of prefixes that come from the concept of “half.” Why do we have so many? And what’s the difference between them?
BRIGHT IDEA
Skiing In The Dark Is Unwise, Unless You Have A Lightsuit
There are a lot of verbs to describe skiing: exciting, fun, that thing your dad probably does once every winter. This is the first time we can safely describe skiing as beautiful.
WE MUST LEARN TO DISCOVER
American Schools Are Training Kids For A World That Doesn't Exist
Our kids learn within a system of education devised for a world that increasingly does not exist.
DRINK LIKE AN ADULT
Chugging Is Dumb
We need to talk about your drinking. To have an intervention, of sorts.
THERE'S A PARTY IN YOUR HEAD
What Happens To A Brain On MDMA
We already know what happens to your dance moves on molly, but ASAP Science breaks down why MDMA makes you feel good, and shortly thereafter, pretty damn awful.
DOFFING AND DONNING
The Incredibly Complex Process Of Taking Off An Ebola Hazmat Suit
An interesting look at just how lengthy and intricate the process of using a hazmat suit is. There are literally no germs left after this (we hope).
CONSEQUENCES ARE COSTLY
Is Sex Only For Rich People?
America has decided: Sex is for rich people. Non-procreative sex in particular.
GROUND ZERO
Inside An Ebola Clinic In West Africa
Go inside a Doctors Without Borders Ebola clinic in Monrovia, Liberia. Physician Daniel Chertow takes us through the clinic and shares his thoughts on what it's like to be volunteering in the midst of an epidemic like no other.
EMBRACE THE MUSH
Do Not Roast The Squash
This is a very good way to cook almost any vegetable, but a bad way to cook winter squash.
THE CHEVY DREADNAUGHT
How Automakers Use A WWI-Era Camo Technique To Disguise Prototype Cars
In the early days of modern warfare, ships protected themselves from German U-boats with wild, eye-catching painted patterns called dazzle. The military moved on to new forms of camo decades ago, but for carmakers, dazzle is still the best way to protect prototype cars from being photographed.
LIKE FLAT BREAD, RIGHT?
The Dosa Gentrification
Indian culture is under siege by Westerners enamored with yoga, authenticity, and convenience. The dosa — a beloved, inconvenient tradition — could be next to fall.
NSFW
The Lives Of Heroin-Addicted Prostitutes, In Their Own Words
Most of these women come from Eastern Europe. All of them are trapped in a cycle of substance abuse and prostitution. Here are their stories.
GUY'S AMERICAN KITCHEN AND BAR MADE $16M
The Top-Grossing Independent Restaurants In America
Usually, talking about finances in the restaurant industry leads to a discussion of what an excruciatingly difficult business it is — especially in New York City, where the vast majority of new places never make it past three years. But that’s not to say that some people don’t kill it in the food business.