“What if we took each sourdough selfie, each Zoom class, each Peloton ride, each Netflix binge and mapped the ecology of resources and services that have made it possible for some of us? And at the same time impossible for others?” On pandemic maps and the Great Pause.
data
Posted inEditor's Pick
How a Young Activist Is Helping Pope Francis Battle Climate Change
“Molly Burhans wants the Catholic Church to put its assets—which include farms, forests, oil wells, and millions of acres of land—to better use. But, first, she has to map them.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
What Is The Internet Doing To Boomers’ Brains?
“Social media platforms are sucking a generation into a misinformation rabbit hole.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Dying Inside
4,998 inmates died in U.S. jails without getting their day in court. Reuters investigates the fatalities in America’s biggest jails.
Posted inEditor's Pick
“I Have Blood on My Hands”: A Whistleblower Says Facebook Ignored Global Political Manipulation
An internal memo from fired data scientist Sophie Zhang explains how Facebook knew that politicians around the world were engaged in “inauthentic activity” on the social network in order to manipulate voters.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Double-Double Tracking: How Tim Hortons Knows Where You Sleep, Work and Vacation
“Even just the graph of events, I can see that you start heading out from work on Fridays at 2 p.m … Like, if I wanted to assassinate you, this would be absolutely perfect.”
Posted inNonfiction
How Google Discovered the Value of Surveillance
In 2002, still reeling from the dot-com crash, Google realized they’d been harvesting a very valuable raw material — your behavior.
Posted inStory
Yentl Syndrome: A Deadly Data Bias Against Women
The science of medicine is based on male bodies, but researchers are beginning to realize how vastly the symptoms of disease differ between the sexes — and how much danger women are in.
Posted inNonfiction
Technology Is as Biased as Its Makers
From exploding Ford Pintos to racist algorithms, all harmful technologies are a product of unethical design. Yet, like car companies in the ’70s, today’s tech companies would rather blame the user.
Posted inCurrent Events, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes
The Power of a Neighborhood’s Name
When Google Maps’ data renamed an African American neighborhood, it opened up residents to the looming forces of gentrification.