Tattoos 4 U
A young woman is covered in tattoos and her parents have no idea, so she made a video—complete with choir—to show her parents what she's been hiding. Made by Bianca Giaever for This American Life. There's plenty of Giaever's work in the
One Hundred Acres Underground
Swedish filmmaker Petter Ringbom takes us on a tour of the Lowline. It's a former trolley terminal under the streets of New York's Lower East Side, that's being turned into a one-hundred acre park—the world's first park that's completely
Gentle Angry People
In response to Orlando, America's deadliest mass shooting, "We are a gentle angry people" indeed.
Elegize the Arctic
Italian composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi elegizes the Arctic from a floating piano at the edge of a melting glacier.
How to Turn Pixels Into Pulitzers
An unbearable video about the “future of media”—complete with endless buzzwords and nonsense—is not, in fact, a joke. From the Observer: Earlier this month Michael Ferro, chairman of Tribune Publishing, announced that the legacy media group was rebranding as tronc, or 'Tribune Online Content' (though the
On Memory
Our Glorious Leader
Finally, the Japanese Donald Trump commercial we’ve all been waiting for.
Onbashira Matsuri
Footage from Japan’s Onbashira festival—reputed to have continued, uninterrupted, for 1,200 years—where young men prove their mettle by riding enormous logs down a hill.
Have the Monks Stopped Meditating?
Trailer for the new Werner Herzog documentary about the internet, Lo And Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, in which monks are found to tweet. See also: "Be Not Afraid," the private diaries of Werner Herzog
Rise of the Lion City
Australian filmmaker Keith Loutit spent three years filming Singapore’s rapid growth, including rarely seen night scenes and the rapid progress of construction sites. “The goal of all my work is to help people see their surroundings with fresh eyes as if for the first time,” Mr. Loutit told Channel
A Rare Look Inside the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
A rare look inside the Svalbard Global Seed Vault—“the world’s most important freezer”—which is closed for about 350 days a year. As explained by The Kid Should See This: “On the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault protects around 865,000 seed samples from
Secrets of Baltimore, the Snowy Owl
An NPR reporter retraces a snowy owl’s journey from a beach in Maryland to an island in Canada. (We’re suckers for a good animal video to watch at lunchtime.)
Dances With Robots
In the video for Kaytranada’s “Lite Spots,” a robot best friend learns how to dance. Directed by Martin C. Pariseau.
Sailing Into Amsterdam
A stunning time-lapse video captures hundreds of ships sailing into Amsterdam. From PBS Newshour: “Every five years, as many as 600 ships navigate around the canal for a five-day festival in order to showcase and celebrate Netherland’s history of seafaring and ports. The event, called SAIL Amsterdam, started in
A Geographical Theory of Westeros
The world of Game of Thrones is heavily based on historical events. One theory says the geography of Westeros is a modified version of the British Isles. See also: The Google map of Westeros.
Bruce Lee Tutorial in Quickness
How to move your hands very fast, from a bonus clip from I Am Bruce Lee, the 2012 documentary about the legendary martial arts master. See also: Trailer for I Am Bruce Lee.
Theremini Says Hello!
The theremin is one of the oldest electronic musical instruments in history. The “theremini,” its new little brother, is flat-out adorable. See also: Archival video of Leon Theremin playing his own instrument.
The Müpa Budapest Sound Machine
Budapest’s giant music box, one of the largest in the world, plays the Harry Potter theme song when humans walk in its hamster wheel. From the official description: “The contraption plays music from six different genres depending on audience preference, here in this video you can hear the Harry
The French, Opened
William Klein’s mesmerizing, rarely seen documentary The French goes behind the scenes at Rolland Garros in 1981.
The Art-Seeing Eye of Google
Google’s new “Art Camera” will travel the world, taking ultra-high-resolution “gigapixel” images to digitize a series of artworks. See also: Masterpieces already digitized from Rotterdam’s Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
Classical Is Calling
Berklee pianist Tony Ann plays a medley of familiar ringtones. See more of Tony Ann on Facebook.
Tour of the Pantone Color Factory
A brief tour of Pantone’s factory headquarters in Carlstadt, NJ, where global color standards are set—to make sure that red you’re using really is red. Credit: Quartz If you enjoyed this, check out Graham Beck’s investigation into how America’s military elects to paint itself.
Bree Newsome scaled the State House flagpole and removed the Confederate flag
“Newsome was halfway up the 30-foot pole when police demanded that she climb back down, but she continued upward and removed the flag.”
Editors’ Favorites From 2014
The staff choose their most-liked pieces published in 2014: a painting expedition through the Underground Railroad, a personal memory of Vivian Maier, and a restaurant review that isn’t a restaurant review.
Editors' Favorites From 2013
The staff choose their most-liked pieces published in 2013: a trip to Patsy Cline's divided hometown, the complete biography of North West, a cold case of hit-and-run, and no shortage of great quotes about dead bodies.
A Tour of Our New Homepage
If like most of our readers, you read The Morning News by heading straight to our homepage, then you’ve probably noticed a few changes around here over the past couple of weeks. And if like many of our readers, you read TMN on your mobile device, then the site
The Most Tweetable Sentences of 2012
We asked Paul to choose his favorite articles published on TMN in 2012. We had a pretty good year, we like to think: Many stories we loved, many reprints and nods elsewhere, citations in “Best American Essays,” finalist at the Online Journalism Awards… But now you can tell we’ve
Your Favorite Three Books of the Year
All year long, we keep track of the books we think will be great candidates for the tournament—books we loved, books we talked about, books we heard discussed on a plane. You know the rules: As long as it was a novel published in English in 2011, we’ll
Exile on Wall St.
The occupation of Wall Street has been heralded as a passionate grassroots movement (now beloved by celebrities) that is spreading nationwide and claiming to reflect America’s non-wealthy 99 percent (even if that same bracket includes most of the wealthy bankers on Wall Street). To put greed into sharper focus,
We're All NASDAQ Symbols Now
Perhaps bigamists have it the worst: “You must refrain from changing your relationship status to “It’s Complicated,” regardless of how true it may seem. To monogamists, a status change signals marital instability. This will only attract inquisitive wall posts and potential temptations from ex-paramours and those meddlesome divorcees from
Cloud of Atlases
Maps without legends may not be immediately informative, but determining what they represent is extremely fun. If you're into that kind of thing, here's a game for you.
2009 Editors' Awards for Online Excellence
We maintain a list throughout the year of our favorite new websites--the ones that entertain and inform our wired lives. Presenting the 2009 Eddys, celebrating the best of a fleeting medium.
The Rules of Engagement
Welcome to wedding season, when lovers and their kinfolk celebrate true love and go into debt. We rounded up a panel of experts--authors, academics, and the recently betrothed--to discuss the current state of the Great American Wedding.
2008 Editors' Awards for Online Excellence
The internet: There sure is a lot of stuff on it. In the course of a year of browsing, we've discovered some favorites that deserve some sort of award--in fact, this sort of award. Presenting the 2008 Eddys.
2007 Editors' Awards for Online Excellence
We read and see a lot of websites, and though most are terrible, some are extraordinary.
Two in the Hand
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we reveal the top contenders and the winner of the Non-Expert's Contest for Total Idioms, with a way for you to save the world.
Just Can't Get Enough
Change is good. Change is terrifying. Change achieved by means other than permanent body alteration: priceless. We never plan our redesigns. One day, we’re perfectly content with how the site looks and operates, and the next morning we’re ready to throw it out the window. That moment happened
Fall Intern Desired
Update: The applications window is now closed; thank you to everyone who got in touch. The Morning News needs a fall intern to cuddle and train in the black arts. This is an unpaid internship where you supply your own computer and steam and we shower you with beer. Figure
Mucking Up The Courts
It’s not often we hear about TMN playing a role in law enforcement, especially when it’s in a plagiarism case (since we’ve enjoyed promoting plagiarism in the past), but some of Matthew Baldwin’s stories are too good to keep to yourself: Punishment Mounts for Missing Juror
What About Blackberry?
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we test whether therapy is conductable over portable email devices.
Introducing Summer 2006 Intern Jen
We are pleased to announce the arrival of Summer 2006 Intern Jen Turner. As her bio says on the masthead: Jen Turner is the lone college senior in Washington, D.C., not interested in interning for her congressman. This probably has to do with Jen’s politically unconventional upbringing in
2006 Editors' Awards for Online Excellence
Web Geeks Unite! was the original slogan when The Morning News launched in 1999, and though our mission has changed, the spirit is undiminished.
Introducing Digest
Today we're immensely pleased to open a new section on TMN called "Digest." What we'll be featuring: a stack of book notices awaiting you every Monday morning; on Wednesdays, a round-up of what's going on in the world of mp3 blogs (and
1100 and Counting
Just a short note to say we've recently passed the 1100 mark on TMN for features. That means we've somehow published 1100 stories in the last couple years (TMN celebrates its anniversary each year in mid-November), as well as over 1200 days of headlines. So thanks
Steal This Book, and That Book, and That Book...
Announcing the TMN "Sloppy Seconds With Opal Mehta" Contest, where you, as "writer," plagiarize as much as you want, for a sort-of original story. Start cribbing now--the entry deadline is in two weeks!
Intern Desired
Spring has arrived, Brooklyn’s turning hot, the editors are back on their tennis game, and TMN needs a new intern. We’re excited to announce that our most recent interns, Beth Milton and Nicole Pasulka, have accepted our offer to join the staff as Assistant Editors, and now we’
Introducing Lauren Frey
We are very excited to announce our newest Contributing Writer, Lauren Frey. By day Lauren hosts a classical music show for Sirius, but by night she's a talented satirist and great all-around writer. (See here for her archive at TMN, particularly her recent Prufrock spoof.) Supposedly she can
Deckity Deck Deck Deck
Our main priority at TMN has always been to provide excellent stories: funny stories, sharp stories, stories you don't read anywhere else, and all with tighter editing than Ron Perelman's divorce papers. Falling a very distant second is our hunt for advertising--we're writers and
Creative License Contest
TMN’s Contributing Illustrator Danny Gregory has a new book on the shelves, and we want to give you a copy…assuming your last name is MacGyver. We’ve got 10 books to give away, and here’s how it will go: Each weekday morning beginning today, for the next
The 2006 Morning News Tournament of Books
The wait is over. The authors are only beginning to sweat. Sponsored again by the good people at Powells.com, The Morning News Tournament of Books is back and the Rooster demands blood. Update: The book list has been announced! It’s been less than a year since we crowned
Ad Geek Wanted
We believe that advertising, when it's done well, complements a magazine's contents. It's true: Some ads are beautiful, and some ads are CLICK HERE FOR A FREE IPOD SHUFFLE NOW distracting. Do you know the difference? Are you the type of person who, when
Copy Geek Wanted
The Morning News is seeking a copy editor. This is an unpaid position, but if the willing and able editor lives in New York City, he or she can expect drinks. Duties will include editing two to three articles a week for spelling, grammar, punctuation, factual accuracy, and style; regular
The Gary Benchley, Rock Star Give-Away Contest, Updated Weekdays
We are so excited about Gary Benchley, Rock Star—the fabulous new book that builds on (and completes!) Paul Ford’s much-loved series on TMN—that, starting today, and through October, we will be giving away one free copy of the book each weekday (thank you, Plume) to the winner
Goodbye Summer Intern Heather, Hello Fall Intern [Insert Name Here]
This summer has been brutally hot, plumb with hard work and big stories to watch, but luckily we had Summer Intern Heather to help us on all fronts. We’d like to take the time to thank her publicly for her hard work, and wish her the best in returning
A Bit Larger, Better Thing
Welcome to the new site! As always, thanks for visiting. If the reaction to when we launched our last redesign in April 2002 is any example, you “like the old design better.” Here’s a brief introduction to what’s new around here (a few things), what’s different (a
2005 Editors' Awards for Online Excellence
Web Geeks Unite! was our original slogan when we launched this site in 1999, and while the tagline has changed, the spirit is undiminished.
The First Annual TMN Tournament of Books: Final Round!
Humiliating upsets, stunning defeats, the ever-surprising longevity of Tom Wolfe--it has all come down to this: the last match of the First Annual TMN Tournament of Books, sponsored by Powells.com.
Announcing the First Annual TMN Tournament of Books
Place your bets! Thumb your books! It's time for literature to quit its prissy posturing and get pummeled! Introducing The First Annual TMN Tournament of Books, sponsored by Powells.com.
The First Annual TMN Tournament of Books
Too often are literary awards arbitrary, dull, or meaningless. Too rarely are they determined by an NCAA-style Battle Royale of bloodthirsty competition. It's time for a change. Announcing the First Annual TMN Tournament of Books--complete with downloadable brackets poster!--sponsored by Powells.com
The Morning News Guide to the Republican National Convention
With New York overrun by delegates and helicopters, dragon-burning anarchists and the president's twin daughters, we present a mid-week survival guide for Republicans confused by the city that never sleeps or says thank you.
Mp3 Bloggers
There exists in the internet a galaxy of passionate music fans sharing their favorite songs, for free, with as many people as can find them. We talk to six of our favorite mp3 bloggers to find out what makes them tick, what problems they face, and what the record companies should do next.
2004 Editors' Awards for Online Excellence
The web is an awfully tangled place, but there are jewels in the strands. Presenting The Morning News 2004 Editors' Awards for Online Excellence, where advanced technology, top-notch prose, and pictures of cats are equally admired.
Pet Names
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we help couples understand how cute lover-names can become butt-quaking insults.
Rules for the Holidays
Surviving relatives, co-workers, and lovers drugged by cheer is easier when there are guidelines for action. THE EDITORS share some tips to help keep your step-dad’s paws off your Christmas sweater.
New York Do's and Don'ts
With budget crises, unemployment, and wild animals on the loose, New York can be a difficult place to navigate. Luckily, we have some tips on how to make contemporary Gotham life more bearable.
Spring
Hail spring! May flowers are just around the corner, bringing new occasions to look dashing. Advice on lightweight suits (nice), scuba gear (when underwater), and seersucker (not yet).
New York Inventions
Life in Gotham becomes so insular occasionally, we wonder why scientists aren't working on special inventions to make our lives easier. Luckily, the TMN engineers are on the case.
Freaking Cold
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week we give you some tips on how to beat the $#@*ing cold weather. Get ready to greet some heat.
Roundtable: Academia
What happens when you put five academics together and talk about the future of higher learning, the intricacies of tenure, and whether or not American high-schoolers are really learning anything?
Holiday Gift Guide
Thanksgiving's over, Chanukah's in full swing, and Christmas is right around the corner. Our recommendations for what to get that special someone, i.e., yourself.
Monkee Wives
Record companies build bands on trends, hoping their musicians will rise to the top of the newest! hottest! sound. Not every band, though, can have an exclamation mark. THE EDITORS inspect the rejects.
Hotel Bars in the City
New Yorkers treat drinking like exercise: done frequently, in the company of friends, and one's life becomes better. But where to go when you're tired of the neighborhood dive? We seek out the best of the best: old hotels in Manhattan.
Read the Fucking Manual
An anthology of new work from seventeen writers with websites, including many writers published here and in better places. Available for free as a downloadable PDF—it’s the book to be seen with this season.
Rules of the New Restroom
We've all seen the "Employees Must Wash Hands" and "No Smoking" signs in bathrooms. But what about other common sense rules? How are we to know what's permissible, and what's just plain wrong?
Guide to New York Jargon
You're probably familiar with "Fugget about it," "Assa matta pa you," or the timeless "Fuck Off." But we felt it was time to update New York's jargon, and have compiled a list for the contemporary dweller.
Part 4, Conclusion
A few tips of advice to how to wear a tie, hold an umbrella, and arrange your wallet to win when your lover goes a-spyin'.
Part 3, Pants
They decorate your legs. They accentuate your form. They define your character. And the correct choice between wearing them or not can keep you out of jail.
Part 2, Dress Shirts
They can match any outfit, be worn in planes and malls alike, dress Miles Davis and Bill Gates in the same colors, and still say different things.
Part 1, Suits
It's the one thing every man should own: a suit. We salute the suit's ability to withstand expiration, bask in its enduring appeal, and offer advice on what to look for when you're off to buy your own. If only we could be there to say, "Suits you, sir!"
The Morning News Guide to Urban Etiquette: New York City
You'd be surprised at what you'll see people do in New York. Or maybe you wouldn't. But maybe you should. A guide to everyone who lives in New York, whether there for an hour or for a lifetime.
Writing on the Web
We have an obvious stake in the state of writing on the web: it’s what we do, what we’re interested in, and something we care about. So when we began asking ourselves, ‘What is writing like on the web, today?’ we decided that rather than answer the question ourselves, it would be a lot more fun to k
Investigating Tragedy
In the wake of the September 11 attacks and the responses they have instigated, we tried to read and learn as much as possible about the events that occurred and what they caused: herein are links to the information we found helpful.
The Day After The World Trade Center Was Attacked
There is a palpable sadness in Brooklyn today, seen in how people walk, then stop, as if they've just forgotten something, how they gather on street corners to talk, in those who cry on the sidewalk and the faces of the old people in the neighborhood who look up when the roar of jet planes starts ag
The Morning News Guide to New York
Summer is tourist season in New York City and maybe you're one of them, on a visit to the city, unsure of where to go. Maybe you have recommendations from friends, maybe relatives have ideas for where to go; don't trust them. Trust us.