Dark IQ


On The Trail Of The Dark Avenger

Scott J. Shapiro | Guardian | 9th May 2023

The Dark Avenger, the pseudonym of "the most dangerous virus writer in the world", has never been identified. He, or they, were based in the 1980s Bulgarian virus factory, "a loose collective of young Bulgarian men who were highly intelligent and bored." The country was the source of hundreds of malicious programmes that ran rampant through computers in the 1990s (4,118 words)


Great writing is also running rampant. But where's a reader to start? Let us guide you: the full Browser sends five outstanding articles, a video and a podcast daily.

Your IQ Isn't 160. No One's Is

Erik Hoel | Intrinsic Perspective | 9th May 2023

There is no evidence that Einstein had a high IQ. Plenty of Nobel Prize winners don't score highly on such tests. Why? Because the higher IQ gets, the less definite its measurement is. Anyway, IQ is a psychological construct of questionable validity. The last word goes to Stephen Hawking, who when asked what his IQ was, replied: "I have no idea. People who boast about their IQ are losers" (4,347 words)


Join 150,000+ curious readers who grow with us every day

No spam. No nonsense. Unsubscribe anytime.

Great! Check your inbox and click the link to confirm your subscription
Please enter a valid email address!
You've successfully subscribed to The Browser
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in
Could not sign in! Login link expired. Click here to retry
Cookies must be enabled in your browser to sign in
search