Police-Grade Surveillance Technology Comes to the Playground
After Parkland, schools are installing gunshot-detection systems typically used in cities like Oakland and Chicago. But are they worth the expense?
The Teens Who Rack Up Thousands of Followers by Posting the Same Photo Every Day
A new meme format on Instagram is giving kids a low-pressure way to express themselves, make friends—and go viral.
Computer Science for Everyone
A new middle school in Washington, D.C., wants to help bridge the racial and economic gaps in tech.
Trump Is Not Texting You
What should have been a routine, required national test of the Wireless Emergency Alerts system has become a crucible for public distrust.
Raised by YouTube
The platform’s entertainment for children is weirder—and more globalized—than adults could have expected.
National Reporters Are Transfixed by the Kavanaugh Story. How About Their Readers?
Viewership for the major news networks was high, but TV only tells half the story.
The Coders Programming Themselves Out of a Job
When workers automate their own duties, who should reap the benefits?
What Scooters Were Always Supposed to Be
In a battery-powered reboot, the ’90s toy is living up to its destiny.
Even If You Hate Zuckerberg Now, You’ll Love Him Later
Just ask Bill Gates how it works.
When an AI Goes Full Jack Kerouac
A computer has written a “novel” narrating its own cross-country road trip.
How Tea Helped Women Sell Suffrage
Private-labeled teas helped fund success during the suffragist movement. Today’s activists might learn from their model. An Object Lesson.
Tech Was Supposed to Be Society’s Great Equalizer. What Happened?
In a special bonus episode of the podcast Crazy/Genius, the computer scientist and data journalist Meredith Broussard explains how “technochauvinism” derailed the dream of the digital revolution.
Elon Musk’s Fait Accompli
Musk and Tesla have settled the SEC’s securities-fraud lawsuit. The outcome feels like the end of an era for Musk.
Another Day, Another Facebook Problem
Facebook has identified, and fixed, an exploit that allowed attackers to gain control of user accounts. These failures are so common and so widespread, it’s becoming hard to even notice them.
Elon Musk Is His Own Worst Enemy
The SEC’s suit against the Tesla CEO is the latest sign that he can’t separate his company’s performance from his vision for the future.
The Moon Is Open for Business
Commercial companies are proposing lunar missions at a pace the world hasn’t seen since the Apollo program.
The Always-On Police Camera
Body cameras that automatically activate in response to the sound of gunfire could forever change people’s expectations about public spaces.
India’s Lynching Epidemic and the Problem With Blaming Tech
Violent mobs in India may have gotten inflammatory messages on WhatsApp, but the license to maim and kill came from long-standing cultural divisions and governmental failures.
Google’s New Tool to Fight Climate Change
The company will begin estimating local carbon pollution from cities around the world.
With Instagram’s Founders Out, Welcome to Facebook Inc.
The company’s three high-profile acquisitions—Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus—had fought to maintain their own identity. Those days may be over now.