Atlantic City emerged as a major seaside resort in the 1870s, where local sand sculptors created intricate life-sized scenes on the beach for tips, their ephemeral works preserved in photographs intended for postcards. Though initially welcomed, sand artists faced increasing regulation from city authorities who banned religious figures and required permits, and the profession declined by the 1940s after a hurricane destroyed the boardwalk and displays.
Jordan Taylor explores fluidic logic—computing with air and fluids instead of electronics. The article traces pneumatic computing from Harvard's Octobot, a soft robot powered by hydrogen peroxide, through historical aircraft like the DC-10 that used fluidic logic for mechanical control systems, demonstrating that complex computation doesn't require silicon or electricity.
Naomi Klein's new book 'End Times Fascism', co-written with Astra Taylor, argues that extreme wealth concentration creates a psychological derangement in the ultra-rich, turning them into supremacists willing an apocalypse to establish a post-democratic world. Klein illustrates this through examples including billionaires' plans for a privatized Gaza and a privatized United Nations, alongside authoritarian movements globally.
Research shows that campaign messages can move both men and women by combining two elements: naming a real threat and providing a concrete response. While men typically respond to competitive framing and women to group cohesion, messages that pair danger with actionable solutions engage both genders equally, eliminating the need for separate appeals.