Desi Arnaz's Revolution Was Televised
How a risk-taking immigrant helped invent the three-camera sitcom
Entertainment
Review: The Historical Art You've Probably Never Seen
A newly renovated wing at the Met showcases culture and history from Africa, the Americas, and Oceania.
Review: Murderbot Is Part Frankenstein's Monster and Part C-3PO
The title character in this Apple TV+ series is both a menace and a friend.
I'm a Gamer. The NO FAKES Act Could Get Me in Trouble.
A bill meant to fight AI deepfakes could devastate creativity in games like Fallout: New Vegas, Skyrim, and Minecraft, where mods keep old titles alive.
Review: Ologies Podcast Explores Everything From Witches to Algae
How Alie Ward's interviews with a wide range of experts subtly make the case for liberalism and pluralism.
Review: Did We Really Need Another Squid Game?
The third season of the Netflix series lacks the moral nuance that made the original so compelling.
What If TikTok Therapists Are Making People Less Happy?
Lena Dunham's new show is a send-up of internet therapy culture.
Review: Detroit's Ford Rouge Factory Reveals Just How Far American Industry Has Come
The factory has changed a lot, from making Model T parts to making Mustangs to assembling electric Ford F-150s.
The Anti-Porn Crusade Comes for Online Games
Activists pressure payment processors, who in turn pressure game marketplaces. The result? A whole lot of video games and visual novels are disappearing.
Review: What Would Happen If the Modern-Day British Government Discovered Time Travel?
The Ministry of Time offers a world of romance, murder, blue sci-fi lasers, and lots of paperwork.
Extreme Measures: Puzzle #105
"Idea that the 'far right' and the 'far left' are closer together than they think"
Review: Denmark's Viking Ship Museum Offers a Glimpse Into Life at Sea
On display are five real Viking ships, intentionally sunk in Roskilde Fjord around 1,000 years ago to form a defensive barrier.
Streaming Music Isn't a Free Market. It's a Regulated Monopoly.
Rock legend David Lowery draws on his decades in the music industry to explain how government-imposed licensing fees and price controls helped streaming platforms flourish while eroding artist rights and income.
Superman Is About the Anti-War Vibe Shift
Supervillains used to be foreign enemies. Now the villain is a defense contractor who wants to start a regime change war.
Review: The Endless Summer Chases the Perfect Surf Conditions Around the Globe
A documentary from 1966 offers a taste of summer, no matter the season.
Jurassic World Rebirth Chases Summer Movie Nostalgia
In this painfully mediocre Jurassic Park franchise placeholder, even the hypocrisy is nostalgic.
Review: Avowed Is a Fantasy Game About the Benefits of Local Control
The player encounters various governmental figures and debates about the rights of various human and not-so-human creatures
Review: YouTuber Max Miller Is Recreating Historical Recipes
From parmesan ice cream to pumpkin spice lasagna
Review: Schedule I Is a Multiplayer Co-op Black Market Econ Simulator
A spiritual successor to the Drug Wars game that proliferated on high school graphing calculators
Review: There Are No Top-Down Solutions to the Problems Depicted in Adolescence
The limited-run Netflix series is fueling a real-life push for the British government to protect kids from online dangers.
Review: A Comic Book Villain Runs for Mayor of New York in the New Daredevil Series
Daredevil's nemesis Kingpin runs up against local government bureaucracy.
If Viewers Love PBS So Much, Let Them Pay for It
A new study on the trustworthiness of PBS fails to persuade.
Review: The Wild Adventures of Women in Anthropology
Anthropology was once built around freewheeling interactions with alien peoples in far-flung lands.
Review: The Free Market Comes to The Sims 4
Even simulated entrepreneurs aren't free from the burdens of business registration fees.
Review: Was Charles Manson Carrying Out a CIA Experiment?
Errol Morris' new Netflix documentary explores alternative theories of the Manson cult's infamous 1969 murders.
Brian Brushwood: Why We Fall for Scams
Magician and podcaster Brian Brushwood talks about deception and skepticism while exploring historical hoaxes, the psychology of magic, the libertarian dystopia of Epcot, and the story behind World’s Greatest Con.
Alton Brown on Cultural Appropriation, Ozempic, and the USDA
"If a Greek family starts a pizzeria, if a Chinese family straight from Beijing opens a hot dog shop, are they appropriating or are they just smart?" says the Food for Thought author and former Good Eats host.
Review: The Rise of the 'Divorce Memoir'
"There is no typical divorce," writes No Fault author Haley Mlotek.
Should the Civilization Video Games Be Fun—or Real?
Some players like the game to mimic the real world. Others like to play as Gandhi but nuke their enemies into oblivion.
Review: A Doomsday Murder Mystery Set in an Underground Bunker
Even in a fictitious postapocalyptic world, the government can't be trusted to tell the truth.
Review: A Superhero Struggle About the Ethics of Violence
The animated Invincible series wrestles with the ethics of killing for the greater good.
In Praise of Zeppo and Shemp
Two new biographies tell the stories of the unsung members of the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges.
Review: How Video Games Can Connect Us to the World
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, a documentary on Netflix, explains how a terminally ill boy found freedom in World of Warcraft.
Can a Pop Song Violate Children's Rights?
In Colombia, a court claims the answer is yes. Could that happen here?
Review: Authoritarianism Backfires in the Latest Dune Installment
In Max's Dune: Prophecy, even the power to predict others' actions can't tame the chaos of free will.
Review: Netflix's Mo Captures the Absurdity of the U.S. Immigration System
A stateless protagonist dodges the federal government in comedic fashion.
Review: Is the New Captain America Movie an Allegory for Donald Trump?
Brave New World was shot long before the new Trump term, but the parallels are hard to overlook.
Review: Flow Is a Beautiful Low-Budget Animated Feature
The Latvian Oscar winner was rendered on a free and open-source 3D graphic engine.
Review: Aging Millennials Confront Adult Problems on Screen
Apple TV+'s Shrinking is both cringeworthy and relatable.
