Monthly Archives: November 2013

This is a draft of a column I wrote for ACM interactions magazine for early 2014. I have thinking about the “greenback”, the US’ banknote, and its design–instantly recognizable and horribly challenging from a usability standpoint because of the uniformity of the notes. I have also been thinking about the future of banknotes more generally. As virtual currencies emerge and more and more of our transactions are through credit/debit cards and online services like digital wallets, I am wondering what will happen to paper banknotes, often a “billboard” for a country, showcasing people and things that are seen as central to that country’s identity–the face of Queen Elizabeth II, Dame Nellie Melba, Mount Fuji, cherry blossoms, starfish, a chollima, a bee pollinating a flower…… More »

I have been thinking about the plethora of fitness apps that are available and contemplating which ones work and why. Invited by Patricia Lange, I wrote a blog post on zombies, stories, motivation and fitness for the CASTAC blog – the official blog of the Committee on the Anthropology of Science, Technology, and Computing –… More »