Culture & Religion — August 7, 2014

Free Hi-Res Maps Courtesy of New York Public Library

According to Open Culture, the New York Public Library just made 20,000 hi-res images of old maps available online. And they’re free! Find your new wall art here.

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According to Open Culture, the New York Public Library just made 20,000 hi-res images of old maps available online. And they’re free! Find your new wall art here.

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

The letters "AI" appear with a glitch effect in multicolored pixels against a black background.

The Present

AI skeptic Gary Marcus on AI’s moral and technical shortcomings

The cognitive scientist argues the current AI environment is failing us as consumers and a society. But it’s not too late to change course.

A collage featuring hands holding a plant, additional hands in sepia tone, a grid background, orange accents, and the text "Reclaim Meaning" with the number 4.

Thinking

How to reclaim meaning in a changing world

What if the barrier to a fulfilled life isn’t technology but culture?

An e-reader displaying text is propped up against a stack of hardcover books.

The Present

How the Internet Archive’s “Free Digital Library” fell to the “fair use” test

The nonprofit made a bold gamble on the limits of “fair use” — and federal courts have not backed their play.

Collage of social media icons and pixelated images in a grid layout, featuring Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook logos on a red background.

The Present

Internet freedom is fading in the new era of social control

“The evolution of digital media makes stricter regulation of online behavior not only feasible but inevitable,” writes media ecologist Andrey Mir.

A man holding a transparent rectangular object up to his eyes, reminiscent of the analytical gaze of Robert and Frank Oppenheimer.

The Past

The atomic bomb, exile and a test of brotherly bonds: Robert and Frank Oppenheimer

A rift in thinking about who should control powerful new technologies sent the brothers on diverging paths. For one, the story ended with a mission to bring science to the public.

Up Next

Words of Wisdom

Bill Nye on Climate Change Deniers

“Tectonic plates move and that’s a fact and the world is getting warmer because of human activity. That’s a fact. If you had somebody who really strongly believed the earth was flat, you wouldn’t have to have that person on a television show with the people who believe the earth is round.” – Bill Nye