book
by Mary Beard
Mary Beard's history of Rome's first thousand years, from the founding myths to the moment Caracalla made every free inhabitant a citizen — sceptical of the legends, frank about how little the sources actually say, and as interested in ordinary Romans as in emperors. The best single-volume way into Rome, by the classicist most alert to its limits.
February 16, 2026
An EconTalk episode on America's WWII production miracle, Gwern's scaling hypothesis revisited, and Scott Alexander introduces the AI 2027 scenario.
July 13, 2026
Scott Alexander's team publishes its plan for AI going well, Joel Mokyr defends his Nobel thesis, and Ted Gioia argues the Odyssey belongs in the music department.
March 30, 2026
Veritasium tells the story of antimatter's discovery, PBS Space Time asks if we can test quantum gravity, and Experimental History on why being serious matters.
