WELCOME
Thanks for coming to visit my website. I write about science, technology, foreign affairs, and other subjects. I'm a fellow at New America, a non-partisan think tank in Washington, DC.
Follow me on Twitter: @kkakaesDrones and Aerial Observation
I edited and wrote part of a short book published by New America in July 2015 and freely available online, about how drones are being used in new ways around the world. It's meant to be useful to people who want to fly drones. It tells how to, but also how should.THE PIONEER DETECTIVES
I published a short book with The Millions.
It's the story of the Pioneer Anomaly, a long-standing mystery. The book is short and fun—the length of a novella—but also, in the words of Amazon's reviewer, "powerful and sad". If you've got any curiosity about how NASA works behind the scenes or why scientists believe what they do, I think you'll enjoy the book.
It is available on Amazon as a Kindle Single and also on Apple's iBooks.Drone Wars
I wrote a chapter on the long history of drone technology going back to the early 20th century in this edited Cambridge University Press volume.
Super-super-sonic Flight
27 March 2004
Speed demon
The first flight of a scramjet–at Mach 7.
Technology
tags: aerospace, scramjets, The Economist
A finely drawn map
13 March 2004
Why speed isn’t everything
The next generation of microchip design
Technology
tags: microchips, The Economist
Solid-state light
6 March 2004
Seeing c
How to freeze light on a computer chip.
Technology
tags: light, The Economist
After the fingerprint
4 December 2003
Prepare to be scanned
Biometrics: High-tech security systems that rely on detailed measurements of the human body, known as biometrics, are taking off. But should they be?
And, an accompanying leader (editorial), written with Tom Standage.
Technology
tags: biometrics, The Economist
Out of mind
4 December 2003
Out of sight
A transparent magnet could be used to make new kinds of memories and displays.
Technology
tags: display, memory, The Economist
Secrets
4 September 2003
Uncrackable beams of light
Quantum cryptography–hailed by theoreticians as the ultimate of uncrackable codesis finally going commercial.
Nanotechnology
4 September 2003
More light than heat
A new sort of nanoglass would allow offices to stay bright but remain cool.
Technology
tags: The Economist
Infection!
28 August 2003
Re: That movie
The latest computer scourges, and their consequences–the significance and future of SoBig.F and the Blaster.
Wacky aeroplanes
7 August 2003
Wings of desire
New technology may change how people fly–a report from the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual fly-in in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Plus, ultralight aircraft in Oshkosh; their increasing usefullness.
Technology
tags: EAA, oshkosh, The Economist
Dwelling above
3 July 2003
Suspended animation
Unmanned craft loitering in the stratosphere may soon supplant satellites.
Plus a box on a stealthy drone that flies like an aeroplane and takes off like a helicopter. >>>
Technology
tags: The Economist, UAVs
Modern office
19 June 2003
Uncrossed wires
A better way to teleconference.
Technology
tags: The Economist
Can video games do good?
29 May 2003
Shoot ’em up
Playing action games improves visual skills.
Technology
tags: The Economist, video games
New chip flavour
8 May 2003
On the tube
A new type of computer memory uses carbon, rather than silicon.
Technology
tags: microchips, The Economist
Efficiency in the kitchen
30 March 2003
Some cool ideas
Traditional refrigeration may be eased out with new technologies.
Technology
tags: refrigerators, The Economist
A rumour of war
6 March 2003
Clipping the enemy’s wings
American military technology has moved on a lot since the Gulf war. How precision weapons, improvements in logistics, and other innovations would change the face of a war with Iraq.
Lasers and war
30 January 2003
Come fry with me
Experimental electromagnetic weaponry may soon see combat use.
Technology
tags: lasers, The Economist, War, weapons
CASE HISTORY: Adobe Acrobat
12 December 2002
Trapeze artists
Intelligent design and clever marketing have made Adobe the king of online documents. But mistakes made along the way were just as important.
Technology
tags: acrobat, adobe, software, The Economist
DDD
12 December 2002
Through a glass, deeply
Cheap 3D displays will be coming to a computer near you next year. Unfortunately, little software will be available to take full advantage of their stunning depth of field
Technology
tags: The Economist