John Naughton

1 week ago | theguardian.com | John Naughton

Donald Trump’s tariff strategy has at least one biblical connection: like the peace of God, it “passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Rival attempts to extract a rationale from the chaos include the idea that he is trying to devalue the dollar, or that he is seeking to “reshore” the manufacturing capacity that the US lost through decades of globalisation.

2 weeks ago | carrollspaper.com | John Naughton

(Reprinted from the Indianola Independent Advocate.)Kent Halstead’s history classroom at Indianola Middle School buzzes with a different attitude than that found in most Iowa schools. Music from Halstead’s cellphone playlist pulses, an eclectic mix from Boston to C.W. McCall. Students sit cross-legged at their seats or leisurely find spots on the floor. There’s laughter and a casual confidence that the pupils display when they approach Halstead for advice.

2 weeks ago | msn.com | John Naughton

Microsoft Cares About Your PrivacyMicrosoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | John Naughton

Ever thought of having your genome sequenced? Me neither. But it seems that at least 15 million souls have gone in for it and are delighted to know that they have Viking ancestry, or discombobulated to find that they have siblings of whom they were hitherto unaware. The corporate vehicle that enabled these revelations is called 23andMe, which describes itself as a “genetics-led consumer healthcare and biotechnology company empowering a healthier future”.

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | John Naughton

At international academic conferences recently, one sees an interesting trend. Some American participants are travelling with “burner” phones or have minimalist laptops running browsers and not much else. In other words, they are equipped with the same kind of kit that security-conscious people used to bring 15 years ago when travelling to China. So what’s up? Well, these academics have a finger on the pulse of Trump’s America, and are concerned about what might happen when they return home.