Why Does a Robot’s Gender Matter?

Shown by a male or female identity, gendered technology for our robotic vacuum cleaners or self-driving cars creates an emotional attachment.

December e-links: One Doggy, Two Economists, Tom Hanks, and the Decade’s Anomalies

My final December e-link is a WSJ column that, looking back at the decade’s economic anomalies, tries to understand why they happened.

December e-links: One Doggy, Two Economists, and Tom Hanks

For considerable enjoyment and a good read that you listen to, Tom Hanks’s narration of Ann Patchett’s “The Dutch House” was superb.

How Phish-Tarping is a Tragedy (of the Commons)

While we know that overused resources can include the ocean, the air, and a pasture, we also should include beaches and seats.