- Biggest Spike in Traffic Deaths in 50 Years? Blame Apps [NYT]
- The Analog Spaces in Digital Companies [The New Yorker] [Via]
- Smartphone Users Trust Strangers Less [Journalist’s Resource]
Archives for November 2016
No Tech Reader #10
The Office on the Move: Portable & Pocket Typewriters
At least since the 1980s, home working has been touted as a trend with potential environmental benefits. Since the arrival of mobile phones, portable computers and the internet in the 1990s, the focus has shifted to “remote” or “agile” working, which includes working at home but also on the road and in so-called third places: coffeeshops, libraries or co-working offices.
According to a 2014 consultancy report, “the vast majority of jobs in most organisations can be accomplished from virtually any PC or mobile device, from just about anywhere”. Upon a closer look, however, wireless computing isn’t that revolutionary as you would expect. The laptop and the internet have eroded the anchoring function of the office, but this is only a novelty if you compare with the office of 25 years ago. In a larger historical context, not that much has changed.
The Hermes Featherweight. Source: ozTypewriter.
Human Powered 3D Printer
The Trophy is a 3D Print Machine, consisting of an Ultimaker 3D printer and a stationary bicycle to power it. Pierre-Clement Niviere designed it to make people aware of the high energy consumption of printing a 3D-object, criticising a technology that’s usually presented as an environmentally friendly way of production. The set-up also involves the maker in the creation process, raising questions about how 3D printing is changing making.
See it in action. Previously: Mechanical 3D-printer. Thanks to Pim Rooymans.
No Tech Reader #9
- Hail the maintainers. [Aeon]
- The end of upgradable Apple computers. [Motherboard]
- Eye contact is good for you. [Guardian]
- Weapons AI increasingly replacing, not augmenting, human decision making. [Defense One]
- The demoralized mind. [New Internationalist]
- The binge breaker. [Atlantic]
- Crash: how computers are setting us up for disaster. [Guardian]
Last three links via Hunther/Gatherer.
