How does one get sucked into a cult? Amanda Montell posits that language plays a major part in attracting people to cults and keeping them in — a “conquest of vocabulary”. Language, she says, is the foundation cults are built on, forming the reality by which their members operate in. For example, Jim Jones adopted paranoid “us versus them” terminology, called his followers his “children”, defectors “traitors”, and himself “God in the Body” seemingly to foster a community that drew close to him and shunned outsiders out. Read full article here
Technology
The First Solar-Powered Car Comes at a Hot Price
The Lightyear O is a revolutionary electric car powered by the sun. Developed by a Dutch startup, the four-door sedan has over 50 square feet of solar panels on its roof and hood, generating up to 43 miles of energy a day. With production now underway in Finland, the car does come with a hefty price tag at $262,000, but the company hopes to introduce a more affordable version, the Lightyear 2, by 2025. Read full article here