Dragnet Surveillance and the English Language
«A government threatens its own legitimacy by relying on its own dictionary.» A linguistic take on NSA-surveillance.
From Weekly Filet #157, in April 2014.
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Technology
A collection of some of the best links from around the web, manually curated.
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Why Google Maps gets Africa wrong
Early cartographers just drew elephants when they didn’t know the territory. A good reminder of the (inherent) inaccuracy and (deliberate) bias in maps – and what it means that a commercial product, Google Maps, shapes everyone’s ideas of world geography.
From Weekly Filet #157, in April 2014.
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How the elevator transformed America
This is the story of the awkward, tiny moving room that changed entire cities: the elevator.
From Weekly Filet #155, in March 2014.
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If Cars Really Could Drive Themselves, How Many Would We Need?
As cities full of self-driving cars become a realistic scenario, fewer cars are needed. But how many? MIT did the maths for Singapore.
From Weekly Filet #155, in March 2014.
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As the Web Turns 25, Its Creator Talks About Its Future
It’s now 25 years since the web was invented. a) A telephone to prove that the development has only just begun. b) We’d better worry about its future.
From Weekly Filet #154, in March 2014.
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What’s it like to hear color
Neil Harbisson can only see in black and white. With his eyes, that is. Thanks to a camera permanently mounted to his head and wired to his brain, he can hear colors, even some humans can’t see with their eyes.
From Weekly Filet #154, in March 2014.
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A Star in a Bottle
A 15’000 word beast that will blow your mind right from the start.
From Weekly Filet #152, in February 2014.
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Selfie City
Half investigation, half art: Selfie City explores the style of selfies from five cities across the world.
From Weekly Filet #151, in February 2014.
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Seeing as a Service
Picture this: You walk though the city on a sunny afternoon. One thing is a little strange. Some people and buildings are blurred, just like you know it from Google Street View. Why is that? Some are blurred because you chose not to be bothered with them. Others the state has blurred for your convenience or because you’re not eligible to see them. And then, there are blurred things you can unlock by paying a fee, because they are part of a freemium reality. Scary? Yes. Far-fetched? Not so sure. When thinking about the prospects of «augmented reality», we should probably think about «diminished reality», too.
From Weekly Filet #150, in February 2014.
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Is the Internet good or bad? Yes.
It’s time to rethink our nightmares about surveillance. A great read about tear gas and Twitter and surveillance by seduction.
From Weekly Filet #150, in February 2014.
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Make sense of what’s happening, and imagine what could be.
Carefully curated recommendations on what to read, watch and listen to. For nerds and changemakers who love when something makes them go «Huh, I never thought of it this way!».Undecided? Learn more | Peek inside
Collections
Immerse yourself in a particular topic, with some of the best links from around the web, handpicked.
Making Sense of the Climate Crisis
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