The issue kicks off with a great long essay. It's a brief history of the internet, and a look at what it means for our mental health, along with a side trip to consider whether video games are, in fact, art. I know that those topics sound like they've been battered to the ground, but there is at least one good idea and/or striking image per page here. It's not a lazy essay by a wanna-be futurist; it's a well-thought-out, considerate piece of literature.
The magazine continues with a look at unemployment and whether full employment is a good, workable idea. There's a personal essay about living in Miami; an exploration of what our brief fascination with Octomom said about the recession; a brief excerpt of Sam Lipsyte's great new novel The Ask; and reviews of many books, including Max Brooks's zombie oeuvre.
All in all, it's a dense, smart journal covering dozens of seemingly disparate subjects, which is pretty much my definition of what a good magazine should be. If you only buy one magazine this month, make it this one.
