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)

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)

Ancient Greek Terms Worth Reviving

Anya Leonard | Classical Wisdom | 2nd May 2023

From aidos to xenia by way of nostos and oikos, a glossary of ancient Greek words which are worth reviving because they capture useful concepts in concise ways.  "Arete means an excellence that is ultimately bound up with the fulfillment of purpose or function, the act of living up to one’s full potential. Arete is frequently associated with bravery, but more often with effectiveness" (1,480 words)

Audio: Are Coincidences Real? | Guardian Longreads

Do coincidences happen randomly? Or do they reveal secret harmonies in the universe? Cognitive science suggests that the answer may be a bit of both. Our minds are constantly looking out for patterns which give order and predictability to the world. This predisposes us to notice coincidences, to invent them, and to give them undue weight. Written by Paul Broks, read by Dermont Daly. (32m 28s)

The Myth Of Florence Nightingale

Sarah DiGregorio | LitHub | 2nd May 2023

Florence Nightingale is widely credited as the inventor of nursing; she is in reality anything but. What she did do was blunt the radical edge of nursing by giving it a class system. But nurses do not have to be subservient. "Imagine a world in which the conditions necessary for health are enjoyed by all people. Nurses have a unique ability to bring such a world to fruition, if they choose it" (3,392 words)

The Diary Of A Ukrainian Soldier

David Lepeska | New Lines | 1st May 2023

Selected diary entries spanning the last year of fighting in Ukraine, by a Ukrainian filmmaker who volunteered to fight on the front line. He has attended 36 funerals in the past 12 months, and has decided that he won't be going to anymore. "I haven’t had a chance to personally kill any Russians. They say it’s good luck to kill someone in front of you. But in this war you rarely see the enemy" (4,651 words)

Elsewhere from the Browser team: publisher Uri Bram writes about land ownership in Wired.

The Coronation, Explained

Constance Grady | Vox | 3rd May 2023

A symbolic block of sandstone, two 17C sceptres, an infamous colonial diamond, a performance by Katy Perry — the upcoming coronation of Charles III and its associated festivities unites all of these disparate elements and more. This account of the details involved eschews obsequiousness for the facts, bizarre as they are. Whether you will be waving a flag or not, this is a rare spectacle (3,298 words)

Mystified by cryptic crosswords? We at The Browser are here to help. Pick up the ultimate guide, by Dan Feyer and Uri Bram, and let us guide you through the meaning of those clues - so you can get on with puzzling.

Racing Against Death

Brett Popplewell | Walrus | 1st May 2023

Profile of an 82-year-old ultramarathon runner. "At any given time, he looked the part both of a battle-hardened warrior and a sage, old mystic. Especially when he slowed his pace, approaching a fellow runner who was keeled over in pain. He would appear to them like some half-naked septuagenarian messiah, his figure distorted through their sweat-blurred vision" (3,317 words)

Should Japan Defend Taiwan?

Kiyoshi Sugawa | Responsible Statecraft | 2nd May 2023

There are no good options for Japan in a US-China war over Taiwan. As an active ally of America, Japan would suffer heavy civilian casualties and long-term economic harm. Neutrality increases the chance of a Chinese takeover in Taiwan and leaves Japan alone to face an aggressive China. The choice between the two paths would likely be made by the manner in which the war begins (1,565 words)

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from The Browser six ago:

How Much Mormonism Has Changed

Mette Ivie Harrison | By Common Consent | 27th April 2017

Reflections of a forty-something Mormon. “Even as a teen, I remember the assumption that we would be practicing polygamy again as soon as it was legal. The change from this to the 'one man/one woman marriage' doctrine has been a surprise... We still give blessings of healing, but I have the sense that almost everyone goes to the doctor first and gets a blessing after” (1,300 words)

My Lifetime Reading Plan

Ted Gioia | Honest Broker | 29th April 2023

Tips for self-education. Be prepared to spend a lot of time reading. Read out loud to yourself. Read one or two long and challenging books a year, even if you don't want to. Some writers — like Proust — need to be read slowly; a few pages a day will add up. When young, read classics, and then when old read whatever is new. Keep lists. Design your plan to please yourself and nobody else (3,155 words)

Prepared to spend a lot of time reading? Dedicate it to the best. To keep you abreast of the finest new thought, the full Browser recommends five outstanding articles, a video and a podcast daily.

'Sir, You Do Realise I Am 911?'

Jaime Lowe | Los Angeles Review Of Books | 1st May 2023

Who helps the helpers? Dealing with California's worsening wildfires is taking a toll on firefighters. The professionals are already being pushed to their limits. For the state prisoners who are "on the front lines of the climate crisis" for just a few dollars a day, the work is "nearly impossible". They are not considered real firefighters, and so have no access to compensation or assistance (2,341 words)

Monetizing The Metaverse

Nat Rubio-Licht | Patent Drop | 27th April 2023

The US Patent Office is where the future gets distributed first, so Patent Drop is always unreasonably interesting. In this edition: Facebook's plan to turn VR into an infinite ad-tracker; Nvidia's plan to make chatbots chattier; Oracle's plan for AIs that format data for AIs; Google's plan to smash its own glasses; and Amazon's plan for an Alexa that calms you down when it thinks you are angry (1,850 words)

Want more? For the cost of one cup of coffee a month you can get the Browser's five article recommendations every weekday (plus audio and video) and our Sunday Supplement with puzzles, crosswords, book reviews, art and more.

When Policy Goes Medieval

Tim Harford | 27th April 2023

In medieval times an accused criminal might face trial by ordeal — they might be forced to pick up a red-hot iron bar, for example, the severity of their burns being the measure of their guilt. We don't do that any more, but we do test applicants for state benefits with lesser ordeals such as arbitrary delays, endless form-filling, and social stigma. Might it not be more productive just to help them? (940 words)

Octopus Time

David Borkenhagen | Aeon | 20th April 2023

We believe that octopuses are smart in ways that we cannot quite quantify; Arrival has shown us octopus-like creatures with a different dimension of time rooted in a different language. This essay builds on those premises, relating human ideas of time to human language and habits, and wondering what octopus behaviour can tell us about how an octopus experiences past and future (3,700 words)

The Dao Of Phones

Alan Levinovitz | Hedgehog Review | 20th April 2023

You may feel bad about the amount of time you spend on your phone. But if you see your phone as an adversary you will feel even worse about your inability to resist it. Try approaching your phone reverentially, as a sacred object with power over your life, an object that you are reluctant to disturb on merely trivial matters. Here, borrowed from Chinese philosophy, are strategies for doing so (1,600 words)

Give Dead Animals The Gift Of Flight

Thom Waite | Dazed | 26th April 2023

Scientists are turning dead birds into drones in order to study their flight. An artist who has been making his own taxidermy drones for a decade — including "the Orvillecopter", an airborne version of his pet cat — weighs in on the likely challenges. His most difficult creation to date? "I reckon the badger submarine. It’s hard to make things float weightlessly in water" (1,257 words)

Yakread merges all your content—newsletters, bookmarks, tweets, and more—into a single intelligently curated feed. It's great for keeping up with all your subscriptions without feeling overwhelmed. Give it a try.

The Battle Of The Bonds

Mark Allison | Little White Lies | 26th April 2023

Forty years ago, Never Say Never Again, starring Sean Connery, and Octopussy, starring Roger Moore, were released within months of each other — the result of a complex tangle of copyright and plagiarism disputes. The Connery vehicle was an "unofficial" Bond, with no access to the famous opening sequence or theme music. Viewers didn't seem to mind; it made $159 million at the box office (1,373 words)

from The Browser ten years ago:

Cooked: A DIY Manifesto

Michael Pollan | Medium | 17th April 2013

Why we should take the trouble to cook at home. It keeps us alert, independent, informed; in touch with our food and the way it is produced. "In a world where so few of us are obliged to cook at all, to choose to do so is to lodge a protest against specialisation — against the total rationalisation of life. Against the infiltration of commercial interests into every last cranny of our lives" (1,565 words)

Podcast:

The 10,000 Steps Myth | Maintenance Phase

The surprising history of the default step goal found today in most health tracker apps. It comes to us not from science, but via the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, the backlash to McDonald's after Super Size Me came out in 2004, and the human predilection for round numbers (49m 07s)