feb. 7

Links we love today: Things we all agree on, internet addiction, Lauryn Hill onacid and more

Assistant Editor Samantha Pitchel reads everything so you don’t have to.

Here are the links we loved today:

Esquire has helpfully compiled a slideshow of 79 things we can all agree on; The Frisky’s (actually totally legit) 5 dangers of flirty texting; 7 epic roommate pranks.

Lawsuit filed on behalf of “enslaved” Sea World killer whales.

Dalkey Archive Press posts excerpts from the forthcoming David Foster Wallace volume of their Literary Conversations series.; Writer Emma Straub interviewed on the Bomblog.

Mindblowing statistic: only 4% of college students are black males.

How do I know if I’m addicted to the internet? (Incidentally, I was asking myself that mere minutes before coming across this post…); Related infographic illustrates our growing connectedness.

Is online dating destroying love?:

[I[t often fails to work – not least because elsewhere in cyberspace there are people like Nick, who aren't looking for love from online dating sites, but for sexual encounters as perishable and substitutable as yoghurt…[T]here's another problem for the lie-dream of online romantic fulfilment: in the hypermarket of desire, as in a large Tesco's breakfast cereal aisle, it's almost impossible to choose.

How GIFs are changing the way we see the world.

Can Occupy survive without occupations?

Laptop Mag rounds up the top offerings under $500.

Vice takes acid and goes to a Lauryn Hill show.

Fact: New Mexico almost passed a law requiring psychologists to dress as wizards; Dallas man faces amputation after golf course fight ends in impalement.

Whatever whatever, Lindsay Lohan is pretty gorgeous in these pretty photoshopped shots from Terry Richardson.

Must-listen-to of the day: xojane compiles a "high school mixtape introduction to feminism."

Stream Young & Old, the latest from pop outfit Tennis, in its entirety over at Gorilla vs Bear; Stream Fucked Up’s epic 15-minute annual Chinese Zodiac single, “Year of the Tiger.”

Band of Skulls cover Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers”:

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star-spangled flop

Texas bottoms out on new list of most patriotic states in U.S.

Texas Capitol building with state and US flags

Photo by Muhammad Ma'ruf on Unsplash

Texas ranks 45th for the second year in a row.

Texas has fizzled out once again as one of the least patriotic places in the U.S., according to a new report.

WalletHub's report, "Most Patriotic States in America (2026)", was released just ahead of America's 250th anniversary and compares the military and civic engagement levels across all 50 states. Factors such as the number of veterans per 1,000 civilian residents, the share of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election, volunteer rates, and others, were used to determine which states are the "most patriotic."

The Lone Star State sits at 45th out of 50 for the second year in a row. Texas first earned its surprising rank as the 6th least patriotic state in 2025, after previously ranking 36th in 2024. Texas' performance across the two main categories in the study remain unchanged year-over-year, with the state ranking 13th nationally for its military engagement and 47th in civic engagement.

Texas has the third-highest average number of military enlistees in the U.S., but it has the second-lowest percentage of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election.

WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said the most patriotic states in America — this year they are Virginia, Montana, and Vermont — have high voter turnouts, a large share of residents who are veterans or active military, and boast a large share of the population that volunteer with local or national organizations.

Essentially, patriotism can be found in places where residents are "actively working to improve conditions for your fellow Americans," says WalletHub.

"Being a patriot means loving your country and its people while also recognizing its flaws and striving to make it the best it can be," the report's author wrote.

At least Texas is more patriotic than the bottom five states in the report: Florida (No. 46), Alabama (No. 47), Louisiana (No. 48), New York (No. 49), and Arkansas (No. 50).

The top 10 most patriotic states in America this year are:

No. 1 – Virginia
No. 2 – Montana
No. 3 – Vermont
No. 4 – Colorado
No. 5 – Oregon
No. 6 – North Dakota
No. 7 – Washington
No. 8 – Maryland
No. 9 – Minnesota
No. 10 – New Hampshire

texas wallethub reports 4th of july

feb. 7

Links we love today: Things we all agree on, internet addiction, Lauryn Hill onacid and more

star-spangled flop

Texas bottoms out on new list of most patriotic states in U.S.

Beard-recognized Houston chef serves up fresh concept in Midtown high-rise

Drake finally confirmed as new owner of $15 million Dos Brisas ranch near Brenham

Houston restaurateur opens new shop stocked with his favorite products