Boring

We need to make the exterior parts of buildings that people focus on more interesting, so that people want to protect rather than replace them. But most people aren’t architects or city planners—they can’t change the designs of what’s being made.Indeed, we have a public who feel utterly powerless, and a construction industry that talks to itself but not the public. That needs to change. We have public conversations about whether we should fly on holiday and use the carbon to go to Malaga or wherever, but there’s no…

Researchers report that a truck traversed the area near the seismic station in Manus Island. Image based on satellite images acquired on March 24, 2023. Alert your neighbors. Take shelter. Credit: Roberto Molar Candanosa and Benjamin Fernando/Johns Hopkins University, with imagery from CNES/Airbus via Google I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Rodents eating herbal remedies. I watched a truck mistaken for an alien…

For more than a decade, Twitter has been the Internet’s water cooler, a place where people can find the topics driving the day. The like, retweet, and favorite counts were crucial to this system, letting people quickly see what conversations were burning up and motivating them to get in on the action. The system wasn’t broken, but the platform’s new owner Elon Musk didn’t like it—so he says he’s going to break it himself.Mr. Tweet Fumbles Super Bowl TweetIn a series of tweets on Wednesday, Musk announced that like,…

Nothing says its latest device – the Phone 2a – is a mid-range handset. And just going by its specs, which include a 6.5-inch 120Hz OLED screen, up to 12GB of RAM and a big 5,000 mAh battery, that seems right. But starting at $349, it’s positioned more like a budget offering which makes it even more appealing. That’s because in a category where device makers often cut corners to hit a specific price, the Phone 2a combines solid components with a unique design to deliver a handset that looks good and is big on value. So…

Elon Musk’s underground tunnel-digging enterprise, officially known as The Boring Company, has faced scrutiny over alleged worker safety violations in Nevada in recent years, according to a new report from Bloomberg Businessweek. And while no Boring Company workers have died in the state, the report highlights a number of issues ranging from long hours and a lack of personal protective equipment to “faulty machinery” and burns.Mr. Tweet Fumbles Super Bowl TweetThe Bloomberg report focuses heavily on a dig site that would…

Apple this week celebrated the global premier of its brand new sci-fi space thriller Constellation, and early reviews indicate it might be one of Apple’s most divisive shows ever. Constellation, starring Noomi Rapace, tells the story of Jo, an astronaut who returns to Earth after surviving a major disaster in space. However, upon her arrival back on the planet “key pieces of her life seem to be missing.”Constellation debuted on Apple TV Plus on February 21 with its first three episodes, and the remaining five are set to…

Earlier today, we heard a rumor that Samsung is thinking about equipping the Galaxy Z Fold 6 with a 200MP primary camera similar to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. But a new report paints a bleak picture for those hoping to see camera upgrades on Samsung's next premium foldable. According to our friends over at GalaxyClub, Samsung is currently testing a 50-megapixel primary camera like the one found on the Z Fold 5. The company could still switch to a 200MP camera later in the development cycle, but that isn't the case right now.…

The Apple Vision Pro is here and, if social media is to be believed, it’s already creating a new race of goggle-fueled cyborgs. You’ve likely seen videos of people staggering around New York City like digitally transported zombies, the Vision Pro affixed to their faces like Scuba gear on a delirious diver who’s mistakenly crawled up on dry land. So far, people seem to be really enjoying this thing but it’s worth asking whether the device is good for them or is, instead, threatening to send them down a digital rabbit…

Anyone who has played video games knows that they do one thing well: Keep score. At any given moment, players know what level they’re on, how many points or kills or badges they’ve earned, and how far they must go to win. Oh, and they’re fun.That sophistication—and a bit of that fun—may soon be coming to school assessments.Educators and developers are increasingly looking to the digital world of games and simulations to make tests more stealthy, playful and, they hope, useful. In the process, the new assessments may also…

Buridan’s (or Aristotle’s, or Devo’s) paradox illustrates the internet’s awesome destructive potential. More important, quoting it also shows off my erudition. But here’s the internet’s terrible beauty. I picked up those fun facts by following a link from Devo lyrics to Aristotle to Buridan’s paradox. It took five minutes, whereas before the internet it would’ve taken several library trips plus letters requesting information to be posted to Devo’s people in Akron, Ohio. In other words, forget about it.Instead, with access…