Author Archive
Alexis C. Madrigal
Management
The Worst-Case Scenario Is Happening—Hospitals Are Overwhelmed
A new statistic shows that health-care workers are running out of space to treat Covid-19 patients.
Management
The Worst Day of the Pandemic Since May
Covid-19 hospitalizations are now at an all-time high.
Management
A New Era of Coronavirus Testing Is About to Begin
A newly authorized test promises to double America’s monthly testing capacity, thanks in part to a huge purchase by the Trump administration. Can the test deliver?
Infrastructure
The Plan That Could Give Us Our Lives Back
The U.S. has never had enough coronavirus tests. Now a group of epidemiologists, economists, and dreamers is plotting a new strategy to defeat the virus, even before a vaccine is found.
Management
America Is Giving Up on the Pandemic
Businesses are reopening. Protests are erupting nationwide. But the virus isn’t done with us.
Management
‘How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?’
The government’s disease-fighting agency is conflating viral and antibody tests, compromising a few crucial metrics that governors depend on to reopen their economies. Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, and other states are doing the same.
Management
How to Understand Your State’s Coronavirus Numbers
As the outbreak spreads, state websites are still some of the best sources of information on how many people have been tested.
Management
The Official Coronavirus Numbers Are Wrong, and Everyone Knows It
Because the U.S. data on coronavirus infections are so deeply flawed, the quantification of the outbreak obscures more than it illuminates.
Infrastructure
5G Technology Isn't Quite Here Yet
The next wave of wireless technology might take a while.
Management
Local News Is Dying, and Americans Have No Idea
While the industry nose-dives, a large majority of the country thinks it is doing great.
Management
How a Feel-Good AI Story Went Wrong in Flint
A machine-learning model showed promising results in finding lead pipes, but city officials and their engineering contractor abandoned it.
Featured eBooks
Emerging Tech
A Long-Term Solution for Scooter Sharing
San Francisco’s scooters are back, and newly regulated. But is regulation enough to make them work in the long term?
Digital Government
Civic Tech in a Time of Technopessimism
Since 2016, the technology industry has been looking for answers. Code for America might have one.
Emerging Tech
The Most Important Self-Driving Car Announcement Yet
Autonomous vehicles will transform urban life by 2020, if Waymo’s timeline is correct.
Emerging Tech
The Perfect Selfishness of Mapping Apps
Apps like Waze, Google Maps, and Apple Maps may make traffic conditions worse in some areas, new research suggests.
Digital Government
Could Self-Driving Trucks Be Good for Truckers?
That’s what a new study from Uber’s self-driving-truck team says, and a variety of trucking experts think they might be right.
Emerging Tech