In a Slate op-ed published earlier this week, author Lee Konstantinou argues that "something is broken in our science fiction" and that we need to move beyond the cyber punk aesthetic. Perhaps, but there's one particular insight of cyber punk we should never abandon, which is that technology doesn't just serve us, it changes us---and not always for the better.
Social Media and the Question of Narcissism
Social media taps into our common need to feel connected. But it also adds something unique: a metrics-driven design that can easily turn us inward rather than outward.
If You Like Magic and Jane Austen, You Need to Read ‘Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell’
Susanna Clarke's 'Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell' is no mere fantasy mixed with historical realism. Each page seeps with clever wit, and it raises poignant questions about our modern relationship with the Otherworldly.
Making Money as a Writer
The New York Times just published a sobering article, "Does It Pay to Be a Writer"? Answer: not unless you have another gig or happen to make bank on royalties.
What Makes Online Help Effective? Results from an Informal Benchmarking Exercise
My writing colleagues and I recently presented on our favorite help systems from companies like Lego, Spotify, Google, and WordPress. Here are some things we found, and some implications for writers of help content.
A Modest Proposal: Let J.K. Rowling Write Whatever She Wants
Some critics have called for JK Rowling to stop writing Harry Potter stories. What the what? Why can't she do whatever the heck she wants?
My Essay on Free Will, Hacking, and Transcendent Narrative
Best-selling author Yuval Harari recently claimed that free will is a myth, humans are more hackable than ever before, and religion has no place in addressing the scientific and technological challenges of the future. Here's why he's wrong.
