We introduced a new series this week, Living With Data, which will help you decode how the massive amount of personal data hidden from your is affecting your life and your future. We had a bunch of great reviews too, from two new smartwatches on the market to what Siri means for your car. Here are the highlights from this week.
Living With Data: “This Shirt Was Designed Just for You!”
Ever wonder why ads for a particular pair of socks keep following you around the web? Or why that one person you hardly know keeps showing up in your news feed when your old friends rarely seem to appear? All these questions come back to data, and the algorithms that process it. This is the first installment of the Living With Data series, which explores how our online data is tracked, collected, and used in our everyday lives.
How Border Drones Were Born During the Vietnam War
From 1968 until 1973, the US military spent about $1 billion a year on a new computer-powered initiative intended to end the war in Vietnam. It went by many names over the years — including Practice Nine, Muscle Shoals, Illinois City and Dye Marker. But today it’s most commonly known as Operation Igloo White.
9 Things You Can Now Do With Apple Watch That You Couldn’t Before
With today’s launch of watchOS 2, Apple has brought a whole new lease of life to its pretty little wrist ‘puter. Here’s the most interesting things you can now do with your $800 wearable square of technology.
8 Reasons Why the Tokyo Olympics Will Be the Most Futuristic We’ve Ever Seen
In 1964, the last time Tokyo hosted the Summer Olympics, the nation revealed one of the biggest mic drops in transportation history: the debut of the shinkansen, the world-famous bullet train that became a Japanese icon. The first high-speed train in the world, it spurred similar technology to spread to Europe and other East Asian nations, paving the way for current maglev trains and, arguably, the Hyperloop.
When Are You Going to Get Your Prescription MDMA?
Not long ago, the idea of walking up to a clerk behind a counter and getting a baggie of weed seemed ludicrous. Now, in states where recreational or medical marijuana is approved and regulated, it’s a routine, mundane part of life. Are psychedelics next?
Inside the Engineering of the World’s First 1,000mph Car
Yesterday, a team of British engineers unveiled Bloodhound SSC: the world’s most powerful car, intended to reach speeds of over 1,000mph. Standing beside what looks like a rocket-on-wheels, it’s obvious what a marvel of engineering it is. We spoke to the team’s Lead Mechanical Engineer to find out how the vehicle was built.
Apple CarPlay Review: Siri’s a Boring But Useful Travel Pal
The first time I saw CarPlay in action, I couldn’t believe it. You could plug your plug your iPhone into the infotainment system and then get iOS on your dashboard?! It seemed like Apple finally found a way to turn an automobile into a rolling computer like Knight Rider.
What’s the Best Way to Tie Your Shoes? Physics May Have the Answer.
The most common mistake when tying your shoelaces is accidentally making a weaker granny knot instead of the stronger square knot. Now, physics can help you tie the perfect knot that stays tight no matter what.
The Moto 360 (2015) Review: Putting the Watch Back in Smartwatch
When smartwatches became a real thing you could buy, and not just a 80s fantasy dreamed up by Casio and Seiko, they looked unmistakably like technology on your wrist. Tech companies were mired in making a wristputer, rather than a wristputer you actually want to wear. But this year, that’s all changed.
Huawei Watch Review: I Love This Snazzy Piece, But Not That Price
Smartwatches, wristables, wearables — we’re getting a shitload of them this fall. As far as function is concerned, many of them will be carbon copies. What sets wearable winners like the Huawei Watch apart is the luxe aesthetic of blingy jewelry.
The Cheater-Catching Service Amber Rose Shills on Instagram Ripped Me Off
Celebrities promote stuff on Instagram all the time, from waist trainers to skinny teas to DIY teeth whitening systems. Products rarely look good, but with Amber Rose’s recent plugs for a sketchy background check website, we’ve reached a dismal new rung of vacuous shilling.
We Just Survived the Hottest Summer in Recorded History
Four months ago in New Delhi, the streets melted and the power grid flickered as temperatures soared well beyond 110 degrees Fahrenheit. India was in the midst of the fifth deadliest heat wave in its history, and summer hadn’t even begun.
Meanwhile in the Future: Now You Can Buy an Invisibility Cloak
Scientists now have a way to cloak something very small, making it effectively invisible. But what if scientists and engineers created a much larger version? What if we all had access to invisibility cloaks?
