Cognoscenti

Big tech is hungry for consumer data. Mass. needs privacy legislation now The heart of the privacy bill that the Massachusetts legislature is now considering is a simple but firm rule that companies should collect and use only the personal information that they need to provide services for consumers, write Woodrow Hartzog and Neil Richards.

The heart of the privacy bill that the Massachusetts legislature is now considering is a simple but firm rule that companies should collect and use only the personal information that they need to provide services for consumers, write Woodrow Hartzog and Neil Richards. spr.ly/63329B66biB

My mom never had a driver's license. I'm better for it "My mom’s inability to drive me around gave me an age-appropriate freedom I couldn’t have enjoyed buckled up in the backseat of a station wagon," writes Kate Neale Cooper. "I paid my own fare, I dealt with friendly and unfriendly strangers, I got lost and figured it out."

Kate Neale Cooper's family lived in 19 (!) different places. "And wherever we were, my mom had to figure out how to transport herself and the four of us kids," she writes. spr.ly/63323B66bZ3

Life isn’t about what we lose. It’s about what we keep As the family archivist, holding on to these objects is my way of keeping everyone here just a little bit longer, writes Meghan O’Sullivan. “I hope they don’t mind.”

As the family archivist, holding on to these objects is my way of keeping everyone here just a little bit longer, writes Meghan O’Sullivan. “I hope they don’t mind.” spr.ly/63326B66bzk

Making Boston's buses free is a bad idea "Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s enduring hope of free bus service remains stalled, with only the 'free-three' available throughout the MBTA," writes Rich Barlow. "This well-meaning but misguided idea should be put out of its misery."

"Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s enduring hope of free bus service remains stalled, with only the free-three available throughout the MBTA," writes Rich Barlow. "This well-meaning but misguided idea should be put out of its misery." spr.ly/63326B66bGE

Ill-doing is not the province of monsters. It’s the province of you and me "Fear, insecurity, unkindness, mistreatment of others, neglect of others, participating in abuse or failing to speak up against it -- this is the stuff of the Epstein files, but it’s also the stuff of the playground," writes Leah Hager Cohen.

"I worry that by deciding the most egregious wrongs are the special province of what the New York Times calls 'a cabal of elites' ... we risk letting ourselves off the hook," writes Leah Hager Cohen. spr.ly/63326htttC

An all-night outdoor party in the dead of winter? Yes please White night celebrations like Nuit Blanche are a reminder that the nocturnal cityscape, for all its challenges, is also kind of a miracle, writes Miles Howard. It's a glowing demonstration of what’s possible when people who live and work in close proximity are off the clock and free to explore more festive, creative and hedonistic impulses.

White night celebrations, like Nuit Blanche in Montreal, show us how human impulses to explore, share and celebrate can endure the nastiest weather, writes Miles Howard. spr.ly/63321hvxoX

Learning to ice skate — at 67 "Are you ready to have some fun?” Dottie, the 83-year-old skating instructor, asked Ann MacDonald during her first ice skating lesson. "I wasn’t," MacDonald writes. "I was ready to flee. Now, two years later, I’m glad I stayed."

"Are you ready to have some fun?” Dottie, the 83-year-old skating instructor, asked Ann MacDonald during her first ice skating lesson. "I wasn’t," MacDonald writes. "I was ready to flee. Now, two years later, I’m glad I stayed." spr.ly/63329httbT

Ill-doing is not the province of monsters. It’s the province of you and me "Fear, insecurity, unkindness, mistreatment of others, neglect of others, participating in abuse or failing to speak up against it -- this is the stuff of the Epstein files, but it’s also the stuff of the playground," writes Leah Hager Cohen.

In this time of heightened cruelty and earthly peril, we must resist the temptation to suck our teeth in disgust and write one another off, writes Leah Hager Cohen. spr.ly/63325hoUvz

ICE’s deployment of tech tools should be a wake-up call "For decades, we’ve been sold a single story about technology: It is smart, neutral, innovative and designed to improve our lives," writes Sarah Young Goldberg. "In reality, these tools are built to serve corporate profit models and, increasingly, state power."

"For decades, we’ve been sold a single story about technology: It is smart, neutral, innovative and designed to improve our lives," writes Sarah Young Goldberg. "In reality, these tools are built to serve corporate profit models and, increasingly, state power." spr.ly/63327httpU

Understanding grief, the most human of emotions Cog has published many essays on the topic of grief over the years. "These are a few of my favorites," writes Cloe Axelson. "If you're in a season of grief, I hope they offer some solace."

Cog contributors have written a lot about grief and examined it from many different angles — as an act of gratitude, a form of companionship, a vehicle for raising awareness and a communal act. spr.ly/63327hoUCf

Ill-doing is not the province of monsters. It’s the province of you and me "Fear, insecurity, unkindness, mistreatment of others, neglect of others, participating in abuse or failing to speak up against it -- this is the stuff of the Epstein files, but it’s also the stuff of the playground," writes Leah Hager Cohen.

"Fear, insecurity, unkindness, mistreatment of others, neglect of others, participating in abuse or failing to speak up against it -- this is the stuff of the Epstein files, but it’s also the stuff of the playground," writes Leah Hager Cohen. spr.ly/63323hoUg7

My dog Belle is at the end of her life, and I am walking her home "We are on our own, Belle and I," writes Anne Driscoll, "and I alone can offer her palliative care. So now, we have a new routine: I close the blinds of the living room each night, Belle takes one side of the L-shaped sectional and I take the other, and our heads meet in the corner."

"Belle has many fans that she has collected here with me, too, on our daily four-mile walks along Lynn Shore Drive," writes Anne Driscoll. "On one of those walks, I thought regretfully about how I had not trained Belle to be a therapy dog, but then I realized, she actually is one, for me."

Earworms: Annoying or revolutionary? While researching the phenomenon of earworms, Julie Wittes Schlack came across E.B. White's satire, "The Supremacy of Uruguay." In White's story, written in the 1930s — amidst growing threats of nationalism and authoritarianism — the ultimate weapon turns out to be a worldwide earworm.

"These tunes in my head are my attempt to reconfigure the noise in my head — the perpetual breaking news and viral videos and threats and conspiracies and outrages darting through every social media channel — the frenzied refrains that are now the sound of America."

Jesse Jackson and the arc of Black hope Jesse Jackson widened what "possible" meant, writes Imari K. Paris Jeffries. "He proved that a Black presidential candidacy could be a serious campaign that competed across regions and issues. That changed the country's political muscle memory, and it changed the expectations of the next generation."

"Even though the presidential nomination did not come, the machine did," writes Imari K. Paris Jeffries. "People trained. Networks strengthened. Demands clarified. That is how a campaign becomes a blueprint instead of a memory."

Moltbook wants you to believe its AI acts independently. It doesn’t Moltbook is a social media platform, like Facebook or Reddit, but for AI bots only. Moltbook's AI system is agentic, which means it functions like an independent agent instead of waiting for prompts. "For some people, that might sound like a godsend. For others, especially those concerned with security, it sounds more like a nightmare," writes Joelle Renstrom.

"If Moltbook tells us anything," writes Joelle Renstrom, "it’s that shiny toys, like AI itself, suck resources humans could — and arguably should — use to interact with and help one another."

Why doctors like me appreciate 'The Pitt' "In both his dedication and fatigue, Dr. Robby reflects our aging process as physicians, the accumulation of experience, perchance wisdom, and the struggle to maintain our humanity in the face of the slings and arrows of our everyday practice," writes Shannon CC Nedelka.

"But the thing that I like most about the show is the unflinching way it shows the odds that physicians are up against: antivax parents who have done their 'research,' the gun violence that is the scourge of our society ..." spr.ly/63325hTf2U

Peeking through the window on “The Pitt” My ER doctor husband and I have different ways of watching "The Pitt," writes Cog editor Sara Shukla. "While I’m sinking into the couch and pulling a blanket up near my eyes, he’s leaning forward like he’s playing a game of Super Mario Kart, talking over the characters on screen, calling out protocol and diagnoses."

"By design, the intricately choreographed scenes on 'the Pitt' let us lean over the shoulders of the people who work there," writes Cog editor Sara Shukla. spr.ly/63328hX4Gg

Bad Bunny's gift of multiplicity "Regardless of one’s feelings about Bad Bunny, we know the backlash isn’t really about the Super Bowl halftime show," writes Evy Peña. "The real political battleground is the idea of belonging — who gets to claim it and on what terms."

"The thing about democracy is that it depends on our ability to embrace the multitudes we contain, not to trim them," writes Evy Peña. spr.ly/63324hrltw

Why doctors like me appreciate 'The Pitt' "In both his dedication and fatigue, Dr. Robby reflects our aging process as physicians, the accumulation of experience, perchance wisdom, and the struggle to maintain our humanity in the face of the slings and arrows of our everyday practice," writes Shannon CC Nedelka.

“In both his dedication and fatigue, Dr. Robby reflects our aging process as physicians, the accumulation of experience, perchance wisdom, and the struggle to maintain our humanity in the face of the slings and arrows of our everyday practice,” writes Shannon CC Nedelka. spr.ly/63322hTfln

When someone you know gets divorced: Condolences or congratulations? Society has grown more accepting of the idea of divorce as a transition rather than a tragedy, writes Oona Metz. So, what should you say when your friend — or brother or aunt — announces their marriage is over?

"Divorce is a major life transition and almost always involves heartbreak, stress and loss," writes Oona Metz. "But when a marriage ends, there is ample opportunity for growth, healing and transformation, too." spr.ly/63325hrllF

Some friends do lunch. We donate blood Some friends meet for lunch or long walks. Randi Stern and two of her best friends donate blood together. "Planning friend dates around blood donation lets us keep our promises to each other — and to the strangers who receive our blood," she writes.

Some friends meet for lunch or long walks. Randi Stern and two of her best friends donate blood together. "Planning friend dates around blood donation lets us keep our promises to each other — and to the strangers who receive our blood," she writes. spr.ly/63320hrYLs

Mutual aid is everyday resistance When formal systems become unreliable or morally compromised, people do not wait for consensus about how to change them, writes James Lomastro. They adapt by building informal networks of mutual aid that deliver essential items and services to people in need.

"By the time a society publicly admits it is in crisis, much of the moral work has already begun," writes James Lomastro. "It has been done quietly, by people who refused to look away and be complicit." spr.ly/63320hKsSM

'Do you believe in miracles?' It's that time The 'quad god,' cross-country superstar Jesse Diggins and skimo -- there's plenty to pay attention to at the Winter Olympics, writes Cloe Axelson.

The 'quad god,' cross-country superstar Jesse Diggins and skimo -- there's plenty to pay attention to at the Winter Olympics, writes Cloe Axelson. spr.ly/63326h3Bp8

Mutual aid is everyday resistance When formal systems become unreliable or morally compromised, people do not wait for consensus about how to change them, writes James Lomastro. They adapt by building informal networks of mutual aid that deliver essential items and services to people in need.

When formal systems become unreliable or morally compromised, people do not wait for consensus about how to change them, writes James Lomastro. They adapt by building informal networks of mutual aid that deliver essential items and services to people in need. spr.ly/63325hKsd1

Loving my daughter through her battle with addiction Annemarie Whilton's daughter has struggled with substance use disorder for more than a decade. "Even I get tired of the never-ending narrative," Whilton writes. "There is so much heartache. But, unbelievably, there is also unexpected love."

"My girl is whip-smart, beloved and industrious," writes Annemarie Whilton. "The only thing she has ever been a fool for is heroin." spr.ly/63326hyvv2

Let's stop shipping baby chickens in the mail "The practice of shipping chicks through the mail began in 1918 with the promise that chicks would only be shipped if they could reach their destination within 72 hours," writes Tove Danovich. "That is a promise the USPS can no longer keep." 

"The practice of shipping chicks through the mail began in 1918 with the promise that chicks would only be shipped if they could reach their destination within 72 hours," writes Tove Danovich. "That is a promise the USPS can no longer keep." spr.ly/63326hyvsp

Why your energy bills are higher than ever "As things stand now, ratepayers bear the cost of the transition to clean energy on top of the cost to prop up the aging gas system," writes Frederick Hewett. "The choice policymakers face is to invest in the former or accept the Sisyphean burden of the latter."

"Yes, climate policy is causing real ratepayer pain right now," writes Frederick Hewett. "And so is our reliance on natural gas."

'Heated Rivalry' lets us believe in anything In early December, I went to dinner with coworkers and said something along the lines of, “There’s this show I need to tell you about. It’s about hockey … kind of,” writes Sara Shukla. Soon after, this show about two rival gay hockey players kind of took over my life.

"The hockey smut of it all – which fine, yes, is a selling point – is a key part of the character development. And in all of this, Jacob Tierney’s made a cultural touchstone out of a joyful, queer love story," says Sara Shukla. spr.ly/63328C72H4

A spectacular act of self-sabotage The world may have avoided a military conflict over Greenland, but the fatal damage to NATO is done, writes retired U.S. Colonel Kevin Carroll.

"Trump’s remarks about Greenland and NATO represent some of the most spectacularly unnecessary acts of national self-sabotage in U.S history," writes retired U.S. Colonel Kevin Carroll. spr.ly/63326C72E6

Growing up in Nepal, I thought the US had figured out democracy. I was wrong "Nepal is a fragile democracy trying — sometimes clumsily, sometimes bravely — to strengthen norms," writes Monik Bhatta. "America is a powerful democracy acting as if norms are optional accessories."

"Nepal is a fragile democracy trying — sometimes clumsily, sometimes bravely — to strengthen norms," writes Monik Bhatta. "America is a powerful democracy acting as if norms are optional accessories." spr.ly/63325CAGnS