MEX

Dan Hill published this wonderful, roaming essay which begins with the expectations of the caricatured, generic product launch and goes on to explore the real, user-centred implications of developments like Tesla’s Powerwall batteries.

As startup culture begins to hit a city’s core infrastructures, we have to also ask questions about the expected levels of robustness, redundancy, security, ease of use, universal accessibility. We are surrounded by failures already, assailed by spinning beachballs or “Cannot join network” or “Unfortunately Maps has stopped”. Try to use the wifi on a British train. (Try to make a phone call on one, for that matter.)

It is, overall, a balanced and forward thinking piece, while containing some satirical gems which highlight the silliness which goes hand-in-hand with the breakneck pace of expansion recognisable for any who work in digital industry circa 2015.