Alex Dobrenko

Cardboard packaging changed how information flowed from manufacturer to distributor to consumer. Before, a product might be stamped by geographic origin, but now it was possible to communicate the address of the company’s headquarters, the location of its factories and canneries, and other details that established a brand’s reputation. (Some early... See more

I did not used to be a person who asked the universe questions. I used to be a person who lived in a large and light-filled apartment. That person was very certain that what she saw was, for the most part, what she got. Back then, I didn’t believe in mystical design or preordained plans from the cosmos. I didn’t even know what time I was born, nor... See more

One thing this does is gives a false view of success. Most of what people share is what they want you to see. Skills are advertised, flaws are hidden. Wins are exaggerated, losses are downplayed. Doubt and anxiety are rarely shared on social media. Defeated soldiers and failed CEOs rarely sit for interviews.

They labeled the drive that dopamine seemed to induce as “wanting” and called the joy of being satiated, which did not seem to be connected with dopamine, “liking.”

A study from researchers at the University of California at Berkeley found that higher temperatures and shifting patterns of extreme weather can cause a rise in all types of violence, from domestic abuse to civil wars. In extreme cases, it could cause countries to cease functioning and collapse altogether.