2022-09-05
Sean Kelley on the dream of crowd-developed hardware, Boeing’s last 747s, and the ongoing chip shortage.…
Scope of Work
Excellent writing about the physical world.
2022-08-29
Matt Pogue on the invention of flavor science, fabricating the JWST mirrors, and the Grateful Dead’s cutting-edge sound engineering.…
2022-08-22
Natasha Balwit-Cheung on learning from the landscape of New Mexico, making Miyake’s pleats, and evaluating new technologies' role in climate justice.…
Singing Praise for the String Age
An interview with Virginia Postrel on the history of textiles.
Virginia Postrel’s The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made…
2022-08-15
Ruth Grace Wong on flexible work as an equity strategy, remote incident management, and how a 3D printed titanium part failed during the Olympics.…
On Flight Decks
A deep dive into the complicated controls inside commercial aircraft.
When boarding a commercial flight, passengers often get the chance…
2022-08-08
Shannon Mattern on what we can learn from the enduring legacy of Shaker material culture and the stunning artifacts in the Shaker Museum.…
2022-08-01
lee wilkins on the history of visualizing the cosmos and 555s (both the timers and the fictional telephone prefix).…
Standard Issue Fun
An interview with an ASTM volunteer who keeps amusement parks safe.
Standards quietly subtend everything in the modern world -…
2022-07-25
Kane Hsieh on fish, frosted light bulbs, and the urban explorer's code of conduct.…
The Toaster Project
Starting 2022-07-25, The Prepared’s Reading Group is reading Thomas Thwaite’s The Toaster Project: Or a Heroic Attempt to Build a Simple Electric Appliance from Scratch.…
2022-07-18
James Coleman on Germany’s storied small and mid-sized manufacturers, Apple's self repair program, and Japan's teeny trucks.…
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