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Domain: backchannel.com

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How Fonts Are Fueling the Culture Wars

Pay attention: Typography isn't just catchy visuals. It can also be dangerous. T ypography is undergoing a public renaissance. Typography usually strives to be invisible, but recently it's become a mark of sophistication for readers to notice it and have an opinion. Suddenly, people outside of the design profession seem to care about its many intricacies.

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Voice Is the Next Big Platform, Unless You Have an Accent

My mother waited two months for her Amazon Echo to arrive. Then, she waited again - leaving it in the box until I came to help her install it. Her forehead crinkled as I download the Alexa app on her...

backchannel.com

This 100-Year-Old Dutch Movement Shaped Web Design Today

By Alain Dujardin and Jop Quirindongo 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of a Dutch art movement that has had a worldwide impact: De Stijl. Right up to the present day, De Stijl has influenced art, architecture, and product design. But the impact of De Stijl is particularly apparent in contemporary design-more specifically, in digital design.

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How the Web Became Unreadable

I thought my eyesight was beginning to go. It turns out, I'm suffering from design. I t's been getting harder for me to read things on my phone and my laptop. I've caught myself squinting and holding the screen closer to my face. I've worried that my eyesight is starting to go.

backchannel.com

An Exclusive Look at How AI and Machine Learning Work at Apple

An exclusive inside look at how artificial intelligence and machine learning work at Apple On July 30, 2014, Siri had a brain transplant. Three years earlier, Apple had been the first major tech company to integrate a smart assistant into its operating system.

backchannel.com

Saudi Millennials Don't Use Their Phones Like We Do

F ifteen minutes before Lauren Serota's Lufthansa flight landed in Riyadh, the female passengers stood and moved to the bathroom. Most had been wearing Western clothes - jeans, blouses, and gold jewelry. They returned in black abayas and head scarves (hijabs), some wearing face coverings (niqabs). The context switch was dramatic and immediate.