The Cooper Hewitt - Photo by the Smithsonian Institute Last fall, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum of Design invited visitors to submit exhibition ideas. Here's what I shared: Hi Curators, I’d like to propose that the Cooper Hewitt curate an exhibition on “Designing Community: Solutions for a Fragmenting World.” In this moment of deep division, … Continue reading I pitched the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum on an Exhibition & Symposium. Here’s what I wrote.
NY Daily News: ‘Save the Sheds!’
The other morning, my son and I sat along Amsterdam Ave. on the Upper West Side. He, in his stroller, delighted in the wonders of a fresh blueberry scone. I sat with a warm coffee in hand, my wool jacket pulled tight, watching the passersby. To my left were shelves of pink and blue hydrangea … Continue reading NY Daily News: ‘Save the Sheds!’
Humble Wheat: Oppressor of Humanity? And What This Means for A.I.
When Silicon Valley prognosticators warn about the existential dangers of A.I., that danger is often described as existing in an imminent future. We’re told to fear artificial general intelligence, algorithms and technologies that achieve some level of simuluated sentience. Such systems, we’re warned – often with allusions to Terminator or The Matrix – may view … Continue reading Humble Wheat: Oppressor of Humanity? And What This Means for A.I.
Is more speech always better? That’s the wrong question to ask.
Last summer, following the release of a civil rights audit critical of Facebook's handling of hate speech on the platform, I wrote an essay exploring a different way to think about regulating hate speech and misinformation. Given the decision this week by Facebook's Oversight Board upholding the suspension of President Trump's account, it seems like … Continue reading Is more speech always better? That’s the wrong question to ask.
Redistribution Isn’t Enough
Imagine for a moment that you and a group of strangers are asked to design a set of rules that will govern the city that you live in. Except there’s a catch: while deciding on these rules you don’t know whether you’ll be rich or poor; young or old; able bodied or disabled; smart or not; black, white, male, female, gay, straight, etc. In other words, you know nothing about what your circumstances will be when you emerge from your deliberations.
Hunting for a sense of community in Hunters Point
Sitting outside of Cantina, a Mexican restaurant in the Hunters Point area of Long Island City, yesterday, I stared at the glass towers and wide side walks around me. I took in the street-level retail -- a handful of restaurants and a coffee shop -- and noted the playing fields in the middle of it all. I watched as masked couples pushed strollers by... The neighborhood felt soulless and I was struggling to put my finger on why.
Reflections on ‘Are We All In This Together?’
A few weeks ago, Michael Sandel, one of my old college professors, published an op-ed in the Times asking the provocative question: “are we all in this together?” Sandel is a philosopher who has dedicated his life and career to asking deep questions about assumptions in society that we take for granted. When I took … Continue reading Reflections on ‘Are We All In This Together?’
NYT: COVID is Showing Us Which Entrepreneurs Matter
One of the themes I've been tracking through this project is the power of entrepreneurship and small business not just to create jobs and wealth, but to serve as integral parts of local communities. This is something I think a lot about in my work with early stage healthcare companies — how can even venture-backed … Continue reading NYT: COVID is Showing Us Which Entrepreneurs Matter
Medium: “The Public Option”
Last fall, I put together a piece examining the death of local news, why it matters, and why we should get serious about public funding to save it. The crux of my argument boils down to this: [L]osing local journalism is something that should worry us. It’s not just about an antiquated technology or business … Continue reading Medium: “The Public Option”
WaPo: ‘We Need a Major Redesign of Life’
After a while, I lost track of how many articles I read during my twenties about how Millennials "refuse to grow up." We were putting off marriage, not buying our first homes, not having kids, and not settling down in our careers, the trope went, because we were in a state of "extended adolescence." (Somehow, … Continue reading WaPo: ‘We Need a Major Redesign of Life’
Bernie Zipprich 