china New Microsoft report says China campaign accused U.S. of using a military-grade "weather weapon" to deliberately start the Maui wildfires Mark Frauenfelder
colonialism Puerto Ricans resist disaster capitalists and "Puertopians" in Hurricane Maria's wake Elías Villoro
AI Peter Thiel claims AI is "Leninist" and "literally communist" in a sprawling speech for a think tank Thom Dunn
happy mutants Margaret Atwood's "The Testaments": a long-awaited Handmaid's Tale sequel fulfills its promise Cory Doctorow
big tech FTC asks Congress to create national privacy law to regulate big tech's use of personal data Xeni Jardin
corruption Using data-science to evaluate whether Xi Jinping's anti-corruption sweeps were really about consolidating power Cory Doctorow
picks What 'Independence Day' Is Like In Transnistria, An Unrecognized Country Inside Moldova Katherine Leipper