Good morning, Quartz readers!
From the moment I arrived on the CES floor, technology was ready to watch and judge me, and to prescribe a life I’m not sure I want to live. I’ve worked hard on myself, both personally and professionally. And yet, companies told me again and again, I should be better. They offered to fix my teeth, my skin, my eating habits, my cooking, my poor meditation skills, and my sense of whether or not a baby needs a clean diaper. I was not offered therapy–or, for that matter, gender (or racial) equality.
In so many ways, CES reflects the biases of tech itself. It’s gotten flack for it, and made efforts to improve diversity, but it’s got a long way to go.
CES doesn’t release demographic numbers for attendees, but in the crowd, the ratio often felt like 10:1; I ate at a restaurant where I counted a ratio of 11:1. Women on the floor passing out condom-themed ads about “wild nights” (selling earplugs) skipped me amid the parade of men.
Quartz reporter Matthew De Silva, who’s Sri Lankan, and I had arrived thrilled to see the strange and useful gadgetry and innovation, but the atmosphere wore on us. The booths were shockingly homogeneous, and Toyota’s displays, for example, featured many people, but almost none with brown skin.
This isn’t to say we didn’t discover the potential and promise tech’s most utopian view offers—from accessibility to energy-efficient gear, we found innovative solutions and committed, enthusiastic entrepreneurs eager to demonstrate their hard work. And as Quartz’s director of R&D, I’m among the most enthusiastic early adopters you can find. But this was my first time at CES, and it was hard not to see the consumer technology show as a reflection of our society’s values, and for underrepresented groups, that meant a persistent feeling of invisibility and inadequacy. —Emily Withrow
FIVE THINGS ON QUARTZ WE ESPECIALLY LIKED
The future–and big business–of senior living. When Quartz reporter Lila MacLellan had to move her aging parents out of their home, she discovered a universe of (expensive) elder care options. For her Birth of Geriatric Cool field guide for Quartz members, she revisited the enormous and confusing senior housing market as a reporter, examining the best and worst of assisted living now, and toured the most promising trends and experiments.
Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump will face off during the Super Bowl. Both politicians have purchased 60 seconds of airtime to show their 2020 presidential campaign commercials. The price tag: $10 million each. Adam Epstein writes that the move is unprecedented—no other presidential contender has ever advertised nationally during the big game, watched last year by 100 million Americans.
The Hindu goddess who came to slay. She’s bloody, unapologetic, and a little scary—the quintessential representation of shakti, female power. Annalisa Merelli writes that Kali is the feminist icon we need now: raw, untamed, and the embodiment of complexity.
Finland has figured out a way to make new parenthood less lonely. The Nordic nation has some of the most generous family-leave benefits in the world, but all those days alone with small children can be isolating. Annabelle Timsit explores Finnish family cafés, where parents gather for coffee, conversation, and commiseration.
Investment in African startups reached a new level in 2019. Venture capital flowing into projects on the continent topped $1 billion for the first time, writes Yomi Kazeem for Quartz Africa. The countries that benefited most from funding include Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt, while South Africa saw a slight dip, and fintech was the big sector winner.
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FIVE THINGS ELSEWHERE THAT MADE US SMARTER
Tiki bars are back. They’ve “been on the cutting edge of tackiness for the better part of their 80-year history,” Jackson Arn writes in The Nation. Now, after they fell out of favor 30 years ago, scorpion bowls and blue Hawaiians are back on the menu in the Trump era, thanks, arguably, to a collective yen for nostalgia.
A $1000 air filter could raise test scores almost as much as the best charter schools. In 2015, a leak at a natural gas storage facility in southern California led schools in the area to install air purifiers. Math and reading scores went up. Vox reports that if the results can be replicated, controlling indoor air quality could be a highly cost-effective educational intervention.
Losing her husband, then her life. Before writer Elizabeth Wurtzel died this week at age 52, she wrote a lyrical and searing piece for GEN about the intersection of the failure of her marriage and the advancement of her cancer. (“My husband moved half a mile away from it. I would love to do the same.”) Even in the face of the ultimate loss, she declares, “I believe in love.”
Retirement at 65 is for suckers. More people are staying in the workforce for longer–because they want to. As human life spans lengthen, older adults are changing careers, taking on new roles, and even going back to school at ages that once would have been considered retirement-ready. In his Wall Street Journal column, John D. Stoll writes that he is funding his own 401k so that when he reaches 70 he’ll have options.
Life on the “surrogate circuit.” When your spouse decides to run for president, it changes your life in bizarre ways, as Jada Yuan chronicles in the Washington Post. Each would-be first lady or gentleman must learn to navigate the surreal, roller-coaster-like parallel universe of the campaign trail and make hard choices about their own image and career.
Harry and Meghan reject protocol, and the press. The decision of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to “step back” from their royal duties and the media surprised and disappointed some–including, reportedly, Queen Elizabeth–but it’s perfectly in step with how the couple has already been ushering in a new era for the monarchy, suggests Helen Lewis in the Atlantic.
Our best wishes for a relaxing but thought-filled weekend. Please send any news, comments, presidential campaign spots, and retro Polynesian drinks to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Weekend Brief was brought to you by Annaliese Griffin and Holly Ojalvo.