It is, hands down, the best digital piece of journalism I’ve seen this year. But while it’s easy to marvel at its sheer visual beauty, this is not what makes this piece excel. What does is a powerful story – of people being trapped in an avalanche – powerfully supported by just the right visual elements to create a unique form of storytelling. The only thing I missed: A subtle, fitting soundtrack to go along with the long read.

800 different languages are spoken in New York, more than anywhere else in the world. Some of them will die there forever.

Expect this article to enlighten you as well as to entangle your thoughts quite a bit. It’s about why it matters that laser beams can tie themselves in knots.

Very intense portrait images of animals. The second one there: Yes, that’s exactly what we look like when we check emails on the phone.

Let’s briefly assume that the world won’t end on December 21 and that we’ll get past the usual horrors of christmas. In that case, you might be interested to read about what to expect from 2013. As usual, The Economist dedicates an issue to the upcoming year. «The Year in 2013» is a must-read. If you’re more of the list-loving type, The Economist’s calendar of world events in 2013 is what you’ll want to click.