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The Ice Addicts Who Love to Chew Ice, How ‘Vibe’ Became the New ‘Mood’ and Matt Lauer, Asshole

We’ve got a couple of ice fiends on staff here at MEL — to protect their identities, they shall remain nameless. To be honest, I’ve dabbled in the frozen ice-pellet arts myself, though I stopped when I heard that it was bad for your teeth. The problem, from what I understand, is that it has to do with the “hardness” of ice, and how that hardness can affect your teeth’s enamel. But sure, do it if it makes you happy.

Must Read

“The Men Who Are Addicted to Chewing Ice”
The men who chew ice are everywhere. They’re your friends. They’re you’re coworkers. They might even be your family. For these secret addicts, ice is the straw that stirs their ice-cold drink, and if it isn’t readily available — in a purpose-built ice maker, in a multitude of ice trays, in a cup permanently attached to their numb hand — they completely lose their cool. READ MORE

Leave Chess Alone!

It’s true that folks on the Right love to boast about how Trump is playing “4D” chess when all his opponents are playing checkers, but as it turns out, the entire premise is faulty, and not just because Trump isn’t as smart as he or his supporters think. That’s not just our opinion either — it’s the opinion of a number of chess masters who are sick and tired of chess being used as a pawn (see what I did there?) in the game of politics.

Big ????

Not sure if you heard the news, but moods are out — it’s all about vibing now. What is a vibe? Allow Miles Klee to explain.

Eat… the Rich?

Eddie Kim watched all three parts of the new Netflix documentary about Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Inside Bill’s Brain, and found himself tempted to view Gates as the last of a different kind of billionaire. Given his curiosity and desire to fix human problems, rather than obsess over his own place in a shining technocratic future, could it be that Gates is an actually decent guy?

Hard Out Here for a Bisexual

Presenting as bisexual is inherently difficult: There are few stylistic shorthands that set bisexuals apart from monosexuals, and both “dressing gay” and “dressing straight” conceal aspects of their identity. Curious as to how bisexual people navigate this difficulty, Madeleine Holden spoke to more than 100 bisexual men, women and non-binary people about the sartorial choices they make to identify their sexuality.

The Don’t-Have-Any-Money Diaries

What’s it like trying to make a living as an Uber driver? For Rob Speed, an out-of-work web development consultant by day and a driver by night, the flexible schedule is great — even if he lives in his car when he’s not sleeping in a tent. Adam Elder spoke to Speed about living on his Uber fares for our new series, Real People Money Diaries, which explores how different people make ends meet in an age of increasing inequality and job instability.

You’re Not Depressed — You’re ‘Existentially Isolated’

Good news: You don’t have a chemical imbalance in your brain!

Bad news: You can’t relate to a single other human being on any level whatsoever.

Stop Hitting Yourself

Ever notice how hard it is to be nice to yourself? Being nice to other people seems easy by comparison. Psychologists think they’ve finally figured out why that is, and the reason is surprisingly straightforward.

Matt Lauer, Asshole