Slow Motion
July 30, 2020
Barry Perlus— Those in the Northern Hemisphere who have recently stepped outside just after nightfall to view Comet Neowise know that the window of time in which to view this… READ MORE
Category: Technology
Do We Need More Google Cities?
June 22, 2020
Carlo Ratti— One of the lesser-known casualties of COVID-19 has been a new, large-scale urban development in Toronto, led by Google sibling company Sidewalk Labs. Several years in the making,… READ MORE
Five Ways to Protect Democracy from Misinformation Online
June 18, 2020
Philip N. Howard— We need mandatory reporting on the ultimate beneficiaries of data. Citizens should easily be able to see which organizations are receiving and manipulating personal data. Social media… READ MORE
Can Engineering Ethics Be Taught?
June 4, 2020
Deborah G. Johnson— In 2010, after a two-year inquiry, a judge concluded that Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney had acted inappropriately when he accepted large amounts of cash from a… READ MORE
Because You Just Can’t Stop Reading the News
May 21, 2020
We get it. It’s tough to unplug from the current news cycle. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into topics around COVID-19 and beyond, we’ve got you covered (with… READ MORE
The Pace of Change
May 20, 2020
Danny Dorling— Did you think that the rate of innovation was rising and that more and more was being invented every year? Did you pause to question the claim, if… READ MORE
How Do You Make Electricity?
April 2, 2020
Ivo van Vulpen— One of the greatest threats to our prosperity and way of life is a shortage of energy. We don’t often pause to think about it, but our… READ MORE
Fiber Connectivity in the United States
March 30, 2020
Susan Crawford— In the United States, we cannot even imagine cheap, unlimited communications capacity in our homes. Because of decades of political maneuvering by the enormous private companies that sell… READ MORE
Addicted to Distraction
January 15, 2020
Judson Brewer— This is where the magic happens. Once behavior and reward are paired, the dopamine neurons change their phasic firing pattern to respond to stimuli that predict rewards. Enter… READ MORE
How Soon Will We Make Artificial Brains?
December 6, 2019
Michael D. Mauk— Artificial minds are all the rage in books and movies. The popularity of characters such as Commander Data of Star Trek Next Generation reveals how much we… READ MORE
From 9/11 to 9/11: The Widening of the Atlantic