The New York Times Magazine: Beyond the Bitcoin Bubble

Cryptocurrencies could help create something much more important than wealth. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, January 19, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( You may be feeling stupefied, lately, by the runaway valuations of Bitcoin and Ether, two cryptocurrencies that have already accumulated billions of dollars in wealth — on paper, at least — for some of their early adopters. But does anyone else need to care about the arcane technical breakthrough the currencies were built on? In this week’s cover story, Steven Johnson considers [blockchain technology, diving deep into the history of the internet]( to trace out the ways that subtle decisions about software architecture can, over time, wind up unleashing profound forces across the globe. It’s the tool behind those currencies, he finds, that holds the potential to usher in the decentralized, egalitarian ideals the internet was built on — long before companies like Facebook added missing elements, privatized them and became some of the most valuable companies in the history of capitalism. Elsewhere in the magazine, Jennifer Percy reports from Oregon, two years after the standoff at the Malheur Refuge, and finds many people convinced that their way of life is being [trampled on by the federal government](. Leslie Jamison writes, bracingly, about [female rage](. Teju Cole considers five photographs from across the career of the [master street photographer Joel Meyerowitz](. And we welcome back the ‘‘Still Processing podcast’’ with an episode in which Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham discuss their [grand theory of Oprah](. Happy reading, Jake Silverstein Editor in Chief Photo illustration by Delcan & Company [Feature]( [Beyond the Bitcoin Bubble]( By STEVEN JOHNSON Yes, it’s driven by greed — but the mania for cryptocurrency could wind up building something much more important than wealth. Photo illustration by Matthieu Bourel [I Used to Insist I Didn’t Get Angry. Not Anymore.]( By LESLIE JAMISON On female rage. [Joe Cronin on his ranch in the Malheur National Forest, in October.]( Peter van Agtmael/Magnum, for The New York Times [Fear of the Federal Government in the Ranchlands of Oregon]( By JENNIFER PERCY Two years after the standoff at the Malheur Refuge, many people in the region remain convinced that their way of life is being trampled. [Can Autism Make Me a Diversity Hire?]( By KWAME ANTHONY APPIAH The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on whether being “on the spectrum” should be grounds for affirmative action, donating to a losing campaign and more. [It Looked Like a Familiar Case of Depression, but Could It Be Something Else?]( By LISA SANDERS, M.D. When the woman experienced dark moods out of the blue, psychiatrists treated her. But the medications didn’t help. ADVERTISEMENT [‘‘New York City, 1975.’’]( ‘‘New York City, 1975.’’ Joel Meyerowitz. From the Howard Greenberg Gallery. [Joel Meyerowitz’s Career Is a Minihistory of Photography]( By TEJU COLE Five photographs reveal the evolution of a master street photographer. Photo illustration by Derek Brahney [Behind Every Villain Stands Someone ‘Complicit’]( By CARINA CHOCANO It’s easy to point fingers at those who enable terrible people — and much more uncomfortable to consider the ways we all might be responsible. [A way to reveal just how wild your backyard can be.]( Photo illustration by Ben Giles [Letter of Recommendation: Bushnell Trophy Cam]( By RYAN BRADLEY A way to reveal just how wild your backyard can be. [Kevin O’Leary Is Unmoved by Your Tears]( Interview by DAN AMIRA The “Shark Tank” star on running for office in Canada, not glamorizing entrepreneurship and whether his co-stars deserve to burn in hell for being too nice. [New Sentences: From ‘The Juniper Tree,’ by Barbara Comyns]( By SAM ANDERSON This sentence is like a parlor game: You can apply its structure to nearly everything. ADVERTISEMENT If you enjoy our newsletter forward this email to a friend and help the magazine grow. Getting this from a friend? [Sign up to get the magazine newsletter](. Let us know how we can improve at: [newsletters@nytimes.com](mailto:newsletters@nytimes.com?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback%20NYT%20Magazine) Check out our [full list of free newsletters]( including [The #MeToo Moment]( The latest news and insights on the sexual harassment and misconduct scandals roiling society. FOLLOW NYTimes [Twitter] [@nytmag]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's The New York Times Magazine newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2018 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018