June 2, 2017

Writer Denis Johnson died last week—his stories of people on the margins are now more central than ever. / The New Republic

Reports show many are drawn to working in porn by the promise of social media fame, which nixes anonymity. / The Daily Beast

France says Macron hack “was so...simple that it could have been practically anyone”—not necessarily Russia. / AP

“I fear it will will teach young people how to speak via an anonymous algorithm before they can develop their own splendid, flawed voices, before they can invent new words, and new forms of self-expression, that will enrich our culture and progress as a society.” Against autocomplete. / Fast.Co Design

Wear orange today to recognize National Gun Violence Day. / Wear Orange

Fact checking Trump’s Paris withdrawal: The job-loss data he cited assumes the US economy will no longer innovate. / The New York Times

Why evangelicals shun climate change and nuclear disarmament: Those are the tools of the Antichrist. / The Washington Post

Six months on, many Oakland firefighters on scene at the Ghost Ship are dealing with PTSD—few are getting help. / STAT

Fighting the Amazon tide, Walmart will offer employees a side gig: delivering packages on their way home from work. / Quartz

In Minnesota’s Somali community, girls are deprived of exercise by cultural strictures and lack of accommodations. / Deadspin

Eighty-three US mayors, representing 40 million Americans, say they’ll uphold the Paris Accord. / Medium

“What is not normal is asking a hostile government to provide secure comms to avoid FBI/NSA surveillance.” A history of the US government’s secret back channels. / The New York Times

Proving Einstein right, astronomers detect space-time vibrations from the merging of two black holes. / The New York Times

Desirability bias—“tendency to credit information you want to believe”—holds more sway than confirmation bias. / The New York Times

Architects are a vital force in limiting climate change—many are now working toward emissions-conscious buildings. / Curbed

A brilliant new song (and equally brilliant video) from Showtime Goma, the solo project from A Sunny Day in Glasgow’s Jen Goma. Via Hype Machine (go support them!). / hypem.com

“That night, he was able to meet Bowie, his idol, for just a second, and give him a cassette tape he made of slowed-down, droning Muzak samples mixed with shortwave radio blasts.” Composer William Basinski on the music inspires him. / Pitchfork

Once a hobby, now part of the curriculum, med students analyze old works of art to diagnose disease. / Tonic

The Wizard of Oz —rather, Of Oz the Wizard —recut entirely in alphabetical order. / Vimeo

Haunting images of migrants crossing the Mediterranean in May. Fewer are trying than in 2016, but more have died. / The Atlantic

Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” told in two dimensions. / Vimeo