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The Tech Issue

September / October 2024

Read our latest issue below, or keep scrolling for behind the scenes pictures, videos and information.

View our Tech Issue trailer

One of the best things about being a journalist is meeting new people and learning new things with each story you write. But even journalists tend to stick to their “beats” and report on topics they know a lot about.

However, when you are the editor-in-chief and creative director of a magazine, you have the opportunity to really challenge yourself. If you’re brave (or crazy – the jury is still out), you can go way outside your comfort zone and create a themed issue that requires you to spend weeks researching and experimenting just to finalize the stories you’ll feature. And that’s exactly what happened when we decided to do a tech issue.

To be clear, we’re not ignorant when it comes to technology. But compared to the experts, there was a lot we didn’t know. So we learned. Now we’re full of fun tech facts. Here are our top 20:

  • Online shopping can help save our planet.
  • An automatic soap dispenser and GPS actually have something in common.
  • AI probably won’t take over your job, but someone who knows how to use AI could.
  • Ask yourself, “What would nature do,” before you purchase tech for the garden.
  • One of our neighbors was part of the duo who developed the Spotify algorithm.
  • Even the experts have to turn their computers off and back on sometimes.
  • Susan Trumpbour doesn’t miss typewriters, cassette tapes or pink leg warmers.
  • Kat Schrier is a badass.
  • If you let Perplexity guide your day, you might end up baking squishy magenta umbrella cupcakes.
  • AI is “more of an answer engine than a search engine.”
  • Social media influencers don’t always give good relationship advice.
  • With AI, you can have a conversation with a historical figure.
  • You might wander into a community garden if you go a day without technology.
  • Invite Swaroop to your next brainstorm, but not to a family dinner.
  • The app I’m Getting Arrested was invented by a guy in Pleasantville.
  • When normal computers give up, quantum computers step in.
  • Always have a startup.
  • Video games can be a catalyst for change.
  • A  brilliant woman in Pound Ridge developed a platform that provides important environmental data.
  • Roosevelt Island has been transformed into an innovative tech hub.
  • Bonus: You can design an entire tech issue without a single layout featuring 0s and 1s.

You can learn all these things and more in this issue. We promise.

Gia Miller & Justin Negard

Editor-in-Chief & Creative Director / Co-Publishers

A Day at Cornell Tech

A Day at Cornell Tech

Writing & Photography by Justin Negard What does an idea look like? It might be a crumpled piece of paper on a cluttered desk or a line of code on a computer screen. Or perhaps it’s  a metal filing cabinet with wheels and wires screwed into the bottom or a team discussing and debating someone’s lightbulb moment. Take a walk ...
A Day with AI, Mad Libs Style

A Day with AI, Mad Libs Style

Writing by Ava Elghanayan If you’ve scrolled through YouTube lately, you’ve likely seen videos of people letting AI control their day. But generative AI tools can do so much  more than what they show. So, we decided to test the limits of these tools, selecting Perplexity as our AI guinea pig and Mad Libs as the challenge.  Here’s the plan: ...
A Day with Retro Technology

A Day with Retro Technology

Writing by Susan Trumpbour Im going back in time to an era where neon-colored spandex, big hair and acid wash ruled the day. Technology was noisy back then; there were loud buzzing alarm clocks, screeching and beeping fax machines and the clickity-clack of typewriters. Nevertheless, I’m taking a nostalgic adventure throughout my day, paying tribute to retro technology. I will ...
A Day without Technology

A Day without Technology

Writing by Alexa Berman I am addicted to my phone. I always succumb to that sweet dopamine hit from mindless reels and dramatic Netflix shows. Like most of you, I have a problem. So, when I was presented with this chance to embark on an experimental detox, I was excited for a reason to unplug, and I was curious to see ...
Dear Luz #12

Dear Luz #12

Writing  by Luz Michelle Photography by Justin Negard Dear Luz, I’m a college sophomore, and I’ve been taking Spanish for the last three semesters. My parents just told me we’re taking a family trip to Spain over the December break, but... I’ve been skipping classes for the last three semesters. They expect me to translate, but that’s clearly not going ...
What Do Virtual Assistants, Spell Check, GPS Have in Common?

What Do Virtual Assistants, Spell Check, GPS Have in Common?

They’re tools that make our daily lives easier, and they’re also assistive technology Writing by Alexa Berman Have you ever washed your hands with an automatic soap dispenser? Watched a movie with closed captions? Used a keyboard to type rather than handwrite notes? If the answer is yes, then you have used assistive technology (AT). “Assistive technology tools can benefit ...
To Leash or Not to Leash

To Leash or Not to Leash

Writing by Dr. Sarah J. Cutler Beautiful Northern Westchester is full of parks and nature trails, and one of the great pleasures of taking care of a pet dog is to go for a walk together. Our canine companions benefit from strolling and sniffing, collecting information as they go through their amazing noses. It’s great enrichment for them, great bonding ...
A Taste of Home

A Taste of Home

Writing by Gia Miller Photography by Justin Negard When sisters Joana and Meto Herrera took over Armonk’s Mariachi Mexico from their father in 2013, they had one main goal: it should look, taste and sound just like home. During the restaurant’s long-standing January break, they transformed the Tex-Mex favorite into something that reminded them of Tlaxcuapan, the small town in ...
When it comes to gardening,  think natural tech before high tech

When it comes to gardening, think natural tech before high tech

Writing by Leslie Dock Photography by Julia Lea This summer was a hot one, punctuated by periods of drought and deluges of rain. When conditions lean toward the extreme, there are a host of challenges and concerns for gardeners. Luckily, it’s 2024 and technological developments in garden care abound. Whether you are new to plant care or a leather-necked vet, ...
Meet Olivia Lanes

Meet Olivia Lanes

IBM Quantum Global Lead for Learning + Education, Yorktown Location Writing by Gia Miller Olivia Lanes earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in quantum information and physics. While in graduate school, IBM offered her a position as a hardware engineer. But before she could begin, she was told she needed to wait until COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. In ...
Meet Tristan Jehan

Meet Tristan Jehan

Elis Co-Founder CEO, Pound Ridge Writing by Gia Miller Photography by Jonathan Baskin Please give us a brief career overview. I’m an engineer trained as a scientist, and when I graduated from MIT, a classmate and I used our Ph.D. work to co-develop a music intelligence platform and company called The Echo Nest. Our platform was powered by an algorithm ...
Meet Alison Gregory

Meet Alison Gregory

Areahub CEO, Pound Ridge Writing by Cathy Deutsch   Alison Gregory is an executive with both business and legal backgrounds who received her law degree from Stanford University and has worked in the financial services sector as an attorney, asset manager and a launching partner for various companies. In the early 2000s, she launched and managed a fast-growing data services ...