Censored articles from around the world find refuge in this massive Minecraft map — Reporters Without Borders is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. In order to expand upon this goal, the organization has turned to an unlikely source: the video game Minecraft, and a 12.5 million-block neoclassical library containing banned journalism…

After seven months of diligent publishing, things have been a bit quiet. — Life is a series of unexpected journeys. Tolkien was absolutely right when he wrote about setting off down the path beyond your front door: every day brings the unanticipated, the unknown. How we choose to view the unexpected creates the life we experience. For most of 2023, I’ve been fighting…

The causes and symptoms of back pain don’t need to destroy your happiness. — I’ve been experiencing lower back pain for years, and this year it reached a new all-time high. The sort of pain that makes it hard to sit, stand, or bend — the sort of pain that makes it hard to spend time with your friends, cook, or do any of…

Stories from fans, for fans: the greatest Star Trek storytelling is right here. — When it comes to Do-It-Yourself projects, the ultimate expression has to be fan films. When you think “fan film,” you’re probably imagining something at the home-video quality, prepared by nerds with too much time on their hands. But, what if I told you that some of these fan-made productions are…

Being a leader is not about control, it’s about fostering community. — I see leadership as a guide-star: your job as a leader is not to demand that everyone conform to your standards, your job is to elicit from people the very best that they are capable of providing. Different environments and circumstances require variations of duty load, but, ultimately, necessary and…

The wacky little TV series that aimed a horizontal attack at problematic themes, and helped me stave off depression. — We can all agree that the worst joke on Community was Chevy Chase. There’s a bold irony in casting an actual ancient racist as an ancient racist, though I suppose we could look at Chevy’s role as Pierce Hawthorne as a continuation of a lifelong stint at method acting someone…

See, listen, learn: these vloggers will open your eyes to a new world! — There is something magical about watching people explore the world. It’s far too easy to become stuck in a limited view of the world when we’re trapped in a daily grind. One of my favorite personalities was (and is) Anthony Bourdain. His anarchist roots, his humble style, and his focus…

Remember the 2009 reboot of “V”? Its failure is a reminder of what sci-fi should (and shouldn’t) be. — Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, and the nostalgia for a rather brilliant 1980s miniseries. With a great cast, reasonable (for the era) special effects, and a proven pedigree, this show looked like gold on paper. So, why did it fail? We’ll gloss over some of the factors beyond the show, like…

Free education spaces exist, and need to be protected. — In the early half of the 20th century, George Scott Williamson and Innes Pearse opened the Pioneer Health Centre in Britain. This institution was remarkable for two essential reasons. Firstly, the Centre’s goal was the promotion of health in an individual through the improvement of the individual’s environment, which especially…