Titanium caps on the teeth of a US Marine Corp military police dog named Orlando. Image: USMC
Now that 2015 is almost over we can begin to wonder: what was the most viral meme of the year? It's almost certainly the black and blue/white and gold dress, which generated a ridiculous amount of traffic. But what is it like being the person who took the picture of the dress and started it all?A story that tackles that very question is just one of our favorite published this week, which include stories about the DNC's "Datagate," Star Wars: The Force Awakens being not very interesting, hoarding, and more.
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How Police Dogs Turned into Cybernetic HuntersWith titanium teeth, ballistic vests, custom body cams, and more, police and army dogs are enhanced by technology, much like their human counterparts, but you can't control them like any other tool. Given their inherently imperfect judgment and the dire consequences of their mistakes, why do dogs remain in the forefront of law enforcement?
Image: CNN
What Really Happened With the DNC's "Datagate"?Last week's democratic debate started with a series of questions about Bernie Sanders' campaign getting access to the Democratic National Committee's voter database that allowed Sanders' staff to run searches on information that should have been private to Hillary Clinton campaign. How did that happen, and what the hell does it mean? Björn Westergard, a software developer for the company that hosts the DNC's voter file, explained it all in great detail at Jacobin.
'The Force Awakens' Is the Least Interesting Star Wars Yet"Clearly, Force Awakens is far from the worst Star Wars movie, but it might actually be the least interesting. In some ways, the triumph of this, Star Wars 2.0—and its predictable, nostalgia-reliant, repackaged thrills—is a defeat for what made the trilogy extraordinary in the first place—its madcap sci-fi originality and genre-bending experimentation."(Warning: Spoilerz.)
Caitlin Dewey has been writing a column for The Washington Post debunking popular hoaxes and misinformation that people share on the internet. This is her last column on that subject because, as she discovered, once people fall for a hoax, they don't care to hear the truth.
Image: Caspar Clemens Mierau
My Friend, the Compulsive HoarderCaspar Clemens Mierau's story about his friend who's a compulsive hoarder is much deeper, more realistic, and moving look at the disorder than an episode of the reality TV show Hoarders.
The Owners of 'The Dress' That Drove the Internet Insane Had a Hard TimeRemember arguing about whether that dress was white and gold or black and blue a few months ago? If you were anywhere near an internet connected device in February and March, you probably do. The Guardian sat down with Cecilia Bleasdale, who took the picture of the dress that started the great debate. Turns out, it hasn't been that easy."I'm not a very public person," Bleasdale told The Guardian. "I'm not a blogger or anything like that. So it's been quite stressful having to deal with it and thinking, What's going to happen next?"
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What was fake on the Internet this week: Why this is the final columnCaitlin Dewey has been writing a column for The Washington Post debunking popular hoaxes and misinformation that people share on the internet. This is her last column on that subject because, as she discovered, once people fall for a hoax, they don't care to hear the truth.
