Worst of McMansions: architectural criticism of inequality's most tangible evidence

Cory Doctorow 7:18 am Sun Aug 14, 2016

Between the Reagan years and the crash of 2008, developers absorbed the skyrocketing wealth of the 1% with monuments to bad taste and ostentation: the McMansion.

On "Worst of McMansions," an anonymous architecture critic scrapes Zillow listings for these monster homes and ruthlessly marks them up, explaining exactly what makes them so ghastly. Perhaps more entertaining is the back-and-forth with readers, some of whom are rather cranky about seeing the kinds of houses they live in (or aspire to) laid so bare. Start with McMansions 101: Front Entries, Montville Township, NJ, and McMansions 101: What Makes a McMansion Bad Architecture?

Today’s certified dank ™ McMansion is in Montville Township, NJ. It has 6 bedrooms, 7 full baths (2 half baths), and a 4 car garage. This lovely home, built in 2004 can be yours for the low price of $2,250,000.

Obviously a house with that price tag has to be of incredible quality, with impeccable architecture, constructed from only the finest of materials.

Never mind, it’s this clusterfuck. If David Koresh were into McMansions, this would totally be his jam.

The inside of this house looks like the inside of a boat. I’m not kidding, just see for yourself

Worst of McMansions [Tumblr]

(via Neatorama)

Play: Dungeons and Deadlines, "an epic game of work-life balance"

Smarter people than me have pointed out that "work-life balance" says the quiet part out loud, implicitly confirming that you stop living when you're at work. Miles Matrix's Dungeons and… READ THE REST
When contracting with Chinese manufacturers, it's very hard to avoid forced labor

The China Law Blog (previously) is one of my favorite sources of insight into the secret workings of the businesses that produce the majority of the world's daily-use goods. READ THE REST
Top tech grads are increasingly unwilling to work for Big Tech, viewing it as a new, unethical Wall Street

About five years ago, I was trying to get a bunch of Big Tech companies to take the right side of an urgent online civil rights fight, and I called… READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph

Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager

We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds

While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST