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When product designer Bill Stumpf was asked by Herman Miller to develop ergonomic seating for the 1990s workplace, he began by watching people at work. What he saw was pandemonium. Personal computers had freed employees to assume any position. They’d lean forward, squinting at the screen, or kick back, keyboards in their laps. With materials expert Don Chadwick, Stumpf built a chair as flexible as the restless startup worker.

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Get in-depth coverage of current and future trends in technology, and how they are shaping business, entertainment, communications, science, politics, and society.

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When you need a moment of zen, reach for these items to turn the break room, or anywhere you can find some free space, into an escape pod. 1. Mavogel Cotton Sleep Eye Mask Need a nap? Block out the midday sun or harsh fluorescents with a sleep mask. This one uses stiffer material between the eyes that forms to the shape of your nose for maximum light-stifling, and the breathable cotton gives you sweat-free shut-eye. $14 2.

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I bought my Fossil Sport Smartwatch over Black Friday weekend, when it was improbably on sale just after it launched. This admittedly has no bearing on how good a smartwatch it is, or whether you should consider buying one of your own. But it might help to know from the start that I’ve worn this watch nearly every day for the past three months. And that I plan to keep on wearing it.

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If your vision of the flying future involves whooshing about in an air taxi while chuckling at the car-bound suckers below, Elroy Air is not here to help. But if you dream of a world of smooth logistics, where emergency supplies, firefighting chemicals, and all the crap you order online moves through the world faster and cheaper than ever, then 2019 might be your year. “We’re developing a big cargo drone,” says Elroy CEO Dave Merrill.

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Dimension 404 on Hulu is a science fiction anthology show in the tradition of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. TV writer Andrea Kail loved the fifth episode, “Bob,” about a (literal) giant brain who works for the National Security Agency. “I thought this was one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time,” Kail says in Episode 347 of the Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast.

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