The world around us seems as turbulent as it has ever been. Tremors across industry, across culture, across the environment, are profoundly reshaping everything we know. We started The Alpine Review as an attempt to understand those tremors from a long-term point of view — to look at how our immediate moment is shaped by the past and will shape us in the future.
A collection of ideas, thoughts and recent developments related to our environment.
A collection of ideas, thoughts and recent developments related to our environment and milieu.
Always pushing computing capacity further, Google has now invested in a quantum computer.
Software is eating the world, but there is a also a renaissance of hardware, where “hardware is the new software,” increasingly open, agile, dynamic, drawing from similar investment and development practices.
'Free' has not exactly been the best model for the internet and Kevin Kelly's 'generative' was an interesting (perhaps even prescient) idea that anticipated some of the more recent developments (NFT's come to mind).
Magazines are artefacts; a presence in one’s home, library, cafe, hotel or meeting place. Increasingly, magazines have been using this power to expand their reach into the real world, communicating identity and acting as a platform.
0fr System in Paris is one of those hybrid retail spaces we were interested to document. Part retail, part library, part office and "atelier", these were rich destinations for magazines and newmaking projects of all sorts.
Ideas, thoughts and signals shaping the world of media.
If our educational institutions and workplaces could be reimagined for the digital age, what would they look like? Perhaps just like your favourite coffee shop.
Human-centered design programs and practices—from the likes of d.School and IDEO—are making their way into politics. Exploring what came out of the highly revered UK Government Digital Service (GDS) program.
We have built a system of criminal law that depends upon our trusting the government but what is the state of trust in our institutions? Revisiting the Aaron Swartz story.
Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta describes a world that has become increasingly dangerous..
Creative city branding is a popular game, but raises questions about who the winners are.
A collection of ideas and thoughts that point to the future of architecture and urbanism.
Four Singaporean public school teachers founded The Thought Collective: a dynamic and engaging series of social enterprises, ranging from magazine publishing to restaurants, to a think tank to social innovation and of course, education.
Robert Rowland Smith argues that the “Age of Ideas” has reached its peak. So what comes next?
In the context of the new chef craze, iconic culinary figure Jacques Pépin underlines the everlasting importance of simplicity and humility, reiterating that the main reason to cook remains the same: to share.
It is a common fallacy to believe that the link between decisions and outcomes is causally direct.
What was the role of digital tools in the evolution of the architectural design process? Archaeology of the Digital, a transdisciplinary exhibition at Montreal’s CCA (2012) attempted to craft an answer.
Alchemy is either the foundation of modern science or a grand mystic delusion induced by mercury fumes. Can new understandings of ancient ways show us how interconnectedness can exist in harmony with scientific mastery?
A passionate collector and curator, Thomas Andrae’s Berlin home reflects his renowned talent for finding and capturing objects of beauty and significance. Freunde von Freunden and photographer Luke Abiol get a personal tour of some of Andrae’s most beloved pieces.
Faced with limited time, money, space and material, it becomes paramount that we act deftly when it matters most; but first we’ll have to hone our ability to make good decisions together.
As DIY culture evolves into DIWO (Do It With Others, more commonly referred to as creative coworking) there is an increasing demand for places to connect and create — enter FabCafe.
How will we manage the process of transition to increased automation? The interesting problem of human-centered design and automation, analyzed through the lense of the AF447 crash.
For those who believe in the theory of the 'great stagnation', the enduring B52 is probably its most iconic attestation. A superb example of good design and engineering but, alas, it also feels like a failure of progress.
Before Fabrica there was Dark Matter, strategic design and systems thinking. In discussion with Dan Hill, we further our understanding of those topics and go from Little Printers in London to bookkeeping in Venice.
When we remember everything, do we understand anything?
There is an uncanny feeling that something profound is taking place at this very moment. Massive changes twisting and pulling at the fabric of our world. The Alpine Review — Observing the things that matter.
Patrick Pittman (PP), co-editor of The Alpine Review, sat down with the pair to talk about the benefits of a criminal mind, unconventional modes of understanding, and design and materiality.
Tracking interesting signals, ideas and questions that make society move — on unemployment and technology.
Sizing the dynamics of the post-normal world, and identify the key sites and tipping points for action — the gonzo futurist.
Tracking interesting signals, ideas and questions that make society move.
What is a product? And what are the broader implications for design when smart, connected products have become the norm? In Megan Neese’s EPIC piece “What is a Product?”, she argues for a product-design methodology rooted in place.
We visited with Barry Lopez, one of the great environmental writers of our time, in the wilds of Oregon to reflect on ethics, hope, death, and the importance of good people in times that are not.