Lifestyle
Planning a weekend that feels longer than it is
A weekend feels longer not through more free time but through variety, novelty, and a deliberate break from the pace of the working…
Mara Devlin4 min read
Mara Devlin
Editor-in-Chief
Mara Devlin edits the publication and writes about the internet's infrastructure and incentives. She spent a decade as a technology reporter and editor before founding this masthead, and still does most of her reporting by reading documentation nobody else wants to read.
Articles by Mara Devlin
Internet
How spam filtering and moderation systems work
An explanation of how spam filters and content moderation systems combine automated rules, learned patterns, and human review to ke…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Entertainment
How a season of television gets scheduled and released
The release date of a television season is the visible endpoint of a long, quietly strategic chain of production and marketing deci…
Mara Devlin3 min read
Science
How noise-cancelling headphones actually work
Noise-cancelling headphones do not simply muffle sound; they generate a precisely opposite sound wave to cancel much of it out befo…
Mara Devlin7 min read
Science
Why Metals Feel Colder Than Wood
Metal and wood at the same room temperature feel different to the touch because of how quickly each material conducts heat away fro…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Internet
What a VPN Actually Hides, and What It Does Not
A VPN reroutes and encrypts your internet traffic through a server you choose, which hides your activity from your local network an…
Mara Devlin10 min read
Technology
E-Readers and the Question of Eye Strain
Not all reading screens are built the same way, and the difference between e-ink and backlit displays explains much of the comfort…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Internet
How websites measure performance and why it matters
An overview of how web performance is measured in practice, what the common metrics actually mean, and why speed has such a noticea…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Entertainment
The Hidden Craft of Subtitling and Dubbing
Subtitling and dubbing are treated as an afterthought by many viewers, yet they involve strict technical rules, cultural judgement…
Mara Devlin10 min read
Business
Pricing a small service business without guesswork
Many small service businesses set prices by instinct and adjust when something feels wrong. A more structured approach removes most…
Mara Devlin8 min read
Business
Choosing a Business Name That Still Works in Five Years
Naming a business is treated as a creative afterthought, but a poorly chosen name can limit growth, confuse customers and create le…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Entertainment
Why film sound design goes unnoticed
Great film sound design is built to go unnoticed, shaping emotion and tension beneath a viewer's conscious awareness far more than…
Mara Devlin4 min read
Culture
The Slow Return of Physical Media
Physical formats were meant to be replaced outright by streaming and digital files, but sales of vinyl, printed books and even film…
Mara Devlin8 min read
Internet
Understanding cookies and web tracking
A plain explanation of what cookies actually are, the difference between first-party and third-party cookies, and how that distinct…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Culture
Why Cover Versions Endure
Cover versions are among the most common yet least understood acts in music, straddling tribute and theft, homage and reinvention.…
Mara Devlin8 min read
Internet
How recommendation systems decide what you see
A clear explanation of how recommendation systems use your behaviour and the behaviour of similar users to decide what content, pro…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Culture
Why archives and link rot matter
Link rot erodes the internet's memory a little at a time, and the effort to preserve digital history is more fragile than most peop…
Mara Devlin3 min read
Lifestyle
Sleeping Better in a Noisy Home
Thin walls, street noise and shared living don't have to mean poor sleep. A combination of environmental changes and a few habits r…
Mara Devlin5 min read
Science
How Vaccines Train the Immune System
Vaccines work by showing the immune system a harmless preview of a pathogen, letting it build memory cells that can respond fast if…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Lifestyle
Keeping Houseplants Alive
The biggest cause of houseplant death isn't forgetting to water — it's watering on a schedule instead of watching the plant. A few…
Mara Devlin6 min read
Technology
Understanding Phone Battery Health in Plain Terms
Battery health figures on modern phones are useful but widely misunderstood. This guide explains what the number means, what shorte…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Internet
Why Memes Spread: The Mechanics of Online Humour
The images and phrases that spread across the internet in a matter of hours are not random accidents; they follow patterns of struc…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Business
Handling Late-Paying Clients Without Losing Them
Late payment is one of the most common and most avoided problems in small business. This article sets out a practical, unemotional…
Mara Devlin9 min read
Culture
Why Typography Shapes How We Read
Typography works best when it is invisible, which is exactly why its influence is so easy to overlook. Small decisions about letter…
Mara Devlin8 min read
Entertainment
The Real Job of a Casting Director
A casting director's job goes well beyond auditions, touching contracts, chemistry, and even a studio's marketing plan. This articl…
Mara Devlin10 min read
Lifestyle
Cooking a Week of Meals Without Burnout
Meal prep fails when it tries to be too tidy and too ambitious at once. Here is a looser system that still saves you time, money an…
Mara Devlin8 min read