S.A. Applin
Science Fiction Is Not Social Reality
The tech industry is inspired to create our world from linear, scripted science fiction stories.
With Echo in Hotel Rooms, Amazon Can Now Track Your Travel Habits
Amazon (and hotels) now have the option to collect new forms of data from people.
Amazon Wants You to Shop at Amazon as Long as You Follow the Rules It Doesn't Tell You About
Amazon has swallowed retail, and now has begun banning and threatening to ban what it deems to be problematic customers.
Tech Billionaires Are Building Their Utopias Without Asking Us
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are charting humanity's future, and there's little the rest of us can do to influence them.
Google Duplex Puts AI Into a Social Uncanny Valley
Google Assistant can now make phone calls, but the people answering the phones at small businesses can't yet form a relationship with an AI agent.
Delivery Robots Will Rely on Human Kindness and Labor
If robots are going to invade public spaces, they will be subject to vandalism and pranking.
Disrupting the Commons: Dockless Bikes and Scooters Create Layers of Community Instability
San Francisco's electric scooters are disruptive to the communities where they are abandoned and, because they are constantly moving, the issues of abandonment and refuse cycle through neighborhoods.