Collaborate Disseminate
“We have people stealing all over the world.” A digital sleuth named Bryan Hance has spent the past four years obsessively uncovering a bicycle-theft pipeline of astonishing scale, running from the US West Coast to Mexico. Continue reading Silicon Valley’s Fanciest Stolen Bikes Are Getting Trafficked by One Mastermind in Jalisco, Mexico
First it was chess and Go. Now AI can beat us at Diplomacy, the most human of board games. The way it wins offers hope that maybe AI will be a delight. Continue reading What If the Robots Were Very Nice While They Took Over the World?
A new breed of self-care companies has a salve for fragile masculinity: lavender- and tapioca-scented deodorants and moisturizers for the nutsack. Continue reading My Balls-Out Quest to Achieve the Perfect Scrotum
Six years ago, I moved my family into a 50-year-old RV—not just to see America, but to test my belief that anything worth fixing can be fixed. Continue reading When a Vintage RV Is Your Home, Repair Is a Way of Life
The Pacific Northwest is due for a massive quake. I trained to help rescue efforts in the aftermath—by racing around the city on an electric kid hauler. Continue reading When the Big One Hits Portland, Cargo Bikers Will Save You
In 2011, Jeff Bezos dreamt up a talking device. But making the virtual assistant sound intelligent proved far more difficult than anyone could have imagined. Continue reading The Secret Origins of Amazon’s Alexa
Experts are using AI to pick apart classic recordings from the 50s and 60s, isolate the instruments, and stitch them back together in crisp, bold ways. Continue reading How Audio Pros ‘Upmix’ Vintage Tracks and Give Them New Life
Lora DiCarlo said her company’s robotic vibrator, the Osé, would redefine the market. But her hyped-up personal brand would be the real master stroke. Continue reading One Woman’s High-Touch Bid to Upend the Sex-Toy Industry
Poor indoor air quality causes serious health issues. Things can be improved with determination to sniff out the cause of the problem—and some pricey hardware. Continue reading Room to Breathe: My Quest to Clean Up My Home’s Filthy Air
YouTuber Simone Giertz gave up wildly popular but barely functioning machines and confronted her fears of imperfection (while facing her own mortality and making an awesome Truckla EV). Continue reading Why the ‘Queen of Shitty Robots’ Renounced Her Crown