Lou Ottens, Inventor Of The Cassette Tape, Has Died
"Next time you make that perfect playlist on Spotify or send a link to share a song, you can thank Lou Ottens," documentary filmmaker Zack Taylor told NPR.
Arts
In 'The Empathy Diaries,' Sherry Turkle Considers The Burden Of Family Secrets
MIT professor Sherry Turkle was 27 when she learned that her estranged father had conducted psychological experiments on her when she was a child. She looks back on her childhood in a new memoir.
Story Collection Puts A Ghostly Spin On Digital 'Reality'
Cell phones, social media and smart houses feature prominently in John Lanchester's Reality and Other Stories. A year into the pandemic, the collection speaks eerily to our tech-dependent lives.
The Weird World Of 'Cosmogony' Is Immensely Inviting
In her first collection, Lucy Ives proves herself — and we mean this as a compliment — a real literary weirdo. Her stories are strange without ever performing strangeness, baffling yet precise.
Performance Venues Wait For Aid From Earlier COVID-19 Relief Measure
A bailout for live music and other event venues passed in the last relief bill. But one month after applications were scheduled to launch, they have not, and many venues are barely hanging on.
'The Ghost Variations': A Different Take On What It Means To Be Haunted
NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Kevin Brockmeier about The Ghost Variations, a collection of 100 ghost stories that ponders what haunts us in this life and might make us linger in the next.
Roblox Goes Public — What's Roblox? Ask Anyone With Kids.
Roblox, the online gaming platform, is going public on Wednesday. During the pandemic lockdown it's become a virtual playground, and the company has seen a surge in users, with millions now active.
Inside The Fight For The Right To Die: Logistical And Ethical Challenges
Katie Engelhart explores the complexity of physician-assisted death in the book The Inevitable. She says patients seeking to end their own lives sometimes resort to veterinary drugs from overseas.
'Phantom Tollbooth' Author Norton Juster Dies At 91
Norton Juster, author of the beloved children's book "The Phantom Tollbooth" died yesterday at 91, due to complications from a recent stroke.
The Victims, Rather Than The Killer, Are At The Center Of 'Last Call'
The victims of the man dubbed the "Last Call Killer" were all gay men; Elon Green tries to shine a light onto their complicated lives, the messiness of who they were, and an era of queer life in NYC.