ARCHIVE:
Future Tense
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Will a Fishy Geoengineering Experiment Raise the Stakes of Global Environmental Law?
It may have taken someone dumping iron into the ocean to make the world take notice.
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Neuroscientists: Mercenaries in the Courtroom
Using brain imaging to select jurors and more could have disastrous results.
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Should We Screen Kids’ Brains and Genes To ID Future Criminals?
Intervention might help save troubled kids. But the label could doom them.
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New "Surveillance-Proof" App To Secure Communications Has Governments Nervous
Silent Circle promises to make encryption easy for everyone.
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Will Neuroscience Radically Transform the Legal System?
Brain scans may help us read minds and assign responsibility better.
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How To Make a Spy Exhibit Boring
Museums are using technology to create spectacle, not spark learning.
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Are You Going To Eat That Wrapper?
Edible packaging could cut down on food-related waste. But will people try it?
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How Many “Next Silicon Valleys” Are There?
A map of many places suggested to be the next tech capital of the world.
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Drunk on Gadgets
Politicians don’t understand science and technology, so they expect it to do too much.
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The Chinese Steve Jobs Is Probably a Pirate
China’s greatest innovators are the people ripping off companies like Apple and Nintendo.
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Whose Space-Exploration Policy Is Better—Obama’s or Romney’s?
A close look at the candidates’ views on NASA, the International Space Station, and more.
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Bombing the Test
Obama and Romney both get failing grades for their nuclear weapons policies.
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The Next Big Battle in Internet Policy
When your smartphone can talk to your fridge, network neutrality will be more important than ever.
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Sword Fight on a Hong Kong Rooftop
How Neal Stephenson and I stopped bashing each other with sticks and learned real swordsmanship.
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Kickstarter Will Not Save Artists From the Entertainment Industry’s Shackles
A new study says crowdfunding benefits only certain kinds of movies.
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Pandora’s Box
New legislation might finally fix the messy Internet radio royalty system.
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Status Update
How activists are using technology to convince young undocumented immigrants to apply for the Deferred Action program.
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Here Comes the Data Economy
New companies are creating services using government data on health care, education, and more.
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Lies, Damned Lies, and Open Data
Governments are releasing more information than ever. But now we have to face new kinds of political debates.
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Better Than Steroids?
The hype behind Stanford’s magic “cooling glove” for athletes.
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Your Tweet Counts
The Internet is a never-ending election. Policymakers should pay attention.
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Can a Former Authoritarian State Embrace Open Government?
Mexico’s early attempts at transparency failed. But new efforts may actually work.
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The Most Important Information Missing From Yelp
Crowdsourcing sites and local government should pool their data to better inform consumers.
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The Fire Next Time
While we’re facing more wildfires than ever, the federal government wants us to return to outdated firefighting methods.
