Stories by Lauren Smiley : Contently

PROJECTS

72 projects for 18 clients

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Wired

The Mission to Build the Ultimate Burger Bot

A Silicon Valley idealist sets out to automate the fast food business he grew up in.

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Wired

The Digital Puppy That Keeps Seniors Out of Nursing Homes

An overseas workers conversing with US seniors - via a puppy avatar.

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Wired

What an Immigrant Murder in Kansas Says About America

The story on an Indian techie killed in a Kansas bar by a white man who screamed "Get out of my country!"

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Medium

The Shut-In Economy

The cultural shift of an on-demand world: getting used to getting served.

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The Atlantic

What it's Like to Work at the Museum of Ice Cream

My report on the near minimum wage workers in an Instagram factory.

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topic.com

Life Inside the RVs of Silicon Valley

In a Silicon Valley Hooverville next to the Stanford campus - people live in a line of Jaycos and Winnebagos.

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Wired

The College Kids Doing What Twitter Won't

The housemates who are taking on Twitter's bots - publically identifying them on the platform.

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The Verge

The screen time debate is pitting parents against each other

Hell is other parents' screen-time policies.

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Fast Company

How Thumbtack Creates Work By Giving The Yellow Pages An AI Twist

A profile on the on-demand company for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies issue.

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backchannel.com

The Tech Resistance Awakens

What it means when tech workers get off the Google bus and into the resistance.

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The Verge

Signal Boost

The Trump resistance flocks to privacy apps popular in repressive regimes.

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newrepublic.com

America's Disastrous Voting Tech

Hacking attempts are scary. Dinosaur voting tech is scarier.

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New York Magazine

Women Biohackers in Silicon Valley

The newest double standard: Men are biohacking; women are just neurotic.

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story.californiasunday.com

When Toys Talk (and Listen)

When AI-fueled toys chat with kids.

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story.californiasunday.com

Charged

A public policy warrior seeks to wipe out fines that punish the poor.

Lauren Smiley

Boots-on-the-ground tech reporter.

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PROJECTS

Wired

The Mission to Build the Ultimate Burger Bot

Wired

The Digital Puppy That Keeps Seniors Out of Nursing Homes

Wired

What an Immigrant Murder in Kansas Says About America

Medium

The Shut-In Economy

The Atlantic

What it's Like to Work at the Museum of Ice Cream

topic.com

Life Inside the RVs of Silicon Valley

Wired

The College Kids Doing What Twitter Won't

The Verge

The screen time debate is pitting parents against each other

Fast Company

How Thumbtack Creates Work By Giving The Yellow Pages An AI Twist

backchannel.com

The Tech Resistance Awakens

The Verge

Signal Boost

newrepublic.com

America's Disastrous Voting Tech

New York Magazine

Women Biohackers in Silicon Valley

story.californiasunday.com

When Toys Talk (and Listen)

story.californiasunday.com

Charged