Noteworthy reads from the last week:
“Are Emojis a Language?,” Becca Rothfeld
“But do emoji, which comprise so much of our textual communication, really constitute a language?”
“The Price of Nice Nails,” Sarah Maslin Nir
“The New York Times interviewed more than 150 nail salon workers and owners, in four languages, and found that a vast majority of workers are paid below minimum wage; sometimes they are not even paid.”
“Why Scientific American's Predictions from 10 Years Ago Were So Wrong,” Sarah Zhang
“Recently, we did an experiment: We took an outdated issue of a respected popular science magazine, Scientific American, and researched exactly what happened to the highly-touted breakthroughs of the era that would supposedly change everything. What we discovered is just how terrible we are at predicting the long arc of scientific discovery.”
“The Attention Brokers,” John Herrman
“The marginalization of web publishers has been swift. This week seems to be a milestone, at least psychologically, as Facebook, which routes an enormous proportion of the world’s mobile web traffic, prepares to assume the role of funder, distributor and host for news.”
“Minding the Monster,” Ed Tubb
“For thirty years, Budreo had been in and out of prison for sexually assaulting children. Every time he got out, he got drunk and did it again. Besides, his case had become notorious, and his face was in the news. He’d never get a job, and he’d never make friends. Who was Haley to think he could help?”
Hedgehogs abroad:
“Organizing Enlightenment,” Scott Jaschik and Chad Wellmon
“In this sense, my book is a history of a cultural anxiety. In an age of media surplus and easily accessible information, what counted as authoritative and legitimate knowledge? Which sources should be trusted and which not?”