The 25 Best Things I’ve Seen on the Internet in 2018

Every year I post a list of my favorite things on the internet. Over the past five, they’ve been, well, more political than I’d like. This year needs to come to a close differently.

To kick off a 2019 without Facebook and end 2018 on a positive high note, I picked out the 25 things that were not only enriching, but brought me joy as well.

So clear a few hours on your break (I know you have no idea what day or time it is, so you’ll be able to do this), and I hope you enjoy.

1. The MCU trailer for Captain Marvel.
2. Focus Features’ trailer for “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.” (and the movie was 10 times better. See it.)
3. This inside look at Union Pool, the notorious hook-up bar of 2000’s New York.
4. GQ’s loose oral history of a man who was universally appreciated, as told by Anthony Bourdain’s friends.
5. This incredible thread on what it means to be a high-agency person, and how to do that in your life.
6. The Ringer’s oral history of Nirvana’s Unplugged.
7. Darius Foroux’s habits that have a huge impact on his life.
8. GQ’s earnest piece on Jimmy Kimmel’s humor and politics, and why both are driving him to success.
9. A rare funny moment in SNL’s 44th season: Che and Colin write each other’s jokes and have to perform them on air.
10. This Reddit thread about cheat codes in the game of life.
11. A closer look at the population density of New York City.
12. This entire thread about a woman and her adopted father who served in World War II.
13. New York mag’s must-read piece on how much of the internet is fake.
14. This Reddit thread that crowdsources the best documentaries every made.
15. Dave Itzoff’s excerpt from his book Robin on the final days of Robin Williams.
16. The great James Baldwin’s advice on how to be a better writer, compiled by the Literary Hub.
17. Bill Gates’ 5 Favorite Books of 2018.
18. New York Mag’s candid interview with Jeff Goldblum, the actual most interesting man in the world.
19. Quartz’s piece on how the high end art market is one of the most manipulated in the world.
20. This tweet about what type of person she should be dating includes an awesome Shel Silverstein poem.
21. Ryan Lizza’s bombshell story of a corrupt politician and his family. It reads like a criminal thriller, because it essentially is.
22. HBR’s sobering article on why great people leave “great” cultures.
23. The Village Voice beats up the MTA with a thorough exposè on why the world’s most important transit system is in dire straits.
24. So does the New York Times. And they do it with charts and animations.
25. This piece by the Seattle Times on the Baby Boomer generation’s under-explored – and potentially revealing – relationship with television.