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Did Twitter’s design inevitably led us to Brexit and Trump?
Last week we talked about how mediums—like film and novels—have their own built-in rules, and how those rules necessarily shape the way you can tell…
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The Tom Bombadil theory of media literacy
One of the most profound lessons you can learn about media literacy is that it isn’t enough to talk about the content—you need to talk…
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YouTube and the end of “internet culture”
Last week YouTube officially announced that the trending page is going away, to be replaced with separate trending pages just for music, podcasts, and movie…
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Do it anyway.
I hate running. I used to believe that, over time, this would change. I thought, over time, that I would grow to love running out of…
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What to do if you find a shipwreck and other practical advice I wrote this week
I had a great time writing about what to do if you find a shipwreck over at PopSci. The good news: it’s not impossible! The bad news:…
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How to bring democracy to America
Imagine that you, as a philanthropist or activist who wants to help spread democracy across the world, read about a country described as a “flawed…
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Oh No There’s an AI Clippy Now (and other stuff I wrote this week)
I regret to inform you that someone made an actual AI Clippy. The application, which is more art project than useful application, run an actual local…
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The hardest thing I do every week (and how I do it)
I write a lot. I’ve finished just shy of 150 articles so far this year between Lifehacker, PopSci, WIRED, and PCMag, an average of 25…
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Dishwashers are great and other stuff I wrote this week
I think dishwashers are great, so I wrote about the science of why you should use your dishwasher over at PopSci. It’s easier to do and better…
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Tech is making things easier—just not for you
“Technology makes everything more complicated,” an elderly relative said to me. It’s hard to argue with. In this specific situation she had paid to reserve…