Devoting a special issue to technology is a bit like writing about water. It’s everywhere, permeating every aspect of our existence, something we cannot imagine living without. Perhaps every generation thinks this, but our world seems to be crossing over, beyond the verge, to a point where technology is less a set of tools than a component of our very existence.
Timed to complement the Chicago Humanities Festival’s programs devoted to what they’re calling “Tech-Knowledge,” we’ve asked a wide range of writers to explore the way technology is reshaping our lives, changing our culture, transforming our art.
—Brian Hieggelke
I, Cyborg: Parsing the Pleasure of Being Hooked on Machines
Code Warriors: Nichole Pinkard and her Digital Youth Network lead a quest for digital literacy
Crash Mentality: Decoding the Limitations Our Programmers Put On Us
Government 2.0: How Mayor Emanuel is Using Social Media toEngage Chicagoans
Eye Exam: The Revolution Will Be Pixelated
Picturing Progress: The Light and Dark Side of Technology
If Thoreau Were a Folk Rocker: How The Giving Tree Band Recycles Technology (and everything else)
Enduring Questions: Liz Lerman and Dance Exchange investigate the beginning of time
