Edward Snowden in His Own Words: Why I Became a Whistle-Blower

At the age of 22, when I entered the American intelligence community, I didn't have any politics. Instead, like most young people, I had solid convictions that I refused to accept weren't truly mine but rather a contradictory cluster of inherited principles. My mind was a mash-up of the values I was raised with and…

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Original Content podcast: Netflix’s ‘Terrace House’ is still the most soothing reality show around

“Terrace House” (a co-production between Netflix and Fuji Television) is back, and it hasn’t changed much since we reviewed it last year. As with previous seasons, “Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020”…

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The iOS 13 Privacy and Security Features You Should Know

If you own a relatively new iPhone, this week you should have received a notification that the latest iOS 13 update is ready to download. Besides the more obvious additions—like the introduction of dark mode, and the unexpected joys of Apple Arcade—it also features a raft of security and privacy enhancements.The reputation of iOS security…

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As Adam Neumann reportedly faces pressure to step down, it’s looking like a fight for life between WeWork and SoftBank

According to a new WSJ report, certain members of WeWork’s seven-person board, which includes cofounder and CEO Adam Neumann, are planning to pressure Neumann to step down and instead become…

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The ‘Smart Kitchen’ Is Very Stupid

The smart home market is big and booming. Connected products, like those made by Roku, Nest, Sonos, and Amazon have changed the way we live, mostly for the better. But the so called "smart kitchen?" The app-connected kitchen gadgets, the experimental tiny ovens, the microwaves you can talk to, and the recipe apps? They've failed.…

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How Vikings Went Into a Trancelike Rage Before Battle

The legendary Viking warriors known as berserkers were renowned for their ferocity in battle, purportedly fighting in a trancelike state of blind rage (berserkergang), howling like wild animals, biting their shields, and often unable to distinguish between friend and foe in the heat of battle. But historians know very little about the berserkers apart from…

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Our motto: Dronepocalypse Now

Last week someone knocked out 5% of world oil production with a small swarm of drones and cruise missiles, and in doing so, inaugurated “a change in the nature of…

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