Was Gamification a Terrible Lie? Turning work into play was sold as a miracle for increasing productivity–but was that ever really plausible?

    Dreaming Up Inventions for an Afrofuturist World Three magical tools necessary for both liberation and laughter.

    Scientists Like Me Are Studying Your Tweets–Are You OK With That? As researchers, we have a responsibility to acknowledge that factors like the type of data, the creator of that data, and our intended use for the data are important when it comes to using public information.

    The Boundaries of Artificial Emotional Intelligence If our virtual assistants and emotional laborers are all turning out to be soothing, female-voiced AI, will it close certain gaps for human women? Or will it ratify them?

    Beats: Food Food structures our day, and food systems shape our world

    To Board a Cruise Ship–and Never Get Off Meet the retirees who never stop moving.

    A vast stack of containers on a ship

    Postcards From a Supply Chain

    A series that traces consumer goods back through the global shipping system to their source.
    Dan Williams
    Jan 21, 2015

    Isla del Encanto

    Puerto Ricans have always found opportunity in the limits placed upon them. Exploring the island’s agricultural future–from community gardens to research hubs, bakers to growers to distillers.
    Alicia Kennedy
    Apr 16, 2019

    The ID Question

    Who decides who you are? You, or the world around you?
    Anjali Ramachandran
    Nov 22, 2017

    Beats: Space

    Space is where we project our dreams–and our nightmares–of the future.

    Beats: Food

    Food structures our day, and food systems shape our world

    Beats: Disability

    “Disable” is an active verb, and disability describes the social and environmental barriers that prevent access just as much as an individual body’s physical reality.

    Beats: Health

    Access to health care is as much a matter of public policy as it is the size of a person’s pocketbook; within a doctor’s office, many factors affect the quality of treatment.

    Transport Isn’t Technology, It’s Politics

    Policy and politics are what really determine the infrastructure and the technology on and by which we travel.
    Konstantinos Dimopoulos
    Feb 17, 2017 5 min read

    Dismantling the Myths of PMS

    New research challenges the extent to which hormones govern perceptions, emotions, and behaviors during the menstrual cycle.
    Sian Williams Page
    Feb 8, 2019 3 min read

    Ringtones and Playstations: The Tools of Grime’s Low-Fidelity All-Stars

    How 21st-century London’s homegrown music genre was shaped by the technology used to compose it.
    Dan Hancox
    Jul 20, 2018 4 min read