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Articles on MIT Press

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In Altered Carbon, the streetscape reflects the sodden bitumen and garbled neon of Blade Runner’s Los Angeles. Mythology Entertainment, Skydance Television

The dystopian mash-up Altered Carbon is peak Anthropocene TV

The new Netflix sci-fi series, with a gumshoe cyborg as its chief protagonist, mines a host of contemporary anxieties and aesthetic influences.
Science is one thread of culture – and entertainment, including graphic books, can reflect that. 'The Dialogues,' by Clifford V. Johnson (MIT Press 2017)

New ways scientists can help put science back into popular culture

You might not think much about science topics as part of your everyday life. But science – like art, music, religion – is part of our culture, and scientists can help it reclaim its rightful place.
Consolidation is happening at a rapid pace. But who will bear the brunt of the costs? Khakimullin Aleksandr/Shutterstock.com

Defanged regulations have big media licking their chops

In the coming year, media companies will be adjusting to a new reality – one that ultimately leaves consumers with fewer choices.
The Rolling Stones performing in Hamburg during the ‘No Filter’ European tour: the band’s legacy is entwined with the pioneers of black American music. Morris Mac Matzen/Reuters

Friday essay: the art of the pinch – popular music and appropriation

Pinching musical phrases and stylistic approaches has always been a part of art making and can be a respectful exchange. But shallow, ill-informed appropriation only perpetuates tired stereotypes.
Disney has announced that it will be launching its own streaming service for its central brands, and another one for live sports. Richard Drew/AP Photo

When envisioning the future of TV, think of a shopping mall

Disney recently announced a forthcoming streaming service, leading some to wonder if the company is gearing up for a battle with Netflix. But not all streaming services are locked in a death match.
While the original Blade Runner provides some insight into artificial life, and the book explores power and human relationships, Blade Runner 2049 has none of that. (Handout)

Blade Runner 2049: No hope in this dystopia

Blade Runner 2049 represents a failure of the imagination. The film is a series of events strung together and steeped in narcissism, excessive self-absorption, isolation and regressive politics.
The city of Vancouver is set among a beautiful background, but the scenic wonder masks other problems. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

Vancouver’s urban conundrum: Let’s design better cities

Vancouver may be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but the president of Emily Carr University says the city could benefit from the discipline of design.
Foxconn was nominated for the 2011 Public Eye Award, which produced this image as part of its campaign to end labour exploitation. Greenpeace Switzerland/flickr

A bloody decade of the iPhone

The first ten years of the iPhone has been a bloody decade of labour abuse, especially in Chinese factories such as those run by Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer.

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