Peter Biles
Dean Koontz on Writing and the Mystery of Life
Koontz believes every writer must have a metaphysic
Zuckerberg Thinks AI Can Help Cure Loneliness
Social media didn't cure loneliness. Can AI?
Independent Media and the Enduring Need for Excellence
Is the novel, along with other forms of traditional media, dying?
Is “New Media” Really the Answer?
Old and new media and the crisis of trust and expertise
Snapchat Has Been Totally Exposed
Employees admit the harms of the camera app
Famed Reclusive Novelist to Release New Novel in the Fall
How can writers and creators today attain success in their fields?
AI Slop is Invading the Culture, Replacing Writers
The antidote to AI slop is a renewal of aesthetic and literary taste
Are Colleges Beyond Saving?
They need to rediscover the purpose of higher education
Are We Experiencing a Universal Cognitive Decline?
People are increasingly having trouble reading, focusing, and solving complex problems.A new study shows that people are struggling more than ever to read, concentrate, and solve problems. The research comes just a few months after Oxford’s indicative decision to make “Brain Rot” its 2024 “Word of the Year.” Common experience itself lends itself to the conclusion that we are struggling to focus, that our attention is fragmented, and that simply thinking about one issue for more than a few seconds is difficult. The Financial Times reported that intelligence and reasoning capacities have declined since the early 2010s. While the COVID-19 pandemic is commonly blamed for the plummet and is indeed responsible for much of the cognitive decline, the downward trend preceded the crisis according to the study. John Burn-Murdoch reports: Read More ›
No End in Sight for AI’s Invasion into Higher Education
Teaching students to write is to teach them to think
A New McDonald’s PlayPlace Doesn’t Look Very Fun
A virtual playground doesn't offer kids genuine play
Ross Douthat Makes the Case that Religious Belief Is Rational
His new book is written largely with the agnostic or full-on atheist in mind but believers would certainly also benefit, as I did
“60 Minutes” Segment Lauds Censorship
Free speech can indeed be "weaponized," but according to the founders of the United States, it was intended to be a weapon against government overreach.
A Novelist Posts on the Paranormal
Accounting for experiences of the supernatural
Douthat: Our Minds Are Tied to Reality
The New York Times columnist thinks everyone should be more religious“The world is intelligible,” Ross Douthat said to Jonah Goldberg on “The Remnant” podcast. Douthat, an opinion columnist at The New York Times, has a new book coming out on religion and why “everyone should be more religious,” and he joined Goldberg to discuss the book along with our current political landscape. Douthat, a Catholic, referenced fine tuning and the profound evidence of intentional design in nature as one of the motivations for his own faith. He told Goldberg that it’s remarkable that we have minds that are able to accurately comprehend the world around us, let alone the chemical makeup of the universe. Our questioning natures, bent on discovering the truth of things, demonstrate that we live in something Read More ›
Sports Gambling: The New Addiction Storming America
Making money off your favorite team just got wildly popular. But is it healthy?Super Bowl 2025 is less than two weeks away, with the Philadelphia Eagles finding themselves in a rematch with reigning champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. Sports engagement has ballooned over the past few years through the medium of online sports betting. Formerly illegal, sports betting has taken the U.S. by storm, with major celebrities and sports stars going on air advocating the practice. Making money off your favorite team just got wildly popular. But is it healthy? A recent article titled “I Got Divorced Because of Sports Betting” shows the dark side of the gamble. Pitched as an easy way to make money online, no one talks about the mad fury that ensues after your bet fails to deliver, your Read More ›
The Tech Giants Looming in the Background
The presence of these tech giants at Trump's inauguration signals a major "vibe shift" in the culture.
TikTok is Back, Thanks to Trump. The Battle Against Tech Addiction Continues
TikTok has gone through a chaotic whirlwind over the last few days
TikTok is on the Verge of a Ban. Now Users Are Flocking to Another Chinese App.
National security and the mental health of a generation are at stakeA federal ban of the wildly popular social media app TikTok is set to take effect on Sunday, unless a last-minute intervention occurs, or an American-owned business buys the company. The FBI, as well as several state authorities around the country, have said the app represents a national security threat, as it allows a foreign adversary to access the data of the 170 million Americans who use it. Apart from the issue of national security, plenty of people, particularly sociologist Jonathan Haidt, have pointed out TikTok’s profound negative impact on kids and users in general. TikTok uses an advanced algorithm system to hook its users. Haidt and his research assistant, Zach Rausch, list out the multiple harms: Executives within the Read More ›