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Edward Tenner

Edward Tenner

Edward Tenner is a historian of technology and culture. He was a founding advisor of Smithsonian's Lemelson Center and holds a Ph.D in European history. More

Edward Tenner is an independent writer and speaker on the history of technology and the unintended consequences of innovation. He holds a Ph.D. in European history from the University of Chicago and was executive editor for physical science and history at Princeton University Press. A former member of the Harvard Society of Fellows and John Simon Guggenheim fellow, he has been a visiting lecturer at Princeton and has held visiting research positions at the Institute for Advanced Study, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and the Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy. He is now a visiting scholar in the Rutgers School of Communication and Information and an affiliate of the Center for Arts and Cultural Policy of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School. He was a founding advisor of Smithsonian's Lemelson Center, where he remains a senior research associate.

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Can the Future Be Simulated?

Can the Future Be Simulated?

Experiments with computer-modeled towns demonstrate the difficulties of separating technological innovation from human interaction.… More »

Titanic, Hindenburg, and the Heroic Age of Postal Service

Titanic, Hindenburg, and the Heroic Age of Postal Service

Postal services were at their zenith when the Titanic and the Hindenberg went down.… More »

The Mundane Advice of Commencement Speeches

The Mundane Advice of Commencement Speeches

Our "unconventional wisdom" for college graduates has become all too conventional… More »

How the Global Rich Create Ghost Neighborhoods

How the Global Rich Create Ghost Neighborhoods

High-end neighborhoods are becoming emptier, lonelier places as the world's super-rich buy up luxury residences across the globe.… More »

'Ecotopia': The Story of the Little Book That Could

'Ecotopia': The Story of the Little Book That Could

Ernest "Chick" Callenbach's 1977 novel reminds us how the medium of print shaped the books and culture of an era.… More »

The Futility of Scrubbing Your Website of Regrettable Stories

The Futility of Scrubbing Your Website of Regrettable Stories

Vogue is under fire for deleting its admiring portrait of Syria's first lady, having not absorbed the lesson of Watergate: Don't delete your mistakes.… More »

The Pleasures of Seeing Machines at Work

The Pleasures of Seeing Machines at Work

To observe a human sweep a room would be less than stimulating, but watching a robot do the same thing is marvelous.… More »

The Amazing Story of Starbucks' Insect Dye

The Amazing Story of Starbucks' Insect Dye

Didn't know Starbucks used bug juice in your drink? Fear not -- they're giving up the practice, anyway.… More »

How Language Is Like Fashion: The Case of 'Hopefully'

How Language Is Like Fashion: The Case of 'Hopefully'

Grammatical rules are akin to dress codes: They were once dogma, but now are in a constant flux.… More »

Did the Best-Dressed Passengers Survive the Titanic?

Did the Best-Dressed Passengers Survive the Titanic?

How important were the proper clothes in ensuring passengers a spot on a lifeboat?… More »

'Titanic 3D' and the Limits of Artistic License

'Titanic 3D' and the Limits of Artistic License

What James Cameron got right and tragically wrong about the oceanic disaster… More »

Did a Rumor Doom Titanic Passengers?

Did a Rumor Doom Titanic Passengers?

How one piece of misinformation sent some of the the ship's male passengers in the wrong direction, and to their probable deaths… More »

The Upsides to Working Without Internet Access for 80 Days

The Upsides to Working Without Internet Access for 80 Days

Yes, there may be upsides.… More »

Did General Grant Regret Clicking 'Send'?

Did General Grant Regret Clicking 'Send'?

The general-turned-president was one of the earliest victims of using technology impulsively… More »

Will Online Education Replace College?

Will Online Education Replace College?

Will great free courses drive down applications to places like Stanford? That's doubtful; it's more likely that these offerings will help build a stronger university brand.… More »

New York Isn't for Families Anymore

New York Isn't for Families Anymore

More and more housing developments are being targeted toward wealthy travelers instead of people who wish to put down roots.… More »

Collegiate Gothic Isn't Just for Snobs

Collegiate Gothic Isn't Just for Snobs

A historical defense of architecture's most unfairly stereotyped form… More »

Why Wikipedia's Fans Shouldn't Gloat

Why Wikipedia's Fans Shouldn't Gloat

Even a biased, occasionally error-committing writer can be more rewarding than the report of a pseudonymous committee.… More »

Does Philosophy Need a New Name?

Does Philosophy Need a New Name?

If philosophers want to update their antiquated image, maybe other fields should consider doing the same.… More »

Abraham Lincoln, Technologist-in-Chief

Abraham Lincoln, Technologist-in-Chief

Amazed by the speed of the telegraph, intrigued by the possibility of wind power, the 16th president was a techno-geek through and through.… More »

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