Low Concept

The Life Span of the Novel, From Pamela to Fifty Shades of Grey

What the professors of the future will tell their students about E.L. James’ erotic opus.

Jan. 23 2015 5:36 PMTurn Off Your HeatLiving in a cold home will make you a healthier, stronger, better person.Reihan Salam

Dec. 17 2014 3:34 PMGreat to Hear From You, Harvey!Leaked emails from Hollywood big shots indicate a new trend of politeness and respect.Ben Mathis-Lilley

Nov. 18 2014 3:13 PMWho Said It: Will Smith’s Kids or a Famous Guru?Take the quiz.Chris Kirk

July 7 2014 7:04 PMSlate Exclusive: Edward Klein Lunches With His Blood Feud Editor!Or how we imagine such a meeting would go.David Weigel

June 6 2014 1:26 PMIpswich Middle School Sixth-Graders v. Standardized TestsArne Duncan, pay up!Dahlia Lithwick and Jordan Scott

May 14 2014 11:48 PMUse Our Fast-Food Generator to Build Delicious Items like the Chorizo Maple Syrup DumplingChris Kirk

March 7 2014 4:59 PMDid You Invent Bitcoin?Take our simple quiz to find out whether you are the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto.Chris Kirk and Will Oremus

March 3 2014 4:53 PMThe Adele Dazeem Name GeneratorUse our widget to Travoltify your own name.Jim Festante and Chris Kirk

Feb. 12 2014 7:26 AMThe Uncle Donnie TreeIf my relationship with my uncle had been the inspiration for Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree.Sam Apple

Jan. 28 2014 2:19 PMWhich BuzzFeed Quiz Are You?Let’s be honest, we’re all hoping to get “Which Simpsons Character Are You?”Dan Kois and Chris Kirk

Jan. 9 2014 5:10 PMWhat Should the Chris Christie Bridge Scandal Be Called?Help us find out by taking our poll.Chris Kirk

Jan. 8 2014 12:31 PMBattle of the Weather JokesIt’s cold, but is it Hoth cold or Beyond the Wall cold?Chris Kirk

Nov. 5 2013 2:44 PMBoard of Education Inspection Report: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry“The House Championship has been corrupt for some time.”Peter Wharmby

Oct. 23 2013 10:30 AMGod’s WorkshopTerrific first draft, but the female characters need some work.Sam Apple

Oct. 22 2013 7:45 AMThe Martian at the ParthenonAmazing images of the real, actual, not make-believe aliens, zombies, and robots that have bedeviled man through history.Matthew Buchholz

Dec. 19 2014 4:05 PMThe James Flacco Name GeneratorUse our widget to Obamify your name.Chris Kirk

Nov. 26 2014 12:57 PMObama’s Thanksgiving AmnestyWill the president’s turkey pardon start a wave of unauthorized poultry immigration?Dahlia Lithwick

July 22 2014 12:21 PMThe Victorian Orphan DietAnd other, better alternatives to the Paleo Diet craze.Frank Lesser

June 19 2014 7:41 AMThe All-Mackerel DietThink your veganism or paleo diet makes you special? Think again.Mike Vuolo

May 28 2014 4:43 PMThe Empire Striketh BackAct 1, Scenes 1–2.Ian Doescher

March 26 2014 5:33 PMGoop-ify Your Love LifeUse our widget to find out how Gwyneth Paltrow would describe your relationship status.L.V. Anderson, Chris Kirk, and Forrest Wickman

March 3 2014 7:41 PMGoodnight Snow DaysIt is time for all good children to go back to school.Dahlia Lithwick

Feb. 28 2014 5:01 PMKen Cuccinelli’s New Law Firm Will Protect Real Americans Against Everything ImaginableDahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern

Jan. 29 2014 8:18 AMGeorge W. Bush’s 2014 State of the Union Viewing PartyThe view from Dubya’s living room.Ben Silva

Jan. 23 2014 4:32 PMThe Political Solar SystemForget the Hillary New York Times Magazine cover.Emma Roller

Jan. 9 2014 12:41 PMThe Chen Guangbiao Business-Card GeneratorNow you can have a card fit for a Chinese billionaire.Chris Kirk

Dec. 22 2013 11:38 PMSlate’s Honest Plot Summary ChallengeName the 2013 movie that each plot synopsis describes.Chris Kirk

Oct. 27 2013 11:49 PMCould Facebook Fix Healthcare.gov?How about Google, Yahoo, Amazon, or Microsoft?Holly Allen, Andy Bowers, Natalie Matthews-Ramo, and Will Oremus

Oct. 23 2013 8:45 AMThe Best North Korean Photoshop Fails by Slate ReadersYou helped us fake photos of Kim Jong-un. Here are the results.

Oct. 14 2013 4:47 PMLet’s Crowdsource the Next North Korean Photoshop FailWhere will Kim Jong-un show up next? At the VMAs? In Gravity?Chris Kirk and Holly Allen