Column

“Time’s Up Healthcare” has the potential to smite the patriarchy The Time’s Up movement is like a hashtagable, outsourced HR nonprofit endeavor. The state of affairs reached an actionable tipping point similar to that of the #MeToo movement when it finally became so apparent that Human Resources departments failed colossally in ensuring safe, equitable workplaces […]

Kids have the willingness to take action if given the chance and knowledge When did you first learn about climate change? Most of my fellow environmentalist friends first learned about climate change in their AP Environmental Science classes during high school or in community college. I didn’t learn about it until my third year in […]

Indie games offer thoughtful experiences and support passionate creators who build them I haven’t played nearly enough indie games in my life. Growing up, I was never exposed to indie games (or even knew what an indie game was), so my experience with them has only come recently. My overall time spent with them has […]

Crowds of people taking pictures of the California super bloom has caused damage to the flowers, calling into question the role of pictures and social media in nature The “super bloom” of wildflowers in California this spring has been gorgeous; it’s undeniably special to see the normally dry, brown hills blanketed with colorful blossoms, especially […]

Public shaming can only teach part of the lesson on wider issues of prejudice The age of technology and rise of social media has allowed us to share and interact with others immediately and globally, connecting people and communities all over the world. The immediacy of sharing stories and posts affords many things — keeping […]

Nearly 30 years ago, Francis Fukuyama famously declared that liberal democracy would be the final stage in human social development. Now he’s reconsidering. In 1992, Francis Fukuyama declared humanity reached its final stage in ideological development, an “end of history” moment in which the collapse of the Soviet Union and the triumph of the West […]

More sustainable methods of farming needed as populations increase, people migrate to cities With the world’s population estimated to reach 9.8 million people by 2050, is vertical farming a viable option for feeding our rapidly growing cities while keeping us from committing climate suicide?   City life is in demand. According to the United Nations, […]

Why does violence hold such mass-market appeal in our entertainment culture? A few weeks ago, I replayed one of my favorite games of all time: “Uncharted 2.” It’s the game that fully introduced me to what video games could be –– a masterful way to tell stories in a fun and engaging way. I tried […]

“Accessibility” often feels like an obvious reason to develop roads on public land — but isn’t quite as straightforward as we think Yosemite Valley is more of a small city than a wilderness these days. The seven-square-mile valley sees more than 4 million visitors annually and houses over 2,000 seasonal employees; it has five lodges […]

AI developments detect Parkinson’s from your mousepad and won’t tell you If you’ve ever gone on the internet you’ve probably encountered CAPTCHA — an intelligence system that uses tests like identifying pictures to prove users aren’t robots. You may have also noticed the CAPTCHA system has evolved; now, users only need to check a box […]

The same tools assisting visionary animators may incite animation’s downfall Animated cinema diverges at a rather peculiar crossroad. The genre’s potential for varied artistry permits a visual infinity, from embroiled ocean vistas that, at first glance, appear ripped straight from the depths of the Pacific, to the illusory motions of a hand-crafted Sasquatch, slave to […]

Living in an anti-Brexit city in a pro-leave country Recently, a reporter from a French radio program approached a friend and me while we were browsing a farmers’ market to ask us about Brexit. We were both hesitant to answer — after all, the extent of my Brexit knowledge was mainly comprised of the Brexit-centric New […]