Museums Are Ready for the Next Natural Disaster. Are You?
This story originally appeared on Slate and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. When Superstorm Sandy ripped through New York City in October 2012, it did not discriminate. At the construction site of the new Whitney Museum of American Art, chief operating officer John Stanley recalls “mechanical equipment bobbing like corks” in the floodwaters. And at the Rubin […]
Tesla Misses Production Goals, Inside Waymo’s Self-Driving Car Test Center, and More This Week in Car News
Late last month, dozens of automotive and tech journalists across the country got the digital equivalent of a golden ticket in their inbox: an invitation from Waymo to go “Behind Castle Walls.” This week, Alex joined that lucky cohort on an oh-so-rare tour of the abandoned Air Force base where engineers at Waymo (formerly known […]
Silicon Valley Benefits from Founder-Led Companies
In Silicon Valley, the very word “founder” has a kind of shamanic power. Using it to explain a decision can stop an argument cold. To say “the founder(s)” brought in a new executive, chose the office location, or even designed the logo requires no further discussion. If they did or said that, the thinking goes, […]
Chinese Bike-Sharing Startup Mobike Has Its Eye on Expansion
When Chinese bike-sharing company Mobike first formed, investors and suppliers were skeptical. The idea of a bike share program without storage docks had been tried before in China. But when Mobike launched with a few bikes last April, the service exploded, especially on social media. “It became more of a lifestyle in the city, rather […]
How a Microsoft Team Called the ‘Time Lords’ Watches the Clocks on Every Windows PC
In October 2015, the Turkish government made the last-minute decision not to observe daylight saving time; the stated reason was to allow more daylight during voting hours during the election, a week away. Muted chaos ensued. The Turkish people, at first unsure what time it was, risked missed flights and other calamities. Spared from the […]
Everything Attorney General Jeff Sessions Has Forgotten Under Oath
29. Whether in his meeting with Kislyak, Sessions raised the question of Russia’s support for Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad. 30. Whether, in that same meeting, he raised the issue of Russia’s interference in our electoral process. 31. Whether, as chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, he raised any Russia-related security issues with Kislyak. 32. […]
Uber Hid 57-Million User Data Breach For Over a Year
By now, the name Uber has become practically synonymous with scandal. But this time the company has outdone itself, building a Jenga-style tower of scandals on top of scandals that has only now come crashing down. Not only did the ridesharing service lose control of 57 million people’s private information, it also hid that massive […]
How Two Googlers Use Engineering Techniques to Solve Marital Disputes
I approached finding a spouse the way I do even the most emotional decisions: with logic. A few years ago, before I started dating, I wrote a list of requirements and some optional good-to-have features, similar to how one might decide on a smartphone. A friend who was helping me complained that I eliminated 90 percent […]
Don’t Stop the Presses! When Local News Struggles, Democracy Withers
Four days earlier, columnist Otis R. Taylor of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that “Oakland appears to be breaking down,” expressing frustration at the city’s growing tent communities, house fires, crumbling roads, and police department scandals. Days before the city’s deadline to approve its budget, protesters disrupted the city council meeting, forcing a delay. Some […]
The 13 Best Gifts for the PC Gamer in Your Life
Shopping for a PC gamer is a perilous endeavor. It’s easy to be led astray by what seems like a good deal at Amazon or Best Buy. Steep price cuts are tempting, but they don’t always lead to the treasure hoards they promise. Not to mention, PC gamers are also a notoriously fickle lot. But […]