M.F.A. vs. GPT
How to push the art of writing out of a computer’s reach
Invisible Forces
The imperceptible ideas and systems that shape our lives
How Handwriting Lost Its Personality
Penmanship was once considered a window to the soul. The digital age has closed it.
The Paradox at the Grocery Store
What people really need is less choice, not more.
Go Ahead, Try to Explain Milk
No one can define it, much less fully replicate it.
American Food Will Never Look Natural Again
Health concerns keep shrinking the roster of approved artificial dyes. But Americans still can’t seem to go cold turkey on ultra-colorful foods.
Too Many Americans Are Missing Out on the Best Kitchen Gadget
The rice cooker has been perfect since 1955.
How Please Stopped Being Polite
The phrase if it please you has been shortened and shortened over time—until it’s become more brusque than courteous.
You Don’t Know How Bad the Pizza Box Is
The delivery icon hasn’t changed in 60 years, and it’s making your food worse.
The Dawn of Artificial Imagination
OpenAI says programs like DALL-E 2 will “democratize” art.
The Decline of Etiquette and the Rise of ‘Boundaries’
For centuries, strict social norms dictated what people could politely talk about. Now we have to figure it out for ourselves.