"chill"

For much of the day, Twitter's been wall-to-wall with GIFs of grief; the past five days seem determined to prove that death makes the best memes. For those of you discomfited by this, plz consider this stunning essay on the online memorial: "Our culture has celebrities in place of myths, and we have grief Twitter instead of Byzantine lore about the journey to the underworld and the proper ways of burial."

1. The complicated generational politics of "chill." The word's supposed to mean a state of practiced coolness, but it actually captures many of millennials' ills. Like -- the fact that so many fear genuine engagement, or that we need apps like Tinder to simplify our wills.

2. A day in the life of a Reddit mod. Liz Crocker's a mom, a grad student ... and a handmaiden to the online mob. She's a moderator of r/science, one of Reddit's largest forums, and it is often a thankless job.

3. The controversial evolution of Twitter's speech guidelines. Tracing the change from "anything goes" to "nothing malign."

further proof that technology is amazing
(full video) (link)

Pocketable: How to be happy, according to Silicon Valley. (7052 words/28 minutes)

Postscripts: The future of food. The future of sex. An expert guide to online bullshit. The corgi who tried to be a star and the lamb who tried to be a pup. Here are all the people (of color) that the Oscars snubbed. Why did Bumble match adults and teens? Why did this guy pretend to win Powerball? The government wants tech cos to stop terrorists, but it's unclear if that'll work at all. Finally, some heartening news for your Thursday: a Redditor went looking for Internet points ... and found a super-rare atlas along the way!

See you tomorrow!
@caitlindewey

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