Category: Stories & Inspiration
Stories of science, technology, startup journeys and lessons from history.
Selective Authenticity: How Video Game Developers Act as Modern Historians
By combining detailed historical research with creative storytelling, video game developers use selective authenticity to turn players into active interpreters.
Calculators, Codes, and Missing Archives: The Lost Papers of Ida Rhodes
From manual human computing to pioneering federal software, Ida Rhodes shaped early digital systems—yet her missing archives reveal systemic historical gaps.
Between Moonshots and the Shuttle: How NASA’s 1970s Robotic Fleet Reshaped Planetary Exploration
How NASA transformed Kennedy Space Center during the 1970s from Apollo lunar launches to deep-space planetary probes and shuttle prep.
The Barricade at Accra: How Leymah Gbowee’s Interfaith Coalition Forced Peace in Liberia
How Leymah Gbowee organized an interfaith coalition of Liberian women, used strategic protests in Accra, and helped end a fourteen-year civil war.
Bureaucracy, Elevators, and an IPO: Inside Maxis’s Mid-1990s Expansion
How Maxis expanded from SimCity into corporate policy simulations, skyscraper dispatch systems, and a 1995 Wall Street debut.
One Man and the Master Ledger: How Jon Postel Built the Internet’s Numbering System
How Jon Postel turned a personal registry into IANA, laying the technical foundation for modern global Internet governance.
Six-Week Cycles to Aircraft Carriers: Inside Max Rhodes’ Operational Shift at Faire
How Max Rhodes adapted Faire’s operating structure from six-week seed-stage sprints to six-month pillar reviews for over 1,000 employees.
Tents, Blueprints, and World War II Bunkers: Inside NASA’s 1967 Pre-Apprentice Program
In August 1967, NASA launched a pre-apprentice program at Ohio’s Plum Brook Station, training 101 young African American men in technical trades.
Algorithms, Characters, and Four-Player Screen Time: Inside the 1987 Computer Games Panel
In 1987, game designers Chris Crawford, Dan Bunten, Dave Lebling, and Tom Snyder debated multiplayer design and digital personality at The Computer Museum.
A Uranium Bank and the Smiling Buddha: How Eisenhower’s Nuclear Gambit Reshaped World Diplomacy
How Eisenhower’s 1953 initiative shifted nuclear policy from total secrecy to international transparency, shaping modern diplomacy.
SIGNAL TITANS