Now They Tell Us: The Universe Is a Hologram?

Physicists have found evidence in simulations that the universe is quite possibly a projection; the latest Edward Snowden leak reveals the NSA uses Google cookies when determining whom to hack; meanwhile, the National Library of Norway is digitizing all of its books and making them free to read online. These discoveries and more below.

On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.

Simulations Back Up Theory That Universe is a Hologram A team of physicists has provided some of the clearest evidence yet that our Universe could be just one big projection.

Is the FCC’s Latest Study an Attempt to Bring Back the Fairness Doctrine? A new study proposed by the Federal Communications Commission caught the wrath of 16 GOP members of the Commerce Committee, who see it as a sneaky way to bring back the Fairness Doctrine.

Snowden Strikes Again – Another Breaking Story According to The Switch blog at The Washington Post, in a story just emailed as breaking news, NSA uses Google cookies to pinpoint targets for hacking.

TPP Won’t Wrap Up This Year, But Fast Track Remains a Threat Despite the U.S. Trade Representative’s concerted efforts to push through a deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) will not be completed by the self-imposed deadline of the end of this year.

Jewish National Fund ‘Repents’ for Erasing Palestinian Villages Has a senior figure in the Jewish National Fund (JNF) repented for his part in the dispossession of Palestinians?

The Sign Language Interpreter at the Mandela Memorial Was a ‘Fake’ Tuesday’s massive Mandela memorial in South Africa gave the Internet plenty to talk about: There was Obama’s rousing speech itself, his much-noticed (and, in some spheres, heavily freaked-out-about) handshake with Raul Castro, and of course his three-way selfie with a pair of European prime ministers.

Democrats Shouldn’t Be Scared to Talk About Inequality Last week, the centrist Democratic group Third Way caused quite a dustup with an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal warning Democrats against pursuing the populist path forged by Elizabeth Warren and Bill de Blasio.

Norway is Digitizing All its Books and Making Them Free to Read Online The National Library of Norway is digitizing all the books in its collection, processing the text to make it searchable, and making them available to read online.

News Corpse: the Twilight of the Murdoch Empire After decades of dominance, the Rupert Murdoch empire, especially its British side, is showing signs of decay. Will the rot make it over here?

Corporate Democrats in DC Already in Freakout Mode That Liz Warren Is a Threat to Their Power The Washington establishment’s war on Senator Elizabeth Warren has officially begun.

Can Print Magazines Save Themselves? Appearing on Charlie Rose in October to promote a celebratory coffee table book, Vanity Fair 100 Years: From the Jazz Age to Our Age, Graydon Carter, who has been the magazine’s editor for a successful run of 21 years, paid eloquent tribute to print magazines: “There are so many great magazines out there,” he said.

Does Upworthy Prove Media Outlets are Hurting Themselves By Publishing So Much Content? Two years ago, Upworthy didn’t exist. Today, it gets more than 80 million unique visitors every month.

NBC’s Big Fat Gay Mistake The network’s half-hearted attempts to appear gay-friendly while broadcasting the Sochi Olympics only underscore its complicity with the Kremlin’s crackdown on LGBT rights and freedom of the press.