What Will Uber Become Without Travis Kalanick as CEO?
Investors forced the brash executive’s resignation for the good of the company—but what does that mean for its future?
The Lazy Voyeurism of Travel Essays
In the internet age, drop-in essays are shared far and wide—and they aren’t always well received back home.
Can Uber Survive Without Self-Driving Cars?
After a high-speed crash in Arizona, the ride-hailing giant grounds its autonomous fleet.
Car Wars
Inside the battle for the future of a technology that could really, truly change the world.
As Uber Melts Down, Its CEO Says He 'Must Fundamentally Change'
The ride-sharing giant’s full-blown PR crisis is getting worse.
The Map That Lets You Listen to the Radio Everywhere
Radio Garden is a meditation on connectedness and what broadcast technology does to local culture.
Anybody Can Test a Self-Driving Car in Pennsylvania
As long as there’s a licensed human sitting in the driver’s seat, you don’t need a special permit for your vehicle to drive itself.
The Quest to Save America's Dying Regional Slang
Endangered terms include bat hide, bonnyclabber, ear screw, fleech, whistle pig, and popskull.
How Will Driverless Cars Communicate With Walkers, Joggers, and Cyclists?
For self-driving vehicles to succeed, they’ll have to earn people’s trust—and predict their behavior.
A Future Without Street Signs
Driverless cars and augmented reality will mean city markers as we know them will cease to exist.
The Blinking Jewel in Boston's Skyline
One of the hub’s best known pieces of technology may become an official city landmark after all.
More Than 500 People Have Been Shot and Killed by Police in America So Far This Year
We know, because the internet is counting.
Can Google's Driverless Car Project Survive a Fatal Crash?
To understand the future of self-driving cars, it helps to look back to the first lethal auto collisions, more than a century ago.
Colorful Lights Are Turning Skyscrapers Into Tacky Billboards
As LEDs make it cheaper to illuminate buildings, cities are becoming experimental visual spaces—and not always for the better.
The High-Stakes Race to Rid the World of Human Drivers
The competition is fierce, the key players are billionaires, but the path—and even the destination—remains uncertain.
The Most Destructive Wave In Earth's (Known) History
Geologists have discovered evidence of an ancient 560-foot mega-tsunami.
Pompeii and the Ancient Origins of Blaming the Victim
People have sought moral explanations for natural disasters since antiquity.
Self-Driving Cars Could Save 300,000 Lives Per Decade in the U.S.
Automation on the roads could be the great public-health achievement of the 21st century.
A Brief History of Levees
Manmade embankments are an ancient technology, modeled from nature.
Is Anywhere on Earth Safe From Climate Change?
Relocating to a landlocked city isn’t enough.
When You Give a Tree an Email Address
The city of Melbourne assigned trees email addresses so citizens could report problems. Instead, people wrote thousands of love letters to their favorite trees.