Hold the Line
As telephony developed, so did a workforce of switchboard operators—all women—who were ultimately rendered obsolete by technological progress.
Browsing for Images? Search Filters Are Your Friend
The images that stick with us the most tend to be those we find by chance. That’s where search filters come in.
Darling or Degrading? Baby Shows in the Nineteenth Century
A stunningly popular form of entertainment, baby pageants promoted the cult of domesticity, showcased maternal pride, and opened a path to fame and wealth.
Isabelle Eberhardt: Travel’s Rebel with a Cause
A hash-smoking, cross-dressing woman traveling the Sahara in the early 1900s, Eberhardt unpicked the fabric of society just by being herself.
The Media’s Bottom-Line Problem
The health of our democracy depends on a free press. What happens when the thirst for profits, eyeballs, and clicks drives political coverage?
Fascist Architecture in Rome
In Mussolini's Rome, the built environment struck a balance between the romance of the ancient past and the rationalism of avant-garde modernism.
The Women Who Preached in Their Sleep
Was sleep-preaching an ingenious way for oppressed women to subvert the social order through somniloquy?
We Got Social Media Wrong. Can We Get AI Right?
How to be agents who use new AI tools, rather than subjects manipulated by them.
Metadata for Image Search and Discovery
Metadata helps you search for and find images of cats, for instance, whether or not you have a specific feline in mind.
In Sudan’s Civil Conflict, the Arab Cold War Widens
Sudan's decades-long civil war has finally come "home" to Khartoum.