“The Serial Killer Detector,” the New Yorker
A great many homicides are one-off incidents. But not all, and a former Scripps-Howard reporter has created a computer algorithm designed to identify the ones that aren’t. This New Yorker piece is a fascinating look at how serial killers tend to exhibit unique behaviors that make computer analysis useful in identifying them. — Greta Kaul, data reporter
“Self-driving cars are on a collision course with our crappy cities,” the Verge
Andrew J. Hawkins on the Verge notes how much self-driving technology relies on how cities prepare, from dealing with curbside parking to making sure lane markings and signage are decent enough to be picked up by the cars’ sensors. — Peter Callaghan, local government reporter
“How Does It Feel to Die in a Tsunami?” Literary Hub
This won’t be the cheeriest thing you’ll ever read, but once you start, you won’t be able to stop. An excerpt from Richard Lloyd Parry’s new book “Ghosts of the Tsunami,” it’s the story of a man who nearly perished in Japan’s 2011 tsunami, its greatest single loss of life since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Here are the sounds of a tsunami, and the smells, and the silence after. — Pamela Espeland, Artscape writer
“Ketchup Is a Pickle,” The Awl
Since by now we all acknowledge that a hotdog is a sandwich, it’s a good time to move the debate forward to a condiment that should never be put on a hotdog: ketchup. It’s a pickle. (Be sure to check out the Awl’s whole holiday spice and flavor series, including this examination of the insult “dillweed.”) — Tom Nehil, news editor
