Ben Mirin

Ben Mirin is the project coordinator for Slate Custom. He is a producer, field ornithologist, and musician living in Brooklyn. Follow him on Twitter.

TODAY IN SLATE

Politics

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

Eric Cantor’s defeat is a warning to all Republicans.

By John Dickerson

Cantor Used to be the Tea Party's Guy. What Happened?

By David Weigel

The “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria” Is Starting to Look Like a Real Country. Can It Be Stopped?

The Attack on Washington’s NFL Team That Will Air During the NBA Finals

This Ziplock Bag Trick Might Change Your Life

Bitwise

Did That Computer Program Actually Pass the Turing Test?

Not exactly. Take a look at the tricks it uses to fool humans.

By David Auerbach
THE SLATEST SEE ALL
  • One of New York's Most Legendary Catholic Figures Was Also Jewish
  • Watch the Attack on Washington's NFL Franchise That Will Air During the NBA Finals 
  • Oregon Attack is 74th School Shooting Since Newtown, Fourth Mass Shooting in Six Days
  • "Al Qaeda-Inspired Militants" Now Control Two Major Iraqi Cities
History of Innovation

The Urban Dog Nuisance

How a mysterious woman’s 1908 patent exemplifies the drama of dogs in America.

By Katy Waldman

The Person With the Best Answer to the Student Debt Crisis Is This Republican From Wisconsin

What the “Personhood Movement” Doesn't Get About Biology

By Jane Maienschein
How to Watch the World Cup Online Without Cable
Wait, Britney Spears Is a “Feminist Role Model” for Single Moms?
This New App Wants to Weed the Creeps Out of Online Dating. Here’s Why It Could Fail.
  News & Politics
Weigel
June 10 2014 11:50 PM The Libertarian College Professor Who Won't Raise the Debt Ceiling and Will Replace Eric Cantor in Congress David Weigel
Eric Cantor Loses: The Official Live Thread of the South Carolina and Virginia Primaries
Does Hillary Clinton Feel Your Pain? Would You Believe Her If She Did?
Mississippi Panic Time
Fishermen Are Pawns in the World's Territorial Disputes
The U.S. Spent $20 billion on Iraqi Security Forces Who Couldn’t Defend the Country’s Second-Largest City
The Precise Moment Syria’s Civil War Could Have Been Stopped Before It Started
  Business
Moneybox
June 10 2014 7:22 PM China Reaches a Millionaire-Studded Milestone Alison Griswold
Get Ready for Some Regulations in the Sharing Economy
Amtrak Might Speed Up Its Slow Internet
What's in a Name? A Branding Expert Explains.
The Grim Numbers Behind the Time Inc. Spinoff
Google Glass Is Going to be Huge, but Most People Don't Understand Why
Shopping for People Who Hate to Shop Is Big Business
  Life
Dear Prudence
June 10 2014 3:39 PM Campus Escort In a live chat, Prudie counsels a father whose daughter wants to work as a paid companion to cover college tuition. Emily Yoffe
There Are Two "Th" Sounds. Here's The Difference. 
An Early Draft of "The Star-Spangled Banner," With All Those Verses We Never Sing
Settle in for Sweet Dreams at This Clown Motel With a Cemetery View
A Detail-Packed Mid-19th-Century Map of World Religious Belief
Ish: How A Suffix Became A Word
Utah Police Officer Refuses to Protect Gay Pride Marchers. Religious Liberty in Action?
  Double X
The XX Factor
June 10 2014 3:53 PM Marriage Will Not Save Women From Male Violence Amanda Marcotte
If You Must Affix a Symbol of Your Love to a Bridge, Here Are Some Better Options
Paid Parental Leave: What Would Jesus Do?
Can the Female Condom Ever Catch On?
Sorry, Miss USA. A Black Belt in Taekwondo Is Not the Solution to Campus Rape. 
My Daughter Was Dress-Coded for Wearing Shorts
Colleges Are Letting Students Off Way Too Easy for Sexual Assault
  Arts
Brow Beat
June 10 2014 11:00 PM Never Leaving Las Vegas: Celine Dion and One Man's Loneliness Come Together in This Hilarious Video Sharan Shetty
Thank the Rock Music Gods, Because Spoon Is Back
Louis C.K. Has Talked About Stealing for Drug Dealers Before
What Will Be Your Song of the Summer? Take This Quiz and Find Out.
Already Watched Orange Is the New Black Season 2? Then Join Our Spoiler-Filled Discussion.
Lena Dunham Performing Sia’s “Chandelier” Is One of the Weirder Things You’ll See Today
Hear Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy Play 12 New Songs
  Technology
Future Tense
June 10 2014 7:05 PM The New Legend of Zelda Game for Wii U Looks Beautiful Lily Hay Newman
Report: Another Chinese Military Unit Has Been Hacking U.S. Systems—This Time Satellite Networks
This New Transit App May Get Me to Ditch My iPhone
The Startling Parallels Between Our Social Groups and Online Video Games
Everyone Wants to Control the Temperature in Your Smart Home
Watch a Tech Conference Turn Into a Shouting Match Between Angry Venture Capitalists
Whoops, Facebook Just Released an App by Accident
  Health & Science
Wild Things
June 10 2014 1:30 PM The Nihilistic Sex Lives of Spiders Menno Schilthuizen
A Gorgeous (Non-Polar) Vortex
These Gruesome Dollhouse Death Scenes Helped Create Forensic Science
A Cosmic Tadpole Struggles in a Bad Neighborhood
How Bioelectricity Could Let Us Regrow Lost Limbs
From Space to Earth: The Astronauts’ Journey Back (Video)
Scarf Up the Universe
  Sports
The Spot
June 10 2014 5:21 PM Striking Images of Brazil’s Anti-World Cup Protest Movement Juliana Jiménez Jaramillo and Jeremy Stahl
Will Argentina Ever Truly Love Lionel Messi?
The U.S. Men’s National Team Needs a Nickname. I’ve Got the Perfect Choice.
How the Brazilian Government Tried to Stamp Out the Country’s Soccer Protests
Watch John Oliver Explain Perfectly Why You Should Hate FIFA
Pick Your World Cup Bracket Based on Population, FIFA Rankings, and Animal Power
If the U.S. Plays Like It Did Against Nigeria, This World Cup Could Be a Lot of Fun