Latest Stories

Latest Stories

What can the dot-com bubble teach us about the future of AI?

Apr 18, 2024
In the 1990s, Wall Street was very enthusiastic about the internet — and lost a ton of money because of that enthusiasm.
The burgeoning field of artificial intelligence is often compared to the birth of the internet in the 1990s, when many tech companies did too much too quickly and collapsed.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

As drive-thrus get bigger, some cities aren't lovin' it

Apr 18, 2024
The rise of online ordering drives restaurant chains to build more drive-thrus, but traffic and walkability concerns have led to bans.
Cars swarm the drive-thrus at a CosMc's in Bolingbrook, Illinois. The brand, owned by McDonald's, only serves customers in drive-thru lanes.
Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

Workers who built Baltimore's Key Bridge reflect on its reach in their lives

Apr 18, 2024
The ironworkers, painters and others who constructed the bridge thought it would outlive them.
Buddy Cefalu connecting road beams as an ironworker during the construction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Courtesy Cefalu

Abortion included among pregnancy-related conditions covered under new EEOC guidelines

Apr 18, 2024
Guidelines for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act detail the accommodations pregnant workers can seek under the law, including unpaid leave.
Above, an exam room at an Illinois abortion clinic.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Gaming furniture levels up to a more decorative aesthetic

Apr 18, 2024
Ikea is launching a new line of gaming furniture more suited for the living room than the basement. It's a sign of how gamer demographics are maturing.
Back in the day, furniture designed for gamers may have looked more like fighter pilot seats than something you'd find in a living room. Increasingly, that's changing.
Courtesy Ikea

Yesterday's efficiency standards are saving you money today

Apr 17, 2024
Household appliances like refrigerators and washing machines would use a lot more energy if not for efficiency standards.
“A typical refrigerator today uses only one-fifth as much energy as a new refrigerator sold in the 1970s," says Andrew deLaski with the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Once again: Who pays for tariffs on Chinese steel?

Apr 17, 2024
As the Biden administration proposes tripling duties, experts recall how previous tariffs mainly hit American consumers and industries.
President Joe Biden speaks to members of the United Steel Workers Union in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, announcing plans to raise tariffs on Chinese steel.
Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Sober times for China's wine sellers

Apr 17, 2024
Having once enjoyed vibrant growth, China's wine industry is being held back by trade barriers, changing tastes and a flagging economy.
A shelf of wines from France, Argentina and New Zealand in a Shanghai retail shop. Wine imports have declined, and exporters are frustrated.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace

You're not imagining it: Car insurance costs 22% more than it did last year

Apr 17, 2024
And people are increasingly shopping around for a better deal, according to new data from JD Power. Finding one is another matter.
Thanks to rising rates, people are increasingly shopping around to see if they can find a better deal on their car insurance, according to new data from JD Power. 
Brandon Bell/Getty Images