Reading List
The most recent articles from a list of feeds I subscribe to.
The Supreme Court’s new decision tilting the midterms toward Republicans, explained
Here’s a familiar story. On Tuesday night, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that will almost certainly give the Republican Party an additional seat in the US House of Representatives. Not all of the justices disclosed how they voted, but the decision appears to have come down 6-3 along partisan lines — that is, […]
This year’s wild NBA Finals, explained
The NBA Finals are upon us and, if you haven’t noticed, this one’s a little more hotly anticipated than usual. The president and the pope are getting involved. Why? There’s the New York factor, with the Knicks back in the finals for the first time since 1999 after years of struggles. And then there’s their […]
A simple way to lower everyone’s property taxes
The housing abundance movement has won more of the intellectual argument than anyone might have predicted a decade ago. Across much of American politics, even in Zohran Mamdani’s New York (listen, I love the guy), it is now at least possible to say out loud that we have too many pointless rules making it impossible […]
AI can replicate human-made art. Here’s why it can never replace it.
As AI continues to encroach on every aspect of our lives, there is a persistent fear or hope, depending on your angle: AI will someday take over art. The internet is full of quizzes showing that most lay people cannot tell the difference between AI-generated art (digital pictures of paintings, prose) and the real thing. […]
How generosity became cringe
“Elon Musk, Ryan Seacrest, and Chris Anderson of TED, consider yourself challenged,” Bill Gates bellowed from his garden. Beaming, he tugged on a candy cane-colored rope that dumped a barrel of icy cold water over his head. “You have 24 hours. Good luck.” It was the scorching hot summer of 2014, and the ice bucket […]