animals Dogs and cats hate holiday fireworks. Here are 3 tips to protect your pet on July 4th. Xeni Jardin

deaths Roy Horn, of Siegfried and Roy, dies at 75 of Covid Rob Beschizza

poetry The oldest written record of "fuck" has been discovered — and it comes from a plague quarantine Thom Dunn

Weird Brave try at world sparkler record fails on technicality in Wyoming Xeni Jardin

construction Watch this fantastic Las Vegas-style hotel demolition in Las Vegas David Pescovitz

Turn your drone into a flying flamethrower David Pescovitz

Your tax dollars at work Even the fireworks were corrupt at Trump's July 4th 'Salute to America' Xeni Jardin

Oh Canada Canadians pass on fireworks, go for kindness to animals instead Jason Weisberger

lawrence Lawrence’s “Living Room” makes retro soul new again Ruben Bolling

Japan Senko hanabi: Japanese sparklers light the summer nights Thersa Matsuura

los angeles Buzzkill alert: The thousands of illegal fireworks over L.A. cause air pollution Rusty Blazenhoff

books Tom Wolfe, pioneering "New Journalist" and novelist, RIP David Pescovitz

burning man There's a semi-secret Burning Man calendar that you can (shockingly) buy Rusty Blazenhoff

video The Mexican town where 75% of residents manufacture fireworks Andrea James

books Volk: a sinister, Lovecraftian tale of eugenics, Naziism, and "radiant abomination" Cory Doctorow

authors Grant Morrison interview: "Laughter can banish any and all demons" Propaganda Anonymous

politics Watch her historic DNC speech in full: Hillary Clinton drags Trump (who tweets back) Xeni Jardin

books Company Town: Madeline Ashby's tale of sex and Singularity cults is a locked-door mystery at sea Cory Doctorow

war Watch: Kurds take out a "suicide bomb truck" as it hurtles toward them Rob Beschizza

happy mutants The best piece about Donald Trump published this election cycle Cory Doctorow