We can do impossible things
The incoming editor-in-chief of MIT Technology Review reflects on the balance between practical realism and ambitious imagination in science journalism. The essay introduces a special print issue dedicated to pursuing seemingly impossible technological ideas.
Why it matters
Provides editorial insight into the creative philosophy driving modern science and technology coverage.
It’s all too easy to lose sight of ambition when we’re busy playing whack-a-mole with the world’s problems.
I’d wager everyone has a rehearsed response to what’s absolutely one of the world’s worst interview questions: “What’s your biggest weakness?” Whenever I’ve gotten it, I take a slow—even pensive—breath and rattle off my line: “I say no to myself too much.”
I won’t lie. It’s a bit shameless—a definite humblebrag. I’m a systems thinker: When an idea pops up, I immediately spin up a feasibility assessment in my head. I run lists, plot timelines, and tally budget line items. Sometimes a rough Gantt chart starts to take shape. (I’m a gas at parties, as you can surely tell.)
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