What People Really Want From News Organizations
Pundits complain that people are satisfied with the echo chambers they’re in, but that’s not quite right.
A Transcript of the Greg Gianforte ‘Body-Slam’ Audio
Yet again, a recording contradicts the alleged assailant’s account of what happened.
Why News Organizations Can't Go It Alone
Journalists still expect people to turn to them first to make sense of the world. They shouldn’t.
What It's Like to Use an Original Macintosh in 2017
The Internet Archive’s new software emulator will take you back to 1984.
Silicon Valley's Big Three vs. Detroit's Golden-Age Big Three
Today’s tech giants dominate the U.S. economy like automotive companies did before them, but what that dominance means has changed.
Podcasting Is the New Talk-Radio
The intimacy of the format has the potential to make listeners feel things—and emotional resonance affects how people perceive information.
How Bots and Humans Might Work Together to Stop Harassment
Platforms and news organizations both need to do more with technology to protect people.
Who Are the Shadow Brokers?
What is—and isn’t—known about the mysterious hackers leaking National Security Agency secrets
Historic Rejection Letters to Women Engineers
“We have not now, have never had, and do not expect to have in the near future, any women students registered in our engineering department.”
Facebook Doesn't Understand Itself
The company’s content moderation guide suggests it hasn’t come to grips with its unique role in the world.
A Brief History of SETI@Home
How astronomers deputized early internet users to help find alien civilizations
How Applied Mathematics Could Improve the Democratic Process
A low-tech solution to America’s voting problems
The Peculiar Prophecies of Nostradonald Trump
The president’s critics are dipping into his vast Twitter archive to find evidence of hypocrisy—and maybe even fortune telling.
The Westernization of Emoji
The takeout box and the fortune cookie are perceived as emblems of Chinese culture, when they’re actually central to the American experience of it.
Getting to Know Your Online Doppleganger
Platforms should give users the opportunity to experience informational environments as others see them.
The Nomad Who’s Exploding the Internet Into Pieces
Could decentralizing online life make it more compatible with human life?
When a Robot Names a New Color of Paint
“Stoomy Brown.” “Burble Simp.” “Stargoon.”
The Dangers of Reading in Bed
In 18th-century Europe, the practice was considered a menace to life and property, but mostly to morals. An Object Lesson.
Corporate Surveillance Is Turning Human Workers Into Fungible Cogs
Emerging technologies are enabling more invasive management practices.
20 Questions With Google's Assistant and Apple's Siri
The two digital helpers can now be used on the same phone. Which knows more about flight schedules, sports stats, and Beyoncé?