Technology Archives

PS Picks: The ‘Art in the Age of the Internet, 1989 to Today’ Exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art

PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.

Kristina Kutateli

News in Brief

The Shock of Seeing Your Body in 3-D

New technology will allow clothing-store patrons to get a much better look at their actual shape. Can we handle the truth?

Tom Jacobs

A self-driving Uber traverses through San Francisco, California, on March 28th, 2017.

News in Brief

Just How Safe Are Self-Driving Cars?

Researchers are having a tough time figuring out how safe autonomous vehicles are compared to their human-operated counterparts.

Peter Hancock

Shoppers scan the Amazon Go app on the mobile devices as the enter the Amazon Go store, on January 22nd, 2018, in Seattle, Washington.

News in Brief

Eliminating Interpersonal Connections at the ‘Amazon Go’ Store

The e-retailer's new model of cashier-less stores has some people buzzing, but others wondering what the lack of personal contact means for the future of city life.

Joshua McNichols

News in Brief

Internet Addiction Is Linked to Adolescent Angst

New research finds teens who spend more time online are less happy. Sleep deprivation may be part of the problem.

Tom Jacobs

Economics

Using Data to Help Migrants Find Work

Research shows that machine learning can improve the way we place refugees in the United States.

Kevin Charles Fleming

News in Brief

The Internet May Be Reducing Religious Rigidity

New research reports people are less certain there is one true faith if they spend a lot of time online.

Tom Jacobs

Social Justice

Does Big Data Belong in Courtrooms?

The criminal justice system has been using predictive algorithms for decades, but research shows even the best algorithms are no better than humans at predicting recidivism—and neither are very good.

Kate Wheeling

News in Brief

Twenty-Two Attorneys General Sue the FCC Over Net Neutrality Repeal

Last month, the FCC rolled back rules that prevented Internet service providers from blacklisting specific websites or charging different prices for faster loading speeds.

Jack Denton

Education

The Opening of the American Mind: How Educational Podcasts Are Making Us Smarter Citizens

Doug Metzger's Literature and History podcast—a comprehensive historical overview of the literature of the Anglophone world—has already garnered 500,000 downloads. Does his podcast provide a blueprint to intellectualizing our populace?

James McWilliams