Ruminations on our relationship with technology
Christopher Cocchiarella Retro review of Midnight in Paris Summary: The film ‘Midnight in Paris’ is much more than a romantic comedy. It’s a reminder that, in our digital age of accelerated innovation, spendthrift consumerism, and occasional lack of appreciation for older art and historic artifacts, sometimes playing with antiquated tech and old media—from jazz records to classic … Read more
Designing and using extended reality to enrich life … or just avoid it? Quite often, ancient stories convey forewarnings that remain relevant in modern times. For instance, some of the unintended consequences of extended reality (such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, which we’ll say more about below) have a striking parallel in … Read more
What technical communicators do (and what they don’t do) Quite often, I find that technical communication is a misunderstood profession. For some reason, people might think it means writing long, complicated documents about technology or highly technical knowledge. But that’s precisely what technical communicators do NOT do. Quite the opposite. In fact, technical communicators, such … Read more
How to use (or abuse) Fitts’ law with website designs Summary: Fitts’ law sounds like an obscure concept from the user experience profession (designing websites for ease of use). But it’s a law we encounter practically every time we use the web. For example, it’s often used (and sometimes abused) when we see and select … Read more
User-friendly technology vs. the bed of procrustes In ancient Greek mythology, there was a famous, if not infamous, figure by the name of Procrustes. He was a criminal who tortured people by forcing them to fit into an uncomfortable iron bed that he designed. If his victims were too short for the bed, he’d stretch … Read more
What is the digital divide? Summary: The state of education following the COVID pandemic helped illustrate why we can’t bridge the digital divide simply by giving every student a laptop or tablet. To bridge the digital divide, we’ll require serious social investments as well. For instance, we’ll need to invest in infrastructure for local communities, … Read more
Fire and cooking technology … and the dawn of humanity! Fire and cooking technology … and the dawn of humanity! What on earth could these things have to do with one another? Well, when it comes to thinking about our evolutionary origins, there’s an intriguing theory developed by the primatologist Richard Wrangham. And this theory … Read more
The philosophy of modern minimalism: A new name for an old way of thinking Summary: Contrary to popular misunderstanding, modern minimalism doesn’t mean getting rid of all your belongings and living like an ascetic. Rather, it means asking a simple question about what we own and how we spend our time, energy, or resources. Namely, … Read more
Social media’s twofold problem: manipulative algorithms and addictive design After posting a five-part article on social media reform, as well as publishing a couple of editorials on this topic (one highlighting the problem with social media, the other looking at solutions to this problem), I thought it would be helpful to sum up these thoughts. … Read more