The Danger of Falling In Love With a “Petbot”
When you give your heart to technology, it’s best to be prepared for the reality that just because it could last forever doesn’t mean it will.
Technology & Innovation
Why Microsoft’s Clippy Is Now a Pop Culture Icon
Clippy’s newfound popularity seems to reflect a hunger for the good old times when assistants might be annoying, but were also easily switched off and lived without. Unlike the ubiquitous voice assistants of today.
Why I Will Never Buy a Macbook
I am a writer, so my keyboard is pretty important to me. It’s the reason why my computer of choice for the past two decades has consistently been a Lenovo Thinkpad. They have the best keyboards.
How To Archive Yourself In the Digital Age
This article helped me consider the value of discarding that archive so I can move beyond the past version of myself that it commemorates. No doubt it is easier to become a better person when your past self isn’t just a resurfaced tweet away.
The Non-Obvious Insights Show – Episode #233
This week’s stories will include desperate airlines selling in-flight meals online, the LA Olympic committee’s brilliantly inclusive new logo, how to use stupidity to get a promotion, a conversation with Silicon Valley’s last ethical thinker and how a Japanese rock star and Lady Gaga are showing us the future of virtual performances. This Week’s Stories: … Read more
The First Robot Many People Loved Is Getting a Second Life
Last year in I wrote about a story from WIRED about the unexpectedly real sense of loss that many owners of the Jibo robot were feeling when its parent company announced they would no longer be supporting the social bot. Now another company has acquired the rights and patents to Jibo and have plans for a bold … Read more
How Ultra-Niche Phones Are Going Tiny, Rugged and Bringing Back Keyboards
Each time a “game-changing” new mobile phone is announced with a camera that has incrementally more megapixels, it sparks another moment of tech envy. Every few months we are forced to regret the decision to buy our own inferior phones that seem nowhere near as awesome as the new one that makes our previous version … Read more
5 Virtual Presentation Lessons From Comic-Con
I have wanted to go to the Comic-Con event for years, but never quite managed to make it. This year, I finally can – because the entire event is happening virtually. It is happening all weekend, and there is already an excellent panel online you can watch on how teachers are using comic books to help students … Read more
How Researchers Trained and Created AI With Psycopathic Tendencies
What happens when you train an AI algorithm only with murderous images from horror films or macabre photos from the Internet? A seriously disturbed AI, as researchers at the MIT Media Lab discovered. The AI, named “Norman” after the lead character from the horror film “Psycho,” reacted disturbingly in image association tests and exhibited severe tendencies toward … Read more
5 Ways To Conquer Zoom Fatigue
We are tired of Zoom. It’s not just Zoom, but the idea of being on video all day that is straining our relationship with the same video technology that once seemed like it might offer us a salvation from the isolation of working remotely. The fatigue is predictable, and growing. There are also some several … Read more
