The Rules According to Malcolm Gladwell
What was young Malcolm like? He obsessed over ad slogans. He collected car brochures. And he insisted on being every board game’s explainer in chief.
A Budding Storyteller Turns In His “Homework for Life”Moth champion Matthew Dicks hears from a Gist listener who took his top storytelling tip to heart: Jot down one idea every day.
Is Your Favorite World Oddity Wondrous Enough for Atlas Obscura?Atlas Obscura’s first printed book is your guide to Cincinnati’s lost subway, Sweden’s nose museum, and the salt-cured mummies of Iran.
How Filmmakers Faked the Moon Landing Inside Real NASA Matt Johnson and Matthew Miller tricked America’s space agency into helping them with the new conspiracy mockumentary, Operation Avalanche.
How Do We Fix Down-Ballot Elections?Gerrymandering, bathroom bills, and the Koch brothers: Reid Wilson walks us through the state of state and local races.
The Great Tightening, ExplainedRecent polls show the gap between Clinton and Trump is closing, but one FiveThirtyEight analyst says Clinton still has a hefty lead.
Hillary’s Campaign Manager on Pneumonia, Voters, and StrategyRobby Mook talks about Hillary Clinton’s tough week and the struggle to pin down Trump. Plus, the rise and fall of jai alai.
Tony Kornheiser Will Make Fun of Your PantsThe host of the Tony Kornheiser Show is allergic to pretense, intrigued by podcasting, and disconcerted by Costco.
Telling Jokes in the Age of Trigger WarningsComedian Karith Foster and director Ted Balaker take on the over-the-top reactions facing comedians on campus in Can We Take a Joke?
The Year Nirvana Lost Out to Bryan Adams1991 marked the beginning of a decade of musical narrowcasting. With Kurt Cobain and A Tribe Called Quest splitting the vote, Color Me Badd rose to the top.
A Sympathetic Serial ImposterJoshua Marston’s new film, Complete Unknown, depicts a woman who can’t stop changing her identity.
The ’80s Really Were the BestHadley Freeman wondered why the movies of her 1980s childhood seemed so special. So she went back and asked actors and directors.
Why We’ve Never Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the BombA painter, a Vietnam vet, and a nun walk into a nuclear storage facility. So begins Dan Zak’s fascination with the Pandora’s box of weaponry.
Where’s the Beef in Trump’s Ground Game?Donald Trump’s get-out-the-vote effort defies convention. Then again, so does the entire 2016 presidential campaign.
This Debate Is Not the Super BowlThe first presidential debate may be spectacular, but it lacks the final, unspinnable outcome of a sporting event.
A How-Not-To Manual for PresidentsAmerica’s 15th president was a committed waffler: James Buchanan refused to take a stance on the country’s wide-open question of slavery and helped usher in the Civil War.
Maureen Dowd Wants a Candidate Like H.W. AgainThe New York Times columnist on her new book, The Year of Voting Dangerously, and what we’re missing about Donald Trump
“Mrs. Robinson,” “Hey Jude,” and Some Utter Schlock1968 was a year of protest and political upheaval, but the Billboard charts were dominated by novelty hits and a singing Herb Alpert.
Are Southpaws Really Criminals?Maria Konnikova on what being right- or left-handed determines. Plus, Mike finds the one U.S. voter who likes both Clinton and Trump.
What Does the Charity World Think of the Clinton Foundation?What kind of rep does it have in philanthropy, and does political power warp the giving economy?
Courting Controversy With Drew MagaryDeadspin’s author of the “Why Your Team Sucks” series explains his approach to reporting on people he finds kind of horrifying.
A GOP Apostate Explains Her Vote for HillaryKori Schake, a former Bush adviser, says a write-in vote for this year’s presidential election would be a waste.
Do You Rely on GPS? Thank Chuck E. Cheese and William F. Buckley.In Pinpoint, Greg Milner chronicles how a conservative pundit, the military, and a pizza impresario made GPS ubiquitous.
There’s a Viking on the DeltaThe lead singer of the Icelandic band Kaleo found his inspiration in the blues music of the Deep South.
W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu Want Equal TimeThe hosts of Politically Re-Active tend to agree on the issues that fascinate them. But they each want to say their piece.
Women’s Gymnastics Gets the Hard-Boiled TreatmentIntense women, high stakes, and restrained rivalry: The world of women’s gymnastics is a perfect suspense novel setting.