Greetings, Future Tensers,
Spend enough time looking into nanotechnology, as we have for this month’s Futurography course, and you’ll realize that it touches on a vast array of fields and activities. Two pieces that we published this week help capture that range: First, James Pitt discussed attempts to use machine learning to predict how nanoparticles will function in medical applications. Then, on the opposite end of the spectrum, Emily Tamkin interviewed Kate Nichols, an artist in residence at a nanoscale laboratory. For Nichols, nanomaterials are more than a tool for making art; they also change the way that she sees art, reshaping her understanding of properties like color.
That’s the small stuff, but there are big things going on at the juncture of technology and sports this week: Will Oremus reviewed a virtual reality film about the 2016 NBA Finals, finding that it both challenged some “unwritten rules” about VR cinema and was actually worth watching, despite a few shortcomings. Football also made the jump to another medium, with the NFL broadcasting a recent game over Twitter. Laura Wagner watched and found that things went surprisingly smoothly. Meanwhile, new sports are still finding their way to old platforms, with drone racing debuting on ESPN.
Here are some of the other articles we read while wondering about this cow’s true identity:
- Cybersecurity: Everyone agrees that you should block your computer’s webcam, but what’s the best way to cover it? I reviewed some options.
- Communication: The latest iOS update tries to reduce emoji to mere replacements for words, and Zoe Mendelson worries that it’s ruining their expressiveness in the process.
- Emergencies: On Monday, the New York mayor’s office sent millions of citizens a vague, text-only alert about the search for a bombing suspect. Did it make them safer?
- Internet access: There’s an ambitious plan in the works to install free Wi-Fi all across the European Union.
Events:
- The 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act remains one of the most controversial federal tech-regulating laws on the books. On Thursday, Sept. 29, Future Tense and New America’s Open Technology Institute will host a lunchtime conversation in Washington, D.C., on the legacy and future of the law—and what lessons it offers for those crafting tech-related legislation. For more information and to RSVP, visit the New America website.
- Is it time we designed an election for the 21st century? Join Future Tense in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. for a happy hour and brainstorm on how to create a better, more efficient, and more just election system. For more information and to RSVP, visit the New America website.
Thumbs up emoji,
Jacob Brogan
for Future Tense
