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Nine out of 10 Germs Agree [20 May 2015|12:18am]

Listen to Episode 260 of Slate’s The Gist:

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You Can’t Handle the (Algorithmic) Truth [20 May 2015|01:19pm]

Critics of “algorithms” are everywhere. Algorithms tell you how to vote. Algorithms can revoke your driver’s license and terminate your disability benefits. Algorithms predict crimes. Algorithms ensured you didn’t hear about #FreddieGray on Twitter. Algorithms are everywhere, and, to hear critics, they are trouble. What’s the problem? Critics allege that algorithms are opaque, automatic, emotionless, and impersonal, and that they separate decision-makers from the consequences of their actions. Algorithms cannot appreciate the context of structural discrimination, are trained on flawed datasets, and are ruining lives everywhere. There needs to be algorithmic accountability. Otherwise, who is to blame when a computational process suddenly deprives someone of his or her rights and livelihood?

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Mad Men, Season 7, Part 2 [20 May 2015|01:38pm]

Read the rest of Slate’s Mad Men coverage.

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Hotel Hells [20 May 2015|02:01pm]

Excerpted from Hotel Life: The Story of a Place Where Anything Can Happen by Caroline Field Levander and Matthew Pratt Guterl. Out now from the University of North Carolina Press.

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Fabio, Estelle Getty, and Alyssa Milano All Want You to Feel the Burn [20 May 2015|02:30pm]

Sure, the Internet is great. It’s given us forums like Amazon, Facebook, and Slate. However, there is one thing the Internet—with platforms like Daily Burn and Gaiam—has robbed us of: celebrity workouts on VHS and DVD. Luckily, Slate Video has rounded up the best of the spandex-clad fitness fads. Take a deep breath, exhale slowly, press play, and let’s begin.

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The Culture Gabfest “Badass Matriarchy” Edition [20 May 2015|02:57pm]

Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 348 with Stephen Metcalf, Julia Turner, and Dana Stevens with the audio player below.

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Slate Voice: “ ‘And People?’ ” [20 May 2015|03:00pm]

‘And People?’ ” was originally published in Slate on May 4, 2015. In the piece, Gabriel Roth discovers that the book he’s chosen for his 3-year-old daughter broaches the delicate, difficult subject of death.

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Cremation in America [20 May 2015|03:13pm]

A half-century ago, nearly everyone who died in the U.S. was buried. Only about 4 percent were cremated. Now, we cremate half our dead. The map above shows cremation rates by state and animates over the past 15 years; during that relatively brief timespan in several states—particularly in the South and Midwest—cremation rates have doubled. Why the shift?

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Supreme Court Showbiz [20 May 2015|05:35pm]

Oddly enough, for an institution that operates amid red velvet curtains, austere costumes, and dark lighting, the U.S. Supreme Court is rarely the subject of films, television shows, or plays. This Wikipedia listing of movies about the Supreme Court is staggeringly short, considering that the court has been one of the most powerful elements of our government for more than two centuries.

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Office Toilet Paper Drama [20 May 2015|06:41pm]

In this week’s video, Prudie counsels a man who’s perturbed by the wastefulness he witnesses in the small public bathroom at work.

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Dear Prudence Live Chat [20 May 2015|08:44pm]

Need help getting along with partners, relatives, co-workers, and people in general? Ask Dear Prudence! Emily Yoffe takes your questions on manners, morals, and more. Please keep your questions succinct (recommended max. length is around 150 words). Submit yours ahead of time below:

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We Finally Have a Chance to Pass Surveillance Reform [20 May 2015|09:27pm]

Last week, the House of Representatives approved the USA Freedom Act surveillance reform bill by an overwhelming vote of 338 to 88. Now, after several days of uncertainty, it’s clear: The legislation is going to get a vote on the Senate floor, likely in the next day or two. That makes it a good time to debunk some of the arguments that opponents of the bill are likely to use in the sure-to-be-lively debate.

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The Inadvertent Spy [20 May 2015|10:32pm]

As a member of Slate Plus, you’re reading this Slate story before anyone else can! This story is exclusive to Slate Plus members until Thursday at 6 a.m.

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Our Best Presidents Are Flip-Floppers [20 May 2015|11:04pm]

Every presidential election cycle has its designated “flip-flopper,” the candidate attacked for his insincerity, inauthenticity, and lack of “resolve.” In 2004, it was Sen. John Kerry, who was famously for the Iraq war before he was against it. In 2008 and 2012, it was Mitt Romney, who went from moderate governor of liberal Massachusetts to an archconservative who hated universal health care, despite his pioneering role in making it a reality.

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