Author: Andrew Sullivan

by Chris Bodenner

So Long, Oregon! mashes up the Oregon Trail and Excitebike, two of my favorite games growing up. Download details here.

by Zoe Pollock

The new Harper's issue (behind the pay wall) digs deep into the war on unhappiness and the state of psychotherapy today. Gary Greenberg reports from the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference in Anaheim and the whole thing is worth a read. Here he is on the imprint Freud theories have had on us:

Still, his notion of an unseen other – the mysterious unconscious self who bedevils our every decision, who eludes us yet must be sought – not only underpins a meeting like this one; it courses through the white noise of our lives.

by Patrick Appel

Dalton Ghetti's work is incredible:

Many artists have used pencils to create works of art – but Dalton Ghetti creates miniature masterpieces on the tips of pencils … Dalton uses three basic tools to make his incredible creations – a razor blade, sewing needle and sculpting knife. He even refuses to use a magnifying glass and has never sold any of his work, only given it away to friends. He said: “I use the sewing needle to make holes or dig into the graphite. I scratch and create lines and turn the graphite around slowly in my hand”

Many more images here.

by Zoe Pollock

The folks at Radio Lab investigated whether time really does slow down during a near death experience. The results, via Dr. David Eagleman, a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine:

"Turns out, when you're falling you don't actually see in slow motion. It's not equivalent to the way a slow-motion camera would work," David says. "It's something more interesting than that."

According to David, it's all about memory, not turbo perception. "Normally, our memories are like sieves," he says. "We're not writing down most of what's passing through our system." Think about walking down a crowded street: You see a lot of faces, street signs, all kinds of stimuli. Most of this, though, never becomes a part of your memory. But if a car suddenly swerves and heads straight for you, your memory shifts gears. Now it's writing down everything — every cloud, every piece of dirt, every little fleeting thought, anything that might be useful.

by Zoe Pollock

The new Atlantic features a fascinating profile of a true Hollywood news type, complete with whitened teeth, network payoffs, and a vanity license plate reading "MOVIE TV." Sheelah Kolhatkar reports:

There is no single term that fully captures what [Larry] Garrison does for a living, although it involves a lot of time spent cajoling people over the phone. He’s sometimes called a fixer, a story broker, or—his preference—an independent television producer and consultant, but all the titles mean the same thing: Garrison gets paid to bring tabloid stories to TV news programs. Missing toddlers, murdered coeds, septuplets, serial killers—an endless parade of freaks and victims is marched through the studio sets of Dateline NBC, 20/20, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, and countless other shows, all to satisfy viewers’ seemingly insatiable appetite for real-life tears and melodrama.

by Zoe Pollock

Today's poem comes from the Atlantic's expansive archive of poetry. We hope to dig through it regularly and feature a couple of gems every week. Here is an excerpt of 'The Bear Hunt' by Abraham Lincoln:

And round, and round the chase now goes,
            The world ’s alive with fun;
Nick Carter’s horse his rider throws,
            And Mose Hill drops his gun.

Now, sorely pressed, bear glances  back,
            And lolls his tired tongue,
When as, to force him from his track
            An ambush on him sprung.

Across the glade he sweeps for flight,
            And fully is in view—
The dogs, new fired by the sight
            Their cry and speed renew.

The foremost ones now reach his rear;
            He turns, they dash away,
And circling now the wrathful bear
            They have him full at bay.

The history of the president's verse-writing and the full poem can be found here.

(Photo from Flickr user Schristia)

by Chris Bodenner

A reader writes:

by Chris Bodenner

This pooch reminds me of Hobbes, ready to pounce. (Michael Yingling recently created a search engine of Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, but tragically it appears the site is down because of a cease-and-desist letter.  Something to keep an eye on though.)

by Patrick Appel

Veronique Greenwood explains:

With the precision of chemists, they mix batches with slightly different amounts of each component, adding compounds like aldehydes for a fresh green flavor, or esters for a fruity note. Sometimes the effects are not what they expect. "In the flavor industry, we sometimes say one plus one equals three," reflects Lee: mix pear with orange, for example, and what you get is peach. In addition, special compounds must be deployed to make flavors meld with the properties of their "vehicle," as the vessel for the flavor is known. Jelly Belly even has a secret ingredient that suppresses the sweetness of the bean so that savory flavors, like buttered popcorn, can show through.