Collaborate Disseminate
The word processor doesn’t just deserve scolding. Here’s an honest look at some budding word-processor innovation efforts. They’re worth writing home about. Continue reading The Future of the World’s Most Boring Software, the Word Processor
They’re big, clunky, and annoying, but AC adapters are a fact of life in consumer electronics. Why? Let’s just say Thomas Edison’s getting his comeuppance. Continue reading The Story of the AC Adapter, Thomas Edison’s Revenge on the Power Grid
When AllMusic launched 25 years ago, it wasn’t an obvious big data play. But it became one. Hidden in its millions of entries is music’s collective history. Continue reading The Story of AllMusic, the Internet’s Largest, Most Influential Music Database
Staffed by former Atari employees and with a big hit on its hands, Worlds of Wonder tried to ride Teddy Ruxpin to the promised land. They failed, fast. Continue reading The Astonishing Failure of the Toy Company That Made Teddy Ruxpin
It took a while for the internet to turn into a major global force, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. (Peter Gabriel deserves at least some of the credit.) Continue reading An Obscure Peter Gabriel Benefit Concert Helped Bring the Internet to the World
Tiger Electronics’ LCD-based games shouldn’t have been as successful as they were against the Game Boy. But the company was anything but a failure. Why? Continue reading Tiger Electronics Took on the Game Boy with Devices as Powerful as Calculators
For decades, word processors have continually gained new features that get in the way of the ultimate goal: writing. How do we get back to that goal? Continue reading It Makes No Sense That Word Processors Are Still Designed for the Printed Page
We’re a long ways from a robot becoming the next great American novelist. But Articoolo, an Israeli startup, hopes to get ’bots writing more than ever. Continue reading Could a Bot Replace a Journalist? Not Without Some Problems
It seems like we’ve been dealing with frustrating call centers forever. But, as it turns out, customer service via phone is a relatively recent phenomenon. Continue reading The History of the Call Center Explains How Customer Service Got So Annoying
For more than 100 years, the cool breezes of air conditioning have taken hold around the world. It took us about as long to even consider the side effects. Continue reading What Air Conditioning Can Teach Us About Innovation and Laziness