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What They Want, the Government Can’t Give
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2–3 minutes·
No comments on What They Want, the Government Can’t GiveIt wasn’t a surprise to me, or to anyone else in the UK, that residents of Grenfell Tower heckled their councillors and Tory politicians. And I wasn’t surprised when Prime Minister Theresa May cravenly refused to meet with anyone from the tower. But what is surprising to me is that even the Queen received criticism:…
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When Surveillance Goes Private: A 2027 Retrospective
I’d like to begin with a story. I was born in the UK — in Birmingham — although obviously I don’t have the accent! My parents came from Hong Kong, but we didn’t visit it until I was a few years old, since it’s quite the trip for any family. The approach to the old Hong Kong airport in…
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Read ebooks? Fuck you! (says the book industry)
It is 100% impossible for humanity to invent a technology superior to printed books. Who doesn’t love the feel of the printed page, suffused with organic volatiles that emit its distinctive scent, bound into a form so perfect that it’s hard to believe humans invented it, that – Me. I don’t love printed books. Now,…
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Five Years of Zombies, Run!
Five years ago today, we launched Zombies, Run! on the iTunes App Store, only six months after our Kickstarter. When Naomi Alderman and I came up with the idea behind Zombies, Run! back in the summer of 2011, neither of us had any notion that it’d be this popular and last this long. I thought…
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Introducing Racelink
I used to hate running. It was tiring, painful, and boring. That’s what inspired me and Naomi Alderman to come up with Zombies, Run!, a running game and audio adventure that makes running more fun. Since its launch in 2012, Zombies, Run! has become the most popular smartphone fitness game ever, with over 3 million…
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Mr. Corbyn, Please Stop Phone Scammers
My phone number was temporarily stolen last month. Rather than just tweet about it, I decided to write a letter to my local MP, Jeremy Corbyn, with specific suggestions on how to combat identity theft and phone scams. Dear Mr. Corbyn, In the last month, I have been subject to multiple identity theft attempts and fraud…
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The 19th Century Fibit
After admiring the cutting-edge central heating, bathroom, and electrical wiring at Lauriston Castle in Edinburgh, our tour guide pointed out another neat gadget in Mrs. Reid’s bedroom: jockey scales. Dating back to the late 19th century, these scales were designed to weigh jockeys before horse races, but Mrs. Reid’s scales were used to weigh visitors…
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We can’t afford your perfectionism
For a long time, I refused to pay for membership to The Guardian despite reading it multiple times a day. “Fifty pounds?!” I’d cry. “And for what? Shit I don’t need and junk mail? I’ll pay when it’s half the price and they fire Jonathan Jones.” I was being a dick. If The Guardian disappeared…
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Extreme Ways: A Deep Dive
An anti-establishment hero, trained to perfection, betrayed, left without gainful employment, in the midst of an identity crisis? Jason Bourne is the prototypical millennial. And in each movie, as Bourne makes it through insurmountable odds only to turn the table on his enemies in the final seconds, we hear the same refrain: Wree! Wree! Extreme…
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Violin Hero: The Game
Is there any instrument that sounds more unpleasant in the hands of a beginner than the violin? Consider the piano. No matter where you hit the keys, you‘re guaranteed to be in tune, whereas if you’re off by just a millimetre on the violin, everyone will know. The guitar has frets that help delineate finger…
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