Welcome to the Technology Channel

Technology isn't just Apple and Microsoft. We're focused on how new tools and ideas are changing the world.

Welcome to The Atlantic's new Technology Channel.

Most tech coverage on the Web is predictable: Google vs. Microsoft; the next gadget from Apple; what ever happened to my jetpack? We aim to take a broader view of technology. We're going to write about the financial algorithms that rule our markets, the tradeoffs of our energy system, how a fork is designed, and, yes, an iPad app that is just plain cool. We see technology not just as hardware and software but as a frame through which to view the great stories of our time.

First, I should introduce myself. I'm Alexis Madrigal and I'll be your lead writer and host. I came to The Atlantic from Wired.com and fresh off finishing a book about the history of green technology. Through both pursuits, I came to think about tech in ways that I think are missing from most of what you see in the big newspapers, tech blogs, and glossy magazines. Technology coverage can't just be about gadgets and gizmos: it's the story of humans reshaping and re-engineering the world they confront.

We hope to do four things on this site. First, we want to deliver reported features on emerging technological trends. Second, we want to bring you short, smart takes on the big news of the day. Third, we want to highlight the deep and important original reportage from around the Internet. Fourth, we want to build a community of people here on the channel who care less about the Kindle's pricing strategy and more about how literacy is changing. We're excited about a kind of journalism that is equally committed to fact-finding, making sense of a confusing world, and hosting a conversation for a smart and curious set of readers. Most of all, we aim to deliver the same depth and sophistication we try to apply to politics, business, and culture.

With today's launch, we're introducing some new features.

• Toolkit is a way of cutting through the gadget clutter. You probably don't care about the endless procession of new objects and services. What matters is how you can use those things to improve your life. Each day we'll be answering your tech questions (and some of our own) from how to share files between computers to whether or not you should buy the new iPhone. (You can submit your questions to [e-mail]).
• The Tech Canon is a list of the most important works about technology. Some of the items are movies and magazine articles. Most are books. They cover a broad range of technologies, writing styles, and eras. Think of them as the classics you need to know.
• Our video series, How to Think About... gives you quick frames for how to think about the blizzard of technologies and services out there. From Twitter's impact to Google and privacy the to the differences between Silicon Valley and Silicon Alley, How to Think About is a quick way to get familiar with how we're thinking about the big tech issues of our time.
• And we'll plunge deep In the Archives to show how The Atlantic has explored the entanglement of the American idea and American technology for the past 153 years. You'll see that this magazine has published some of the most prescient and important thinking on this subject ever written.