Category Culture

The demise of Washington, D.C.’s oldest tree invites contemplation on the lifespan of America itself. Credit: Tayfun Coskun/Getty Images Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player… Nearly a year ago, the most ancient tree in Washington, D.C., toppled unexpectedly.…

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story In August of this year, Tasha Marks was organizing her own unique version of time travel in a windowless room at the British Library in London. Marks is a perfumer who…

Save this storySave this storySave this storyYou’re reading the Goings On newsletter, a guide to what we’re watching, listening to and doing this week. Sign up to get it sent to your inbox. In anticipation of summer travel, we asked…

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Lorde is modern pop’s greatest debunker and its greatest mystic. It’s a contradiction that’s permeated her work from the start. “We’re not dependent on your love,” she declared on 2013’s Royals,…

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story We all have our own unique cinematic triggers, certain images that evoke a sense of disgust. I instinctively close my eyes when confronted with a character rushing to chop food, which…

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this storyYou are reading Open Questions , a weekly column by Joshua Rothman where he explores the essence of human existence. What do you read, and why? A few decades ago, these questions…

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story A Möbius strip, a surface with one continuous side, is usually created by cutting a long, narrow sheet of paper and joining the ends with a half-turn. The strip has no…

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story It’s impossible to talk about Life of Chuck without touching on the ending, since that’s where the plot begins. The film unfolds in reverse, like the Stephen King short story on…

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story One day in February 2024, Grant Ford, an art consultant and dealer in Marlborough, England, received a phone call from a local lawyer named David J. Goldsmith. Goldsmith was seeking advice…

In the entertainment field, luck is more important than control. Credit: brizmaker/Shutterstock Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative player… Being a selective user of new technology like myself comes with its own set of inconveniences, especially when it comes…