Peel the layers off a robotaxi, tune a radio to find hidden places, fold a mission into your pocket and decide what to do when the river rises.
I have always been the kind of person who wants to know what is under the lid.
When I rode in a robotaxi, I did not only want to know where it was going. I wanted to know where the sensors were, how it could see in every direction at once, and why it did not need a steering wheel. When I walk through an airport, I keep thinking about the bags disappearing through the little rubber curtain. Where do they go?
So there is now a Curiosity Workshop on Abby's Labs. It is for questions you answer with your hands.
## The Exploder
Slide down and the outside of a robotaxi, an airport or a geyser peels away layer by layer, until you reach the part that makes it work. The geyser one is my favourite, because the answer is hiding deep underground.
## Abby's Field Radio
Turn the dial slowly. Mostly you get static. But four stations are hidden on the band, each with a short field note: steam under New York, kiwi calling at night, an empty debating chamber and a rocket test countdown. Finding them is half the fun.
## Pocket Field Missions
Print one page, fold it and make a single cut, and it turns into a tiny eight-page booklet. There is one for election day, one for the supermarket and one for a backyard nature walk. They are designed to get you off the screen.
## You're the Boss
A flood is coming and you are the mayor. A blizzard has knocked out the power at your Antarctic base. You only have room for one exhibition at your museum. There is no perfect answer, which is exactly the point. Afterwards, you get a question to think about.
## Prime Minister for a Day
You get 10 golden tokens and six things the country needs. You cannot fund everything. It is not linked to any party. It is just a way of feeling how hard those choices are.
## The Cabinet of Curiosities
As you explore, objects appear on the shelves: a piece of pumice, a baggage tag, a ballot box key. Each one comes with a little card. It all stays on your own device, with no account needed.
## My question for you
What would you most like to see taken apart next? A volcano? A ship? Parliament itself? Tell me, and I will see what I can do.