Age of Oblivion: Another End of Decade Rant
Of course calendars are a construct and don’t mean anything, but the end of the year and, even more so, the end of the decade are useful times to take…
technology
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Bernie Sanders and Rashida Tlaib discuss Donald Trump’s holiday menu of serving the rich and feasting on the poor, while Paul Krugman…
The Greatest Propaganda Machine in History
Sacha Baron Cohen (aka Ali G. and Borat, among others) won an award from the Anti-Defamation League. Here’s his 25 minute acceptance speech. It’s in writing, abridged a bit, below…
Wikipedia Founder’s New Social Project Starts Strong
If you’re like everyone else then you still have a Facebook profile that you barely check, yet still need. Yes it’s handy to be in touch with people using one…
Hactivist Offers 100k to Hack Evil Corporations
The infamous (and very talented) hacker Phineas Fisher has offered $100,000 to people who hack into oil companies, banks, and other companies. There’s a catch: the hacks better be used…
Little Robot Friends: Kids Should have Fun with Code
Little Robot Friends is a Toronto-based startup that wants kids to not only be comfortable with code, they want kids to have fun playing with it too. The company runs…
Autonomous Objects
The sharing economy should be about sharing more than profits. At least that’s what the thinkers behind the sharing economy called for in the early days of the term; however…
The state, not the private sector, invented the modern economy
I read an article in The Economist a while ago that insisted the state should constrain itself to providing basic services and otherwise stay out of the economy. That is,…
Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Ernest Canning writes about the importance of treating corporatism as a specific and extreme position, rather than allowing it to define the political…
Try These Ethical Alternatives to Popular Apps
Large tech companies find ways to make money off of your data without you knowing about it, they might even be sharing personal information about you with governments or advertisers.…
Did the Chinese learn their trade antics from the U.S.?
The China/U.S. trade war heats up. The rest of us get dragged along willy-nilly. Nonetheless, there is a lot of sympathy for the American case. The Chinese have hardly walked…
Noteworthy Companies from Collision Conference
21 May 2019; Chelsea F. Briganti, left, CEO, LOLIWARE, Dianna Cohen, centre,rnCEO, Plastic Pollution Coalition, and Catherine Abreu, Executive Director, Climate Action Network Canada, on planet : tech Stage during…
Canada and Global Fishing Watch Trying to Save the Oceans
21 May 2019; Stephen Leahy, International Environmental Journalist, National Geographic, left, with, Andrew Sharpless, CEO, Oceanaon centre and Sean Casey, Parliamentary Secretary, Government of Canada, on Planet : Tech Stage…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Daniel Drenzer reviews Joseph Stiglitz’ People, Power and Profits, while noting the importance of pairing progressive policy ideas with a plan for implementation.…
How to Resist Surveillance Capitalism
Surveillance capitalism is a truly 21st century innovation which is having a major impact on society. Policies around data protection and privacy aren’t strong enough yet and trade deals don’t…
Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – David Ball reports on the movement forming in support of a Canadian Green New Deal. Kyla Tienhaara discusses how it fits into…
Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Sigal Samuel reports on Gary Bloch’s work in prescribing secure incomes to address health problems arising out of poverty. And Murtada Haizer and…
Primitive vs Civilized Societies
As someone born in 1950 and raised and educated in a Eurocentric culture I learned early that civilized societies are intellectually, socially, and technologically superior to primitive societies. This despite…
Yellowknife Twitter Bot Spreads Global Warming Knowledge
Yesterday in Yellowknife, the temperature was 7 °C warmer than the historic average.warmer/colder/total days : 57/42/105#ClimateChangeRightNow #ClimateAction — YK Climate Watch (@ykclimatewatch) April 15, 2019 Climate change is occurring at…
Piracy is Good for Companies
Copyright holders of multi-million dollar franchises decry piracy and proclaim it to be a threat to their business. The reality is different. Piracy can spur competition and keep prices lower…