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Even if you can name only one ancient Greek, you can name Plato. You can also probably say at least a little about him, if only some of the things humanity has known since antiquity. Until recently, of course, that qualification would have been redundant. But now, thanks to an ongoing high-tech push to read […]
11 months ago

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More from Open Culture

The Only Illustrated Manuscript of Homer’s Iliad from Antiquity

Despite its status as one of the most widely known and studied epic poems of all time, Homer’s Iliad has proven surprisingly resistant to adaptation. However much inspiration it has provided to modern-day novelists working in a variety of different traditions, it’s translated somewhat less powerfully to visual media. Perhaps people still watch Wolfgang Petersen’s […]

8 hours ago 1 votes
The Great Gatsby: A Free Audio Book

April 10th will mark the 100th anniversary of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel, The Great Gatsby. As A.O. Scott notes in a recent tribute, when first published, The Great Gatsby got off to a slow start. Initially, “Reviewers shrugged. Sales were sluggish. The novel and its author slid toward obscurity.” It wasn’t until the […]

9 hours ago 1 votes
Did the Tower of Babel Actually Exist?: A Look at the Archaeological Evidence

For all the means of communication and exchange we’ve established between the cultures of the world, no matter how distant they may be from one another, we still have no truly universal single human language. The reason could date back to antiquity, when we first attempted a grand collective project: that of building a tower […]

yesterday 2 votes
A Rare Smile Captured in a 19th Century Photograph

Just look at this photo. Just look at this young girl’s smile. We know her name: O‑o-dee. And we know that she was a member of the Kiowa tribe in the Oklahoma Territory. And we know that the photo was taken in 1894. But that smile is like a time machine. O‑o-dee might just as […]

yesterday 3 votes
This Is What a Nuclear Strike Would Feel Like: The New York Times Creates a Precise Simulation

Though certain generations may have grown up trained to take cover under their classroom desks in the case of a nuclear showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union, few of us today can believe that we’d stand much chance if we found ourselves anywhere near a detonated missile. Still, the probable effects of […]

4 days ago 7 votes

More in creative

Credulous

Where do con men come from? There are three conditions that need to be met: First, there needs to be rising societal pressure to get ahead, cut the line and find a win. Second, there needs to be people willing to set aside their ethical principles to take advantage of others in their community. And […]

8 hours ago 1 votes
Hyperlegible 002: Utsav Mamoria

How to live an intellectually rich life

yesterday 3 votes
Division is easier than connection

But connection is where the value lies. Connected, resilient communities create possibility and forward motion. Division is satisfying in the short run, and it might even draw a crowd. But the only useful reason to disconnect is if it opens up the chance to increase connection somewhere else.

yesterday 2 votes
Weekly Scroll: Ghibli-fy Everything

Plus: Elon's fake numbers and a Good Shrek Prediction

2 days ago 3 votes
“Be yourself”

Really? Which self? The self you were when you were two years old, almost out of diapers? The self you were when you were screaming with the fans at the big game? The self you were after a long night? How about this: Become the self you’d be proud to be. Hang out with people […]

2 days ago 3 votes