Modern Mind

A Theory Of The Modern Exclamation Point!

Anne Helen Petersen | Culture Study | 7th January 2024

Current usage norms for "!" are rooted in the assumptions that enthusiasm is feminine and that femininity is unprofessional. Women must switch tone hundreds of times a day, trying to appear professional but not “ambitious, or cold, or threatening”. Technological advances mean more communication across more channels, hence more "Tone Work" and tone guilt than ever (1,300 words)

Mind-Decoding Technologies

Fletcher Reveley | Undark | 3rd January 2024

Neuroscientists can now decode MRI scans and see text renderings of a patient's thoughts. Is that ethical? Five protective “neurorights” are proposed: to mental privacy, to maintain one’s existing identity, to mental augmentation, to protection from bias, and to free will. Chile has already amended its constitution in this direction. “If we lose our mental privacy, what else is there to lose?” (5,700 words)