1. Before the Taliban took Afghanistan, it took the internet
«The Taliban has wagedâand now wonâa singular, focused, twenty-year information war.» An analysis of how the Taliban used the web, and later social media specifically, to lay the groundwork for their rapid takeover that has stunned much of the world. Over all those years, the Talibanâs core ideology hasnât changed â «what has changed is their willingness to use modern technology to realize their medieval ends.» Read it now.
2. The Spine Collector
The thrilling real story of a mysterious figure that haunted the book publishing world. For years, someone tricked agents and publishers into sending them unpublished books â but what for? Read it now.
3. Long-Haulers Are Fighting for Their Future
Ed Yong at it again. One of the most knowledgable â and most empathetic â writers since the very beginning of the pandemic offers a comprehensive look at long COVID. The risk of long COVID, he writes, «is one of the pandemicâs biggest and leastâŠ