Top Of The Week: Signal, Crow, Dog, Toska, Sign
Depression As A Philosophical Problem
Justin Garson | Blog of the APA | 8th June 2026 | U
There are two paradigms of depression. One sees it as a chemical imbalance or brain dysfunction. Despite little evidence to support it, this is the dominant paradigm. The second view sees depression as a functional signal of the brain that some of our needs are not being met. Like physical pain, it is a useful signal that something isn’t quite right. “Depression isn’t pathological; it’s purposeful” (2,400 words)
Who’s The Smartest Corvid?
Louis Lefebvre | Tyee | 5th June 2026 | U
An American crow once disappeared into the near-vertical shaft of a decommissioned mine for over nine minutes and emerged with a bat. Another crow made a pointed tool out of a wooden splinter and used it as a probe to retrieve a spider in a hole. An Indian crow was observed killing a rat by drowning it, periodically pulling it out to see if it was dead and plunging it back in if not (2,200 words)
How We Paint Dogs
Thomas W. Laqueur | LitHub | 10th June 2026 | U
On dogs in art history. Interesting throughout. From the Odyssey onwards, dogs have been included in artistic works to "humanise humans". They make us feel less lonely as a species, inject humour, even give a painting an olfactory dimension. "They point to things, they tell us where to look, they make connections both between things in the image and gesture to us as observers of the image" (2,800 words)
The Russian Word English Can’t Translate
Liza Libes | Pens And Poison | 8th June 2026 | U
The word toska appears six times in the first four chapters of Crime and Punishment. No English translator has rendered it correctly. Here is Nabokov attempting an explanation: “No single word in English renders all the shades of toska. At its deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels, it is a dull ache of the soul, a sick pining” (1,700 words)
The History Behind The Signs
Beth Mathews | 10th June 2026 | U
Exploring the "folk art glory" of vacuum-form signage. Seen "on every Main Street in America", these three-dimensional plastic thermo-formed signs first began appearing in the 1950s, replacing neon, which had in turn superseded wood and paint. Advances in plastics had companies competing to offer affordable options to "mom and pop" stores. The designs are now pure Americana nostalgia (1,400 words)
Puzzle: Play Nomido, the Browser’s daily word game.
Podcast: Darkness Falls | World War Il With Tom Hanks. The actor voices what feels like an audiobook chapter about the escalating anti-Semitic policies and violence of the Nazi party in the 1930s (41m 03s)
Video: A Close Look At “La Fin Du Monde Filmée Par L’ange N.-D.” | YouTube | The Met | 4m 18s
A paper conservation expert takes us inside an "elaborate masterpiece" of a book, including its unusual leather bindings and illustrations.
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