2022 Kernel Cover
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In the 4.5 billion years of Earth’s existence, humans have been here for 200,000 years, far under one percent of the history of the planet. Further shaving down that fraction of a percent, modern civilization only formed 6,000 years ago, and the Industrial Revolution began under 300 years ago. The internet, in its initial form as ARPANET, is 53 years old, and the World Wide Web is 33. By every standard possible, we are only in the nascent stages of history.

Yet, when the past is all we’ve ever known and the future only lies in our imagination, we often forget the expansiveness of this timeline — our memories are short. Counter to our intuition, our bedrock institutions are contestable, and the processes that seem so deeply entrenched now can be reconceived in a myriad of ways. The future may look nothing like the world as we know it.

Continue reading Editor’s Note →

Featured articles

A 3D render of a megaphone on an orange background

Urgency and Agency in Technology Policy: A Conversation with Ifeoma Ozoma

Matthew Sun

A close-up shot of the vertical bars of a prison cell

Prison Phones and the Problem with Profits

Lucas Gelfond

A femme person laying on the couch with their face rested on a cushion and illuminated by the glow of their phone in a dark room. Some neon lighting from street outside is visible through a curtain.

all the better to see you with

Adora Svitak

A person in an astronaut suit floats in space above the surface of the Earth

Afrofuturism: From a Lens to a Portal

Olu Niyi-Awosusi

In this issue

Editor’s NoteEmily Liu
nonfiction

People


Urgency and Agency in Technology Policy: A Conversation with Ifeoma OzomaMatthew Sun
nonfiction

all the better to see you withAdora Svitak
fiction

Cultural Resistance to SESTA/FOSTA: Reflecting on Community CurationBrit Schulte
nonfiction

on days like today i dream of futures pastIvan Zhao
poetry

Passions, Platforms, Politics: A Conversation with Rosie NguyenJasmine Sun
nonfiction

TransubstantiationJasmine Wang
poetry

Drawing RectanglesConnie Liu
visual art

Four CartoonsPhil Witte
visual art

Tools


Prison Phones and the Problem with ProfitsLucas Gelfond
nonfiction

Mental Health Apps Won’t Solve the Mental Health CrisisLily Lou
nonfiction

Trees Won’t Save UsJacob Sujin Kuppermann
nonfiction

Growing Narratives: PassageAlicia Guo
visual art

Pros & Cons Of Wildfire: A Conversation With Smokey BearChiwenite Onyekwelu
poetry

Abolish Canon: Centering Collective Fan ProductionMona Wang
nonfiction

On receiving an unwanted Windows update at an inconvenient time, All ThumbsRobert René Galván
poetry

Can Cryptocurrencies Replace Cash Remittances?Isabella Rolz
nonfiction

The Memory MachineAnabelle Johnston
fiction

A list of important memoriesKeana Aguila Labra
poetry

Green Like No Grass Is GreenLuca
visual art

Open Source and Politics: A Conversation with Coraline Ada EhmkeJacky Zhao
nonfiction

Ideas


Creating the Photogenic CityTianyu Fang
nonfiction

Digital Transformations, Environmental DegradationTommy Bui Nguyen
nonfiction

fiction

Lighten the Load of the Nation-StateNathan Schneider
nonfiction

Virtual Violence: Vectoralist Class Warfare and Abstract AntagonismKadallah Burrowes
nonfiction

Condor Nest Livestream #923Eleonor Botoman
poetry

Seeing the InvisibleLeo Kim
nonfiction

Encomium to the Sky that Pulls Me Through Wonder, Selfless MachineNwuguru Chidiebere Sullivan
poetry

Afrofuturism: From a Lens to a PortalOlu Niyi-Awosusi
nonfiction

Space SistersJulia Travers
poetry

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