Let’s bid a not at all fond farewell to the Big Zero, the decade in which we achieved nothing and learned nothing. Time and again, the calendar comes up short: Sticklers for symmetry lament imperfections in the 400-year-old Gregorian system. Handwriting is history: Writing words by hand is a technology that's just too slow for our times, and our minds. U.S. government documents crime spree by dictator’s son: Why no action by the feds? Over the past 30 years, Eliot Weiss has patiently built one of the greatest chess programs in the country. Armenia excels at chess, and its top player now has a shot at becoming world champion — how did this tiny country become a giant at the game? Old kings, new game: Ex-champions Karpov and Kasparov meet again, but the stakes have changed. A review of The Narcissism of Minor Differences: How America and Europe are Alike by Peter Baldwin (and more). Giving and receiving presents is a simple pleasure, isn't it? No, it's a social and economic battlefield. A review of High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly by Donald Spoto. Federal plans for a green economic revolution need more discipline — and a long-term partnership with the venture capitalists who know startup winners from losers. A review of The Value of Nothing: How to reshape market society and redefine democracy by Raj Patel. If Google has its way, all of English literature will one day exist as searchable digital text, and Franco Moretti wants to be ready for the deluge. The introduction to Terror in Chechnya: Russia and the Tragedy of Civilians in War by Emma Gilligan.
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