Masters of Media

The Brain’s Introduction to the Internet of Things (For Neuromancer)

The Brain Logs On Our technological culture too often takes its standard of development to be “marginally better consumer gadgetry” (Williams & Srnicek). It takes some effort to puncture the hype and discern what are the leaps and bounds...

By Anon on 09/25/17 0

GIS: An Exploration of Non-Existent Maps

Introduction I’m reminded of the short story On Exactitude in Science by Jorge Luis Borges. He presents an encyclopedia excerpt from a nameless empire of cartographers who, in their pursuit of the perfect map and blinded by their hubris...

By Jonathan Murthy on 09/25/17 0

Big data, small issue?

On the 2nd of August 2016, Facebook-owned Instagram rolled out a new extension of their already popular social network platform called Instastories. Media and netizens alike took to the internet to comment on the uncanny resemblance between Snapchat, which...

By Jessie Jashithra Assokan on 09/25/17 0

“Poop tech is the next big thing” – The Age of Quantified Self Tracking

In the age of the quantified self we are asked to self-track our every mental and physical move to ensure us that we can live to our fullest potential, even if that means we have to track our poop…...

By Nadine Linn on 09/25/17 0

ArtPassport: How Virtual Reality Technology is Shaping Our Cultural Experiences

One of the most influential figures of our time, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs once said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” On the contrary, writer Evgeny Morozov believes that “Celebrating innovation for its own sake is...

By Prateeksha Bhatt on 09/25/17 0

The clever dispenser that nobody asked for

A young Silicon Valley start-up just launched a product of arguable novelty. This product is a dispenser customized with some edgy additional features such as the Wi-Fi, several cameras and an app. The start-up, named Bodega, created...

By Elodie Mugrefya on 09/25/17 0

“One More Thing…” – A critical approach to the Apple 2017 Keynote Presentation

But there is “One more thing.” There it was again. These famous words, first introduced by Steve Jobs, where presented at the 2017 Keynote Presentation. It was the first presentation in the official Steve Jobs Theater and the “One...

By Tijs Koops on 09/25/17 0

iPhone Face ID: Privacy issues we should worry about

September 12th Apple introduced the iPhone X, pronounced as the iPhone 10. This new smartphone is considered the most radical since the launch of the first iPhone in 2007. The new iPhone X features an edge-to-edge screen and it...

By Amber de Zeeuw on 09/25/17 0

Have No Fear…Facebook is here?

Since its February 2004 debut, Facebook has evolved from an online yearbook for Harvard students into a daily ritual for 1.32 billion daily active users as a resource for everything from status updates to the latest world news to...

By Abby Listerman on 09/25/17 0

Privatising public transport: tech companies are getting their foot in the door of London’s public transport

Route-planning app Citymapper has decided to take public transport into its own hands. It seems the popular urban navigation app, after years of watching the bus routes of London, didn’t like what it saw, and now a Citymapper-branded bus...

By Anna Lezard on 09/25/17 0

From Fake to Fact: How the Blockchain May Rewire Our News Consumption

Breaking news. No, literally: the news is broken. Fake over fact; clickbait over quality. Increasingly influential social platforms privilege content that ‘works’: content that captures our attention and drives up profits. Consequently, news organizations create such content. A new...

By David Schogt on 09/25/17 0

The ‘Uberization’ of Restaurants’ Food Supply Chains: Consumers Come to the ResQ and Civilians Don’t ‘Waste the Plate’!

Via apps like ResQ Club and Get Chefs users can save surplus servings from restaurants. Not only do both actors tackle the symptoms of food wastage, the users get to discover new restaurants while paying less and the restaurants...

By Jasper van Tilburg on 09/25/17 0

Sharing or Free Labour? The Value of User-Generated Content on Lonely Planet’s App Trips

Before going on holiday you probably ask a friend or family member for advice on the best cafe’s, museums or hikes to visit on your trip. Lonely Planet, as the number one guidebook publisher in the world, are also...

By Karis Mimms on 09/25/17 0

Winter is coming for Uber

Knockout or next round? All eyes towards the battle between Uber and London’s transport regulation system ‘TfL’. Employee conditions and security affairs are the big issues in this public discussion. Is there a bright new future for digital labor...

By Maximilian Zucchet on 09/25/17 0

Using Personal Data to buy Art: The Data Dollar Store

Recently, Kaspersky Lab has been in the news due to so-called suspicious activity within their security software system and a supposed link with the Russian government. Both TechCrunch and Wired state that the Department of Homeland Security has “banned...

By Nadine Werner on 09/24/17 0

VIA- A New On Demand Luxury Shuttle Service Expands to Europe

The ride-sharing phenomena has disrupted the way people commute and get around as popular apps such as Uber and Lyft continue to launch and grow in major cities around the world. By using these platforms, riders have the...

By Lara Slipock on 09/24/17 0

Big tech goes to war over Augmented reality (AR) dominance

In the year between June 2016 and June 2017, AR went from being a fun optional technology in a handful apps - like Pokémon GO – to becoming a vital part of the future strategy for every technology company...

By Ståle Grut on 09/24/17 0

World Wide Web Consortium and Digital Rights Management: Innovating Stagnation

The history of “Digital Rights Management” software while relatively new, has been quite controversial. Oftentimes advocates of online privacy and security argue about the possibilities of abuse stemming from such DRM technologies, along with activists and proponents of the...

By Nikiforos Pingouras on 09/24/17 0

New Google Feed: What about privacy?

In July of this year, Google Inc. delivered a new feature for its Google app called Feed. This addition transforms the front page of the app into a news and information feed, where news articles and suggestions are presented...

By Katliin Soosalu on 09/24/17 0

A click away from giving up our autonomy? – A critical view on Amazon’s new Dash button

The alarm clock rings, you slowly make your way to the coffee machine since there is no other way of functioning at a time like that, but then realize you ran out of coffee yesterday. What a disaster! But...

By Mariessa Radermacher on 09/24/17 0

Netflix and Choose? Choice, Recommendation and Streaming in an Age of Algorithmic Culture

Have you ever had that moment on “Movie Night”, when the pizza is on it’s way, the ice cream is cooling in the freezer and all you need to do is decide on which dystopian thriller to watch...

By Louie Oestreicher on 09/24/17 0

Has Apple Destroyed the Internet?

At the Worldwide Developers Conference 2017 (WWDC) Apple announced to the world their plans to sabotage the infrastructure of the modern internet. Their proposal to implement an ad-blocker called ‘Intelligent Tracking Prevention’ (ITP) onto their web browsers has produced...

By Tony Shannon on 09/24/17 0

Sensory reality; a new technology that changes both your virtual and physical world

Sensory reality. The name maybe already says it all; during a simulation in a virtual world, all your senses are being stimulated. That means that you can walk down the beach while hearing kids play, smelling the salty water...

By Anne van Meerveld on 09/24/17 0

Unmanned Stores Embraced by Chinese: Are They the Future Shops ?

In July, the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba opened its first experimental unmanned store Tao Cafe in the company’s home-city Hangzhou. Shoppers just need to scan the Ali-Pay app to go in, grab stuff and walk out. Money is automatically...

By Wen Yang on 09/24/17 0