In this series, two expats in China ride around on motorcycles and have conversations about their adopted land. Granted, some of the conversations might seem churlish. Recommended are the street-level views of areas, particularly ruined ones, not often popularized by western cameras.
Sometimes it's just nice to have something lovely to look at.
- A short profile of Finnish freediver Johanna Nordblad, who holds the world record for a 50-meter dive under ice. Updated Dec 2, 2016 ago
- With Dead Bookstore, artist Ben Pieratt deconstructs old books and puts together interesting collages.
- Google Earth updates Timelapse, with remarkable footage of recent global changes.
A short profile of Finnish freediver Johanna Nordblad, who holds the world record for a 50-meter dive under ice. Brings to mind Marten Lange's photographs of crows.
With Dead Bookstore, artist Ben Pieratt deconstructs old books and puts together interesting pairings and collages. He offers a "how to dead book" guide so you can make your own.
Google Earth updates Timelapse, "with four additional years of imagery, petabytes of new data, and a sharper view of the Earth from 1984 to 2016."
Not all is beautiful, though: "The new Jirau Dam, spanning Brazil’s Madeira River, may be an unalloyed good for the people who will have new or improved electrical service, but it’s less good for the villages that were uprooted and the 1,400 miles of jungle that were strung with electrical cables to make the project possible. Still elsewhere the story is one of disaster—as it was in Fukushima, Japan, where a 2011 tsunami deluged a nuclear power plant, endangering millions."
Makes us think of Ventusky's animated weather maps.
From Cars - New York City, 1974-1976, by Langdon Clay. A very early take on #soloparking, or perhaps inspiration for Michael Paul Smith's vintage tableaus. You'll want to read Luc Sante about this.
The Editors' Longreads Picks
- An excellent essay on poverty and writing by Starr Davis. Updated May 31, 2022
- Novelist Héctor Tobar tries to understand the 1992 Los Angeles riots through the experiences of a single high school.
- Steven Johnson with a long assessment of the current state of A.I. and language. (The illusion has gotten very good.)
Welcome to The Morning News Tournament of Books, 2017 edition.
- Our championship match is decided in the Tournament of Books, with news of a Rooster surprise debuting this summer. Updated Mar 31, 2017
- In Thursday's action, Reyhan Harmanci sets up a colossal final.
- The Zombie round opens with Buzzfeed's Isaac Fitzgerald reading The Nix and The Underground Railroad.
Все ваши Белый дом принадлежит нам.
- "Will Putin expose the failings of American democracy or will he inadvertently expose the strength of American democracy?" Updated Mar 3, 2017
- Wilbur Ross just wanted to make some money in ethically gray areas (that should've prevented him from taking office).
- Jeff Sessions's spokeswoman can't help but continue to lie.
The oceans are under assault, and not just from the White House and friends.
- Trump's assault on the environment begins with American headwaters. Updated Mar 1, 2017
- Don't just blame the oil companies for destroying the oceans—blame sushi restaurants.
- Nothing escapes the deepest trenches of the ocean floor. Not light, not nutrients, not pollutants.