Don Steinberg
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Writer for Wall Street Journal, New Yorker. Check out my new comic book CEREAL! boinkcomix.com email: don1steinberg@gmail.com
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Articles by Don Steinberg
Philly’s Robot Dogs Are Here. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Longform Philly’s Robot Dogs Are Here. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Meet the next generation of man’s best friend — brought to you by Philly’s brightest tech minds. Sit. Stay. Good bot. / Photography by Andre Rucker In chaotic conflicts like active crime scenes and urban warfare, closed doors can be as dangerous as explosives. The officers or troops who barge in first, often not knowing what will greet them, are vulnerable to whatever might wait on the other side of the door.
76 Other Ways Philly Changed the World
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76 Other Ways Philly Changed the World Yes, of course you know, we know, everyone knows. Philadelphia gave democracy to this nation — the Declaration, the Constitution, the whole grand, unruly American experiment. But Philly’s contributions to society didn’t stop with inventing an entire country (though, c’mon, if we’d quit right there, who would’ve blamed us?).
By Ronnie Polaneczky Verified, Shaunice Ajiwe, Laura Brzyski Verified, Malcolm Burnley Verified, Courtney DuChene Verified, Victor Fiorillo Verified, Sandy Hingston Verified, Olivia Kram Verified, Christine Speer Lejeune Verified, Tom McGrath, Kae Lani Palmisano Verified, Bradford Pearson Verified, Larry Platt Verified, Kristen Schott Verified, Roxanne Patel Shepelavy Verified, Liz Spikol, Don Steinberg Verified, Laura Swartz Verified, Janine White Verified
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Philadelphia Magazine
Verified
Retail Delivery by Drone
By Don Steinberg October 30, 2024 7:57 AM EDT Google sister-company Wing has built one of the world’s largest residential drone delivery operations, pushing aerial product drops past proof-of-concept and into shoppers’ neighborhoods. In the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Wing and Walmart had already reached 60,000 households as of May and have their sights set on serving the full population of 8 million.
%secondary_title%: The 200 Best Inventions of 2024
By Don Steinberg October 30, 2024 7:27 AM EDT The name of InnerPlant’s data platform, CropVoice, suggests its plants communicate their individual feelings to farmers. It’s kind of true. Plants react when they need nutrients or are stressed by insects or pathogens.
%secondary_title%: The 200 Best Inventions of 2024
By Don Steinberg October 30, 2024 7:23 AM EDT In June, the FDA expanded its approval of Sarepta Therapeutics’ Elevidys gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy to all patients ages four and older.
%secondary_title%: The 200 Best Inventions of 2024
Wong Yu Liang—Getty Images These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. By Don Steinberg October 30, 2024 7:11 AM EDT Millions of Americans eligible for free income tax filing don’t take advantage of it, in part because it isn’t well integrated with the rest of their financial lives.
Xiaomi: 2024 TIME100 Most Influential Companies Original
May 30, 2024 7:45 AM EDT Xiaomi’s SU7 electric sedan, launched in March, may be the first car made by a phone company. The Chinese electronics giant—which makes computers, wearable devices, robot vacuums, scooters, and phones (it was No. 3 in the world in 2023, after Apple and Samsung)—doesn’t see anything strange about that. Instead, it views the SU7 as an extension of customers’ electronic ecosystems.
Sol de Janeiro: 2024 TIME100 Most Influential Companies
May 30, 2024 7:41 AM EDT Sol de Janeiro’s spray fragrances, like Brazilian Jasmine & Pink Dragonfruit, were the viral beauty product of 2023, generating 850 million TikTok views. Videos and memes by influencers helped triple sales at the brand, a majority-owned subsidiary of Groupe L’Occitane, to more than $1 billion. That’s by design: the company upped their marketing to work with more than 6,000 influencers this year.
Inside the Epic Search for Philly's Next Tuba Master
Longform The ultra-exclusive Curtis Institute of Music accepts only one tuba student at a time. What does it take to nail the audition? A young man sits alone in a room, a tuba on his lap, and blows it hard, huffing and puffing to play Snedecor’s Low Étude for Tuba Number 4. It’s a head-rattling piece in a profoundly low register — its lowest note is pedal C, which would be the fourth key from the left on a piano, and it requires Superman lungs and strategic breath control to nail.
Ben Kirshner’s Plan to Transform How Pennsylvania Does Business Original
Longform Pennsylvania is a notoriously tough place to start or run a business. Can the first guy to sell coffee on the internet fix that? The governor sure thinks so. In February of 2022, Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel broke ground on one of the most advanced steelmaking facilities ever built in North America. When it begins production this year, the $3 billion project promises to create some 900 jobs for local workers at six-figure salaries.
Lenovo Rollable Laptop: The 200 Best Inventions of 2023
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After Lenovo in 2020 released the world’s first folding-screen laptop, the ThinkPad X1 Fold, the company’s engineers started imagining other ways to use the flexible screen technology, says AG Zheng, Lenovo’s executive director, Product and Smart Solutions. The “Rollable Laptop,” still a prototype, has a bending screen partly concealed under its keyboard. Push a button, and the screen expands like a window roller shade to grow from a standard 4”x3” shape into a nearly square 15.3-inch display.
By Don Steinberg Verified, Chris Stokel-Walker Verified, Alison Van Houten, Charlotte Alter Verified
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TIME
Verified
Why Are We So Obsessed With Wegmans?
Longform Why do suburbanites go completely bonkers when a new grocery store comes to town? It’s less about what we want to eat and more about who we want to be. What the hell is wrong with people, including me? A new supermarket is coming to Lower Makefield, and folks are losing their minds, like we never had food up here in Bucks County before. Wegmans circled this area for two decades. The township approved its landing as the centerpiece of a new residential development about two years ago.
Polygon Labs: 2023 TIME100 Most Influential Companies
Polygon is pushing blockchain into the mainstream, enabling companies like Starbucks, Nike, and Meta to build more-secure applications using the distributed recordkeeping mechanism that is revolutionizing the way we keep track of what we own—from currency and investments to event tickets. Polygon president Ryan Wyatt says that “in a decade, most people will have a digital wallet” tied to a blockchain.
Papaya Global: 2023 TIME100 Most Influential Companies
CEO Eynat Guez thrust her Tel Aviv–based payroll-management software company into the spotlight in January, when it withdrew about $100 million from Israeli banks to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the judiciary. Other firms joined in. “If you decide to lead something, you need to be brave enough to say your opinion out loud,” Guez says. Her $3.7 billion company knows how to move money in 160 countries.
Most Influential Companies 2023: Circle Internet Financial
Circle is pioneering a redemptive use for cryptocurrency: humanitarian aid. In December, it partnered with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees to distribute Circle’s USD Coin via secure digital wallets to Ukrainian refugees, who can exchange it for local currencies. Pegged to the U.S. dollar, USDC is a “stablecoin” intended for reliable digital use.
In ‘The Last of Us,’ Not Your ‘Stereotypical’ Zombies
The gruesome beasts that emerge from a suburban crater in the latest episode of HBO’s TV series “The Last of Us” don’t look like your average neighborhood zombies. First there’s a swarm of formerly human mutants whose faces seem to have burst outward into the kind of mushroomy blossoms you’d find under a log in the forest. Then comes a giant “bloater,” a monster covered head-to-toe with the kingdom of fungi.
Have We Reached Peak Pinocchio? Fifty Remakes of the Classic Tale Baffle Fans
Around 50 Pinocchio movies have been released since the classic 1940 Disney film, including, no lie, 1965’s “Pinocchio in Outer Space.” Filmmakers’ unflagging fascination with the wooden boy’s tale may explain why 2022 shaped up as the year America reached peak Pinocchio. Even die-hard fans suspect supply has outrun demand.
New Kids On The Court
WHEN LEO CHUN won the men’s 3.0 singles bracket last April at the PPA Red Rock Open in Utah, he was thrilled. Any winner would be excited, of course, but for Chun, the moment was extra special: He was only 10 years old. Chun is part of the newest generation to discover the joys of pickleball. Kids are increasingly gravitating to the sport, and like their parents and grandparents, they’re developing a real passion.
MagniX magni350 and magni650 Electric Propulsion Units: The 200 Best Inventions of 2022
Air travel produces 2% of global carbon emissions annually, and we haven’t yet developed batteries powerful enough to replace jet engines. But MagniX has made progress by powering smaller aircraft with high-efficiency motors that convert battery power into propulsion.
Tribute Bands Are Having a Moment and New Hope Is at the Center of it All Original
Longform The Bucks County river town has become the heart of a thriving regional scene. Here’s why these acts — and we — keep holding on. Get a compelling long read and must-have lifestyle tips in your inbox every Sunday morning — great with coffee! This is the kind of night New Hope was built for. On a hot Friday in July, two venues in Philadelphia’s favorite Bucks County retro-hippie river town have scheduled competing tribute-band rock shows.
Why Competitive Chess Is as Vicious as 10 Rounds in a Boxing Ring
In my late forties, with father time beginning to gun for me, I decided to become a chess player. I wanted to line up a leisure activity for the day when my body would force me to quit banging into guys playing hockey, when my knees would tell me to stop chasing tennis balls across a hardcourt. Chess seemed like a pathway to staying nimble in my golden years. Didn’t Max von Sydow stave off the Grim Reaper with a game of chess? I had no idea I was walking into an airplane propeller of brutality.
Inside the Plan to Bring New Energy to the PECO Power Station on the Waterfront
Longform A long-dormant power station on the Delaware — a tattered icon of our industrial past — is being reborn as luxury apartments. Are we finally figuring out how to embrace, rather than knock down, our architectural heritage? By Don Steinberg· 4/9/2022, 9:20 p.m. Sign up for our weekly home and property newsletter, featuring homes for sale, neighborhood happenings, and more. A rendering of the proposed rooftop pool at the Battery. / Courtesy of NQS Creative They’re keeping the smokestacks.
United Airlines Is one of the 2022 TIME100 Most Influential Companies | TIME
As COVID-19 cases spiked in the U.S. last summer, United Airlines took the bold step of requiring its workers to get vaccinated, even before the Biden Administration mandated such rules. While some employees scoffed at the mandate, 99.7% got their shots, and only one coronavirus-related death has been reported among that group. Many of United’s rivals have followed suit. “Some are mad at me still,” says CEO Scott Kirby.
IBM Is one of the 2022 TIME100 Most Influential Companies
IBM and CEO Arvind Krishna have been using their expertise in artificial intelligence to help other companies navigate the climate crisis. For instance, its new Environmental Intelligence Suite offers AI-powered dashboards, maps, and alerts that help companies in industries like agriculture and aviation prepare for storms or measure their own emissions. IBM also recently acquired Envizi, a software firm that measures environmental impacts across supply chains.
BlocPower Is one of the 2022 TIME100 Most Influential Companies
When Ithaca, N.Y., decided last year to embark on the unprecedented project of decarbonizing all 6,000 buildings in town, it turned to BlocPower, a climate startup that retrofits buildings in low-income neighborhoods with solar panels, electric heat pumps, and other emission-reducing tech. “We can turn a building into a Tesla and make it all electric,” says CEO Donnel Baird, who counts Goldman Sachs and the Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund among his company’s backers.
Everything You’ve Learned From Movies About Fire Sprinklers Is Wrong (Except ‘Die Hard’)
Other people may have been watching Alexandra Daddario in her performance as an unhappy honeymooner on HBO’s series “The White Lotus.” Patrick Smith was paying closer attention to a scene Ms. Daddario has in the new indie movie “Die in a Gunfight,” where she smooches with co-star Diego Boneta in a diner booth. In the distance behind them, a kitchen fire breaks out, and the sprinkler system above the couple sprays water all over them, romantically, like they’re kissing in the rain.
‘Stillwater’ Was Delayed for Almost a Year—Here’s Why the Director Is Grateful
Covid-19 may have created a disaster for theatrical releases and movie theaters, but it turns out the disruption worked out for Tom McCarthy. The director of “Stillwater,” starring Matt Damon as a father trying to get his daughter out of a French prison, says the pandemic delay gave him a chance that studio-backed filmmakers rarely get—to step away from the film for months and come back to sharpen it with fresh eyes. “You never, never get that.
Tilray Is One of the 2021 TIME100 Most Influential Companies
Irwin Simon was best known for creating a health-food giant before signing on to head Aphria, a cannabis company based in Canada, where recreational marijuana is legal. Separately, Brendan Kennedy went to Nanaimo, British Columbia, to launch Tilray after co-founding a private-equity firm to buy cannabis startups. Now they’re merging the two to form the world’s largest cannabis company by annual revenue—more than $685 million. Still, there’s room to grow.
Clearview AI Is One of the 2021 TIME100 Most Influential Companies
Clearview AI’s innovative facial-recognition tools—which scan a database of more than 3 billion images to identify people from photos—are used by thousands of U.S. police departments to pinpoint crime suspects; earlier this year, it helped authorities ID some of the U.S. Capitol rioters.
Mastercard Is One of the 2021 TIME100 Most Influential Companies
Plastic isn’t the future for Mastercard. Contactless in-store payments are rising, and “card not present” purchases (online or recurring) leaped to about 45% of the company’s transactions in 2020—a bright spot in a year in which Mastercard transactions overall rose little, and its $15.3 billion in revenue represented a 9% drop.
Airbnb Is One of the 2021 TIME100 Most Influential Companies
Airbnb, which transformed the hospitality industry by turning spare residences and bedrooms into rentals for travelers, is emerging from its most brutal year ever—in which bookings plummeted, resulting in a series of painful staff cuts—well positioned to leverage the changed travel landscape.
Bob Odenkirk Plays the Latest Suburban ‘Nobody’ With a Hidden Past
If many movies are to be believed, one of your quiet suburban neighbors is a former elite assassin, freelance secret agent or special-ops mercenary trying to start fresh and escape the stress and murdering. The latest in this plentiful genre is Bob Odenkirk in “Nobody.” Mr. Odenkirk plays Hutch Mansell, a timid dad who has a mind-numbing desk job at his father-in-law’s tool-and-die shop.
The World Is Freaking Out About Data Privacy, and DuckDuckGo Is Ready to Seize the Moment
Longform The small but growing Paoli-based online privacy company is perfectly positioned to take on the Googles and Facebooks of the world — if it can survive its own success. By Don Steinberg· 2/20/2021, 9:00 p.m. Get a compelling long read and must-have lifestyle tips in your inbox every Sunday morning — great with coffee! DuckDuckGo founder Gabriel Weinberg.
The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, dies at 74
"I have rassled with an alligator, I have tussled with a whale. I've handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail. Only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick.
Netflix’s ‘Queen’s Gambit’ Sparks a Chess Boom-Here’s How to Get Started
“The Queen’s Gambit,” Netflix ’s fictional drama about a female chess prodigy, has pulled off an unlikely gambit of its own: It’s prompted one of the biggest surges in the popularity of chess among Americans since the days of Bobby Fischer’s dominance in the 1970s. The show has become Netflix’s most widely viewed scripted limited series, with 62 million households tuning in during the first 28 days after its Oct. 23 debut, the streaming company said.
Netflix's 'Queen's Gambit' Sparks a Chess Boom - Here's How to Get In on It
By Don Steinberg "The Queen's Gambit," Netflix's fictional drama about a female chess prodigy, has pulled off an unlikely gambit of its own: It's prompted one of the biggest surges in the popularity of chess among Americans since the days of Bobby Fischer's dominance in the 1970s. The show has become Netflix's most widely viewed scripted limited series, with 62 million households tuning in during the first 28 days after its Oct. 23 debut, the streaming company said.
Why Some Classic Films Still Aren’t Streaming, From ‘Jungle Fever’ to ‘Silkwood’
Want to stream “Silkwood” on demand tonight—the 1983 drama that stars Meryl Streep and was nominated for five Oscars? Sorry, that isn’t possible. How about John Huston’s “Prizzi’s Honor,” or “Bamboozled” by Spike Lee? Good luck. In today’s internet-connected home theaters, it might seem that every movie is available with a few clicks of a mouse or remote. But random holdouts remain unavailable to stream or rent digitally in the U.S., sometimes for inexplicable reasons. Call them The Unstreamables.
Social networks impact odds of stopping injection drug use, study finds
People with a history of injection drug use were found to have better odds of stopping injection when their social networks included more people who don’t inject, according to new research from Abby Rudolph, associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics.
It’s Never Too Late to Start Your YouTube Career
Rick Beato figured he was onto something when the first music video he posted online went viral and got 22 million views (it featured his young son Dylan showing off preternaturally perfect pitch). He was in his mid-fifties, with a long career behind him as a college professor and music producer. A millennial-age intern encouraged him to put himself in more videos and start a YouTube channel, but Mr. Beato wasn’t sure.
'Game On Philly' collaboration goes virtual
Game On Philly provides free sports equipment, healthy foods, and online coaching to Philadelphia middle school students With its playbook revised by COVID-19, the Game On Philly program launched its virtual program earlier this month, delivering free sports equipment, healthy foods, and online coaching to Philadelphia middle school students.
The Dot-Com Congressman
One of the fringe benefits of selling your company at the height of the dot-com bubble is that you can finance your own campaign for Congress. Jared Polis actually sold two Internet companies -- both in nine-figure deals -- before he won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Congress in Colorado's 2nd district. On Nov. 4, the 33-year-old Polis carried the traditionally Democratic district, which will make him the state's first openly gay representative.
Tom Hanks Is Now Officially America’s Captain with Apple TV+’s ‘Greyhound’
In “Greyhound,” Tom Hanks once again suits up as a captain who keeps his head amid chaos. It’s no surprise he’s returning to the helm. Mr. Hanks has delivered strong performances portraying brave, humble captains before, in “Apollo 13,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Captain Phillips” and “Sully.” Why so many captains? The rank seems ideal for Mr. Hanks. A captain is a leader who’s also a teammate, a boss who’s hard to hate.
The Nostalgia We All Need Right Now: A Book About Sesame Street
A recent revival of interest in Mister Rogers has offered fans a chance to revisit childhood nostalgia. “Sunny Days: The Children’s Television Revolution That Changed America” takes it from there.
Captain America’s Stunt Double Directs the Netflix Action Movie ‘Extraction’
Like a lot of die-hard action movies, the upcoming “Extraction” keeps things simple when it comes to details like its plot and characters. Chris Hemsworth plays an emotionally dead mercenary with the awesome name Tyler Rake. He accepts a dangerous job to rescue a drug lord’s kidnapped son in a lawless city controlled by gangsters. The real creativity comes when the fights, car chases and action photography begin. What makes a movie fight or car chase stand out?
FedEx Is One of the 2021 TIME100 Most Influential Companies
Global air travel fell by 60% in 2020, but one of the world’s largest airlines did nothing but grow. FedEx, with close to 700 aircraft, benefited from the lockdown home-delivery bump with record quarterly earnings, partly by picking up slack from canceled flights. About 65% of goods shipped between Europe and the U.S. normally travel in the belly of passenger planes. “That went away,” says Donald Colleran, president and CEO of FedEx Express, which added flights to handle that extra business.
What to Watch: Ignored (Movie) Scientists Who Predict Doom, ‘Tiger King’ and the Amazon Series ‘Tales from the Loop’
Between existing streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV) and dozens of new ones (what’s Pluto?) there has never been so much to see and so little time—even in quarantine. There aren’t just new movies and shows, but an array of old (and oldish) classics. What’s actually worth your time? The Wall Street Journal is distilling the most compelling movies and series, from across time and platforms. Each week we identify a trend in entertainment.
How Isabella Rossellini Is Using That Master’s Degree in Animal Behavior
Isabella Rossellini isn’t a vegan or animal-rights activist. She models cosmetics, and has collaborated with Bulgari on calf-leather and alligator-skin purses. But she owns and runs an organic farm in Long Island, earned a master’s degree in animal behavior and conservation at Hunter College, and is devoting her second act to the inner lives of animals.
Philly Media Giant Entercom Is Doubling Down on the Future of Radio
City Does anyone listen to the radio anymore? America’s second largest radio company is betting a whole lot of money that the answer is yes. By Don Steinberg· 1/25/2020, 9:00 p.m. Get a compelling long read and must-have lifestyle tips in your inbox every Sunday morning — great with coffee! Image by Dubassy/Can Stock Photo Like any smart CEO, David Field knows that you lead with the good news and try to hum a happy tune over the bad, especially when you’re talking to Wall Street.
Five Tips for Finding a Good Adam Sandler Movie
Adam Sandler is inspiring Oscar buzz for “Uncut Gems,” a crime drama that opens on Dec. 13. In the film, he plays Howard Ratner, a jittery New York jeweler and gambler who makes high-stakes bets. If things go the wrong way for Howard, it could be disastrous. But there is a chance something remarkable will happen. Maybe the role works because it’s similar to the gamble of watching an Adam Sandler movie. You never know what you’re going to get.
This Filmmaker Finds Inspiration in Today’s Headlines
Some screenwriters find their source material in comic books. Scott Z. Burns found his in the 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Torture—and turned it into a movie. “The Report,” which Mr. Burns wrote and directed, is his latest project that converts current events into popcorn dramas. The film, which opens Nov. 15, stars Adam Driver as Daniel Jones, a real-life former Senate investigator, and Annette Bening as Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
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