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The Joy of New Americans

The Joy of New Americans 1

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Every year, the United States welcomes hundreds of thousands of new citizens in naturalization ceremonies that manage to be both banal and deeply moving. An official leads the room in the…

The Banality of Online Recommendation Culture

The Banality of Online Recommendation Culture 19

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story In the 2010s, affiliate marketing became a dominant strain of online business models. The Wirecutter, which sold to the Times in 2016, made money by driving its visitors to retail Web…

Could Steampunk Save Us?

Could Steampunk Save Us? 24

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story This summer, I bought my wife a vintage watch—a model called the Big Crown Pointer Date, made by the Swiss company Oris. The watch was manufactured in 1995, and is small,…

The Mystery of Three Hundred Bodies in the Woods

The Mystery of Three Hundred Bodies in the Woods 35

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story How should the living treat the dead? More specifically, what should we do with their bodies, and why? The answers to these questions, like the mysteries of death itself, are at…