They Say / I Blog

Time or money: Robert Roy Britt on life values and happiness

What’s more important to you, time or money? Crazy question, right? But science writer Robert Roy Britt reports on numerous studies that demonstrate that, as his title declares, “time can make you happier than money.” Check out his September 2019 essay published in elemental+, a Medium blog.

Britt, “Time can make you happier than money”

 

Genuine need or narcissism?: F. Diane Barth on emotional support animals in public spaces

Dogs and cats, of course. But pigs, peacocks, and even squirrels? These are some of the animals that people have been bringing with them as “emotional support” on buses and planes, in stores and restaurants, and the trend shows no signs of abating. The concerns of those who claim to need their animal companions at their side at all times are pitted against the concerns of other people with fears or allergies that make the animals’ presence uncomfortable or even health-threatening. This June 2019 NBC Think essay by psychotherapist and author F. Diane Barth works through the causes and consequences of the situation.

Barth, “Is an emotional support animal serving a person’s needs or their narcissism?”

 

One with nature: Tessa Love on psychedelics and connectedness

“[H]ippies may have been onto something.” Wow, far out. Groovy to hear it. Tessa Love, a Berlin-based writer whose work focuses on the intersection of technology and humanity, asserts that LSD and other psychedelics may facilitate communing with nature in this May 2019 essay in Elemental+, a Medium-hosted blog.

Love, “How LSD may facilitate communing with nature”

“Literally like the mafia”: Paris Martineau on influencer marketing

We grew up surrounded by commercials, right? On TV, at the movies, on the radio, in newspapers and magazines, on billboards and at sports arenas. So we know when we’re being pitched to. Or do we? Can you spot a paid influencer on your social media feeds? Always? Really? Influencer marketing is a whole new world of selling, and the norms and standards are still, um, let’s say, “under construction.” Wiredstaff writer Paris Martineau explores some of the details in this November 2018 article.

Martineau,  “Inside the price war to influence your Instagram feed”

Better blocking: Laura Desmond on the future of advertising

Do you love the ads that pepper your TV shows, online content, walks through your neighborhood, and almost everything else? We didn’t think so. But sometimes ads are clever, interesting, and engaging, right? How can you filter out the annoying ones and keep the entertaining ones? There’s no simple answer, but innovator and technology writer Laura Desmond explores the possibilities of advertising’s future in this May 2018 NewCo Shift essay.

Desmond, “The future of advertising is in the hands of ad blockers”

In the public interest: Jonathan Gottschall on the social benefits of fiction

Who doesn’t love a good story? Nobody, probably. But in addition to their entertainment value, stories serve an important social function. In this April 2012 Boston Globe essay, literary scholar Jonathan Gottschall presents evidence from the emerging science of the story to argue that “most fiction, even the trashy stuff, appears to be in the public interest.”

Gottschall, “Why fiction is good for you”

In the mind, not the arm: Will Leitch on the drama of pitching

A new major league baseball season is now underway, competing for attention with basketball playoffs, Stanley Cup hockey, and whatever siren song trills from the phones in our pockets. In this May 2017 Atlantic essay, sports writer Will Leitch contemplates some possible rule changes intended to speed up the game.

Read it here: Leitch, “The secret life of pitchers”

I read it online: Farhad Manjoo addresses our grip on the truth

“How do I know something is true? Well, I read it online, so it has to be true, right?” How silly. And yet, we’ve probably all said it, at least once. New York Times technology writer Farhad Manjoo examines some of the consequences of our easy access to abundant information (and misinformation) in this pre-election day November 2016 post from the newspaper’s technology blog, State of the Art.

Read it here: Farhad Manjoo: "How the Internet Is Loosening Our Grip on the Truth"

Do something: Craig Calcaterra on Major League Baseball mascot images

It’s that time of year again—falling temperatures and Major League Baseball’s grand finale event, the World Series. With the Cleveland team participating, increased media attention is predictably drawn to the team’s caricature mascot. NBC Sports staff writer Craig Calcaterra wants the national organization of MLB to take a public stand on the mascot, and he presents his case in this October 2016 essay.

Read it here: Calcaterra, “It’s time for Major League Baseball to take a stand on Chief Wahoo” 

Cars: Ben Stein on the “greatest invention of mankind”

No one would dispute that the automobile has been a world-changing invention. Economist, lawyer, actor, and writer Ben Stein argues that the car “transforms you from a mortal to a god” in this October 2014 article in American Spectator.

Read it here: Stein, “I love cars—the greatest invention of mankind”