Alissa Walker

Why a Raleigh neighborhood wants to tear down a modern house. How a suburb in Cleveland eradicated the school bus. Where Millennials are moving (hint: wherever the transit is). Plus Los Angeles’s Instagramming mayor and Vegas’s quest to legalize weed, all in this week’s Urban Reads. Neighborhood politics at their worst: A halfway constructed home…

Welcome to the Outdoors of the Future

Will we even go outside in the future? You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking we’ll all soon be living a climatically regulated life indoors. In movies, tomorrow’s recreation is often confined to a bubble-enclosed environment—an artificially controlled, robotically operated “natural” experience that protects us from the radioactive sunstorms raging beyond. The forecast is always dystopian,…

What City Has the Best Brand?

When we think about cities and branding we might think of a logo on a t-shirt, or perhaps a slogan that’s slapped onto banners. But a city brand now encompasses much more—it’s selling a lifestyle. The Guardian has ranked 57 global cities with the best brands. The winner might surprise you. How do you even…

Sex of the Future: High-Tech Pillow Talk | May 20, 8-10pm

Technology continues to change our daily lives, but what’s it doing to our lives after dark? As part of the Gizmodo Home of the Future, join us for a peek beneath the sheets, co-hosted with our friends at Jezebel. From the dating app revolution and a new generation of sex toys to the reinvention of…

Home of the Future: An Extrapolation Factory Workshop | May 20, 12-3pm

How do we envision the home of tomorrow? As part of the Gizmodo Home of the Future, join Elliott P. Montgomery and Chris Woebken of Extrapolation Factory to discuss and develop speculative designs for the domestic future. Attendees will learn futuring practices to create props, narratives, and visualizations, and use narrative to explore the aesthetic…

Fashion of the Future: Beyond Wearables | May 19, 7-10pm

It’s almost the future—what are we going to wear? As part of the Gizmodo Home of the Future, join fashionistas and futurists alike for an exploration of the future of fashion with forward-thinking industry leaders and creatives. Designers, local fashion brands, photographers, and other New York notables will present their ideas and next-level collections, followed…

Telepresence of the Future: Your Robot Double | May 19, 2-3pm

Can’t fly across the country? Don’t want to get out of bed? As part of the Gizmodo Home of the Future, we’ll see how you’ll soon be sending your telepresence robot to your meetings instead. Join us for some one-on-one time with the new you from Double Robotics to see just how easily your robot…

Office of the Future: A Co-Working Conversation | May 19, 12-1pm

How will we work together tomorrow? As part of the Gizmodo Home of the Future, we’ll see that the future of co-working isn’t just about being independent entrepreneurs, it’s about sharing resources in a way that builds community. Bryan Boyer will discuss the ways that co-working is changing and how it fits into the philosophy…

Food of the Future: What We’ll Eat Next | May 18, 5-6:30pm

The kitchen of tomorrow is often portrayed as a fantasy wonderland filled with robot chefs, time-saving appliances, and meals served in the form of colorful pills. As part of the Gizmodo Home of the Future, we’ll see what’s actually on the menu. What will our meals actually look like in the future? How much of…

Commuters of the Future: Bike Workshop | May 18, 12-1:30pm

May is Bike Month! As part of the Gizmodo Home of the Future, join us for a sneak peek at the future of urban commuting from a two-wheeled perspective. This is your chance to try out the sweet rides and cycling gadgets we’re hosting in the Home of the Future, and to participate in demonstrations…

Games of the Future: Let’s Play | May 17, 6-8:30pm

From content-coupled fitness equipment to next-gen interfaces, how will we entertain ourselves tomorrow? As part of the Gizmodo Home of the Future, join us for an evening exploring the way we’ll play, co-hosted by our friends at Kotaku. 6 to 6:30pm:Rahul Mangharam and Orkan Telhan from the University of Pennsylvania’s brand new Experience Design &…

Streets of the Future: The Great Urban Debate | May 17, 2-4pm

Are we destined to live in the shadows of luxury supertalls, piloting our self-driving cars into oblivion? As part of the Gizmodo Home of the Future, join us for a spirited debate on the future of New York streets, from the sidewalk to the skyline. Experts from the worlds of architecture, urbanism, infrastructure, transportation, and…

This Insect Farm Grows Fly Larvae For Your Dinner

They’re safer than fish, healthier than beef, and cheaper than chicken—bugs: they’re what’s for dinner. To help get a few more of these insects into our diets, a forward-looking designer has built the Fly Factory, a system for breeding fly larvae for human consumption. The Fly Factory is a self-contained insect farm that could be…

The Reinvented Los Angeles Times Focuses In On L.A.’s 300 Neighborhoods

Los Angeles is a big place—400 square miles, 88 separate cities—and it’s rare that what constitutes news in one corner even applies to another. For the first time in its history, the Los Angeles Times is recognizing this fact with an ambitious redesign that allows readers to zero in on what’s happening down the street.…

Are These Star Wars-esque Rental Homes Yub Nub or Bantha Poodoo?

What better day than Star Wars Day to start planning your next Star Wars-themed getaway? The vacation rental site HomeAway.com has selected several properties that they think serve as earthbound stand-ins for famous Star Wars sites. What do you think, Jedi Council of readers? Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru’s House, Tatooine To fulfill your fantasies…

This Is What Happens When You Turn a Street Into a Slip ‘n Slide

Closing streets to cars is one thing—how about flooding them with water and letting people slide down head first? Hundreds of Brits got to do just that when a busy street in Bristol was transformed into a fully operational water slide today. As expected, the photos are absolutely incredible. The slide was the idea of…

NYC Cyclist Arrested for Trying to Film a Cop with His Phone

When 24-year-old Brooklyn resident Will Paybarah was stopped by police for running a red light on his bike on March 20, he was expecting a ticket or possibly just a warning—until he took out his phone. “When I tried to record my interaction with the officer I was arrested… in 10 seconds flat,” he tells…

Drones Ordered Out of Yosemite by the National Park Service

The National Park Service issued a stern message on Friday to quadcopter-equipped Ansel Adamses: Drones are illegal in national parks, so keep them out of Yosemite’s air space. According to the NPS, drones are being used to film just about everything in the park, from capturing scenic aerial footage to documenting the progress of climbers.…

What’s Your Favorite Star Wars-Related Memory?

With the cast of Episode VII finally revealed, I have to admit, I am getting pretty freaking excited about a new chapter of Star Wars blasting its way into contemporary pop culture. In honor of Star Wars Day, let’s relive your best Star Wars moment from your childhood—or your adulthood! My memory is more a…

Super-Specific Artisanal Goods Might Be Bad for the Economy

You’d think a renewed focus on handmade products would be good for a country’s economy. That’s not the sentiment in Australia, where a new report is claiming that handcrafted industries which require more employee hours, like bread baking and winemaking, are to blame for the country’s sagging productivity. The Australian Productivity Commission has determined that…