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Alexis Madrigal

Alexis Madrigal - Alexis Madrigal is a senior editor at The Atlantic. He's the author of Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology.
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The New York Observer calls him, "for all intents and purposes, the perfect modern reporter." Madrigal co-founded Longshot magazine, a high-speed media experiment that garnered attention from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the BBC. While at Wired.com, he built Wired Science into one of the most popular blogs in the world. The site was nominated for best magazine blog by the MPA and best science Web site in the 2009 Webby Awards. He also co-founded Haiti ReWired, a groundbreaking community dedicated to the discussion of technology, infrastructure, and the future of Haiti.

He's spoken at Stanford, CalTech, Berkeley, SXSW, E3, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and his writing was anthologized in Best Technology Writing 2010 (Yale University Press).

Madrigal is a visiting scholar at the University of California at Berkeley's Office for the History of Science and Technology. Born in Mexico City, he grew up in the exurbs north of Portland, Oregon, and now lives in Oakland.

The Unimpressed Astronaut Meme

By Alexis Madrigal
Dec 6 2011, 2:55 PM ET Comment

unimpressedastronaut.jpg

If this doesn't say it all about the ends to which we put technological means, I don't know what does.

The image is part of a series on Quickmeme going by the name "unimpressed astronaut," which is unfolding like a New Yorker caption contest for people who read Reddit.

There is a subtle difference between these two contest genres, though. Every New Yorker cartoon takes the universal New Yorker caption, "Christ, what an asshole." This image does not.

Via Garance Franke-Ruta




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