Archive

1 September 2011

Walking into an Apple store is always a bit awe-inspiring. There is the vaulted ceiling, the feeling of transcendence. The monks all wear blue T-shirts. I am a disciple. I bought my first Apple computer in 1985. Upstairs, the store is austere, pleasant, the tables of iPads untouched like plates waiting for food. Downstairs, where the genius bar is located, is packed with humanity. More…

24 November 2010

Glenn Reit is an Upper East Side dentist who recently sued Yelp and lost. The trouble began in May 2009, when “Michael S.” posted a negative review of Reit’s practice on its Yelp page, which until then contained about ten uniformly positive reviews. To Michael S., Reit’s office was “small,” “old,” and “smelly,” his equipment “old and dirty.” Calls for new consultations dropped markedly that month. More…

26 October 2007

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Modern medical interventions do prolong lives, but at such a high marginal cost that this expenditure does not affect average life expectancy nearly as much as the physical environment in which we live and work (clear air, clean water, safe streets, low stress); personal behaviors (Whoppers, Marlboros, trips to the gym); and genes. More…

In this way and others I was assured again and again: no Delgado by way of TMS. No mind control. No social danger. Pascual-Leone had been brainstorming aloud; or he had been attempting innocently to pique the curiosity of a visiting journalist. And yet Delgado’s bull stuck with me. More…