much ado about buy nothing

How an idealistic community for exchanging free stuff tried to break away from Facebook, and ended up breaking apart.

THE FENTANYL KING

With no future in Iraq, a former translator for the US military emigrated to Texas to start a new life. He ended up becoming one of the biggest drug dealers on the dark web.

THE SPACEPORT AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD

A TINY VILLAGE IN SCOTLAND IS BETTING ITS FUTURE ON ROCKET LAUNCHES. BUT THE SCHEME MAY THREATEN THE FRAGILE LANDSCAPEAND THE AMBITIONS OF THE COUNTRY'S MOST POWERFUL LANDOWNER.

DEPTН CHARGE

Companies are gearing up to MINE the SEAFLOOR, targeting rocks rich with metals that are essential to our EV-powered future. THE BIG QUESTION: How much OCEAN are we willing to SACRIFICE?

THIS is a PHILOSOPHER on DRUGS

I WAS AT THE LOWEST POINT IN MY LIFE. I NEEDED A MIND-ALTERING JOLT.

THE GREENEST TECH

A Paris startup is genetically modifying houseplants to scrub toxins from the air in homes and businesses, but it may take a jungle's worth to make a difference.

THE HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS OF THE METAVERSE

Virtual landowners have found a way to put their investments to work-by porting the class system to the cloud.

STREAM COME TRUE

If a famous influencer you wish to be, you must answer these questions three.

NO, I CAN'T LET YOU HAVE THIS

The easy gratification of little viral lies is costing us more than it's worth.

Engines of Wow

Generative AI can now make better art than most humans.Soon it will transform how we design just about everything.

The Time is Right for Porn

Let Twitter be the site it’s always been.

Winging It

Amazon got into the air cargo business to guarantee fast delivery» But when a risk-taking tech giant tries to commandeer a risk-averse industry, not everything goes smoothly

Pedro Pascal – "I'm Not a Tough Guy."

Pedro pascal cares about you. He's also self-conscious about caring about you. This is exactly what makes him great.

CRYPTO KEEPER

iPod mastermind Tony Fadell made Ledger's new hardware wallet - a tiny vault for digital cash-flashy and fun. Plus, with this gadget you'll never get FTX'd.

Decoding THE Carbon Bomb

Since 2015, Exxon has discovered 11 billion barrels of oil off the coast of Guyana. Now one lawyer is going up against the petroleum behemoth-and her own country-in a bid to stop the drilling before disaster strikes.

MAX LEVCHIN'S WAR ON CREDIT CARDS

The PayPal cofounder on why his \"buy now, pay later\" company Affirm is a healthier way to borrow, what caused the techlash, and Elon Musk's Twitter.

SHAPE SHIFTERS

Whether exercise is already part of your daily routine or you've just embarked on a sweat-based self-improvement plan, this collection of workout gear will help you level up.

Cloud Support: Are Mental Health Apps Helpful?

\"Everyone's so gung ho about therapy these days. I've been curious myself, but I'm not ready to commit to paying for it. A mental health app seems like it could be a decent stepping stone. But are they actually helpful?\" -Mindful Skeptic

SCALING UP

How one Scottish startup is using data as bait to lure the very analog seafood industry into the 21st century.

DRIP, BABY, DRIP

To produce pure hydrogen, just inject the right microbes into depleted oil wells. The technique could help fuel a zero-carbon future.

Juggling Act

Working from home makes it easier to secretly take on multiple full-time tech jobs. The extra cash is nice-but overlapping Zooms can be tricky.

The Rise and Fall of Alphabay, Part 2: Into the Trap

The stunning culmination of a worldwide quest to capture the dark web's biggest kingpin-and destroy the underworld economy he ruled.

Feed Me

Pitcher plants are beautiful, rare, and life-consuming-in every way. How one collector's obsession became a nightmare.

Inside Facebook's conscience

Mark Zuckerberg established the oversight board to investigate how Meta handles controversial posts. Two years in, the panel's members want to expand their mission and transform the way social platforms work.

A tweet before dying

The revolutionary internet is over, and we don't have much to show for it. A new start is out there, somewhere.

The Hibernator's Guide to the Galaxy

Scientists are on the verge of figuring out how to put humans in a state of suspended animation. It could be the key to colonizing Mars.

The Big Fight Over 403 Very Small Wasps

Earth is teeming with unknown species, and they're dying off faster than ever. Now biologists are in an urgent battle over an old question: how should humanity catalog life?

Meeting of Music Minds

MUSIC IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Dear Cloud Support: "I'm a white person, and despite there being a range of skin tones available for emoji these days, I still just choose the original Simpsons-esque yellow. Is this insensitive to people of color?" -True Colors

I realize, True Colors, that this discussion has probably only complicated the dilemma you posed, rather than simplified it.

SEE NO EVIL

Companies pay millions to get their digital ads in front of humans. Shady networks show them to bots instead. And everyone is fine with this.