Recommended from Around the Web (Week Ending October 4, 2014)

Why Oculus Rift and the Latest Attempts at Virtual Reality Are Bound to Fail
Has Oculus Rift really solved the problems that sank previous generations of virtual reality? This analysis says no.
—Brian Bergstein, deputy editor

What Does Ethical Social Networking Software Look Like?
The journalist Quinn Norton tries to explain the interest in the new social network Ello by unpacking the dissatisfaction with Facebook.
—Jason Pontin, editor in chief and publisher

Why Academics Stink at Writing
Explaining complicated ideas is even harder than understanding them.
—Linda Lowenthal, copy chief

Giant Chinese 3D Printer Builds 10 Houses in Just 1 Day
3-D-printed houses, at last.
—Kevin Bullis, senior editor, energy

Your Inner Drone: the Politics of the Automated Future
An excerpt from Nicholas Carr’s new book offers an unsettling vision of a highly automated, not-so-distant, future.
—Will Knight, news and analysis editor

Peter Thiel Thinks We All Can Do Better
Tom Ashbrook and Peter Thiel examine how technological advances are slowing down, failing to produce the technology needed for the survival and longevity of future generations.
—J. Juniper Friedman, associate Web producer

Watch the Boston Globe Printing Press Work in This iPhone 6 Video
The new iPhone 6 captures the Boston Globe’s printing press. I bet that press works faster and is more reliable than your iPhone Internet connection.
—J. Juniper Friedman

Can Psychedelics Expand Our Consciousness?
Through the lens of a new book on the subject, this blog revisits a decades-old argument that under the right circumstances, psychoactive substances such as LSD, ecstasy, and mushrooms are consciousness-raising.
—Kyanna Sutton, senior Web producer