Balance of Terrors – on Günther Anders
“You should not begin your day with the illusion that what surrounds you is a stable world.” – Günther Anders It has been 70 years since Bert the Turtle instructed … Continue reading
Imagine the End of Facebook
“On the one hand the computer makes it possible in principle to live in a world of plenty for everyone, on the other hand we are well on our way … Continue reading
Who Listens to the Listeners?
It can be kind of fun to look through the record collections of your friends. Whether this collection consists of actual records, cassette tapes, compact discs, or just a lengthy … Continue reading
Facebook ≠ Democracy
‘Who rules here?’ I asked. They said: ‘The People naturally.’ I said: ‘Naturally the people but who really rules?’ – Erich Fried, “In the Capital.” Mark Zuckerberg would like … Continue reading
“Cover Your Tracks!” – A Critique of the Privacy Project from The New York Times
Whatever you say, don’t say it twice. If you find your idea with somebody else: deny it. He who didn’t sign anything, who didn’t leave an image Who wasn’t there, … Continue reading
From Megatechnic Bribe to Megatechnic Blackmail: Mumford’s ‘Megamachine’ After the Digital Turn
Without even needing to look at the copyright page, an aware reader may be able to date the work of a technology critic simply by considering the technological systems, or … Continue reading
While We Were Distracted…CISPA Passed in the House
When the news cycle is focused on tragic events it is all too easy for other important stories to be ignored, particularly stories that might not have garnered much attention … Continue reading
We are the 91% (who think libraries are important)
Librarians have become accustomed to the tragic chorus declaring that libraries must adjust to changing times or woe shall befall them. Well, some have become accustomed; others have become frustrated, … Continue reading
To Save Everything Click Here — by Evgeny Morozov — A Book Review
The modern day evangelicals of technology rarely miss an opportunity to proclaim the ways in which a new device or app will solve all of our problems. Such people stand … Continue reading
Facebook Home is not Your Home Away from Home
The plot of a new horror movie is causing quite the tizzy. Here’s an overview (don’t worry, no spoilers): A group of friends are gathered inside a house. They are … Continue reading
So, Has Your Information Been Sold to Any Huge Companies Lately?
Part of enjoying a book comes after you finish reading it. Once that last page is read a reader is able to discuss it with their friends, recommend it to … Continue reading
Hit Print and Pull the Trigger
American politics and a segment of American society are currently engaged in that periodic shouting match known as the gun debate. Without intending to be overly cynical or simplistic, the … Continue reading
The Specter of General Ludd at SXSW
The SXSW festival, held annually in Austin, Texas, is something of a bacchanal to the new. While many are familiar with the festival for its music and film components it … Continue reading
Through the Google Glass
Did you know that secretly recording somebody is illegal in California? James O’Keefe, the conservative provocateur behind such doctored classics as “ACORN assists in prostitution,” has recently received a pricy … Continue reading
Facebook knows what you like…because you told it
What does it mean to hit the “like” button for an article that discusses how “liking things on Facebook” reveals much more about you than you think? Earlier in the … Continue reading
Ethics and Buying a Smartphone (with help from Simone and Simon)
Many people have at least a passing concern for where the things they use and consume come from. Was your shirt sewn in a sweatshop? Was your coffee purchased from … Continue reading
The Public, and The Digital Public Library of America
In our increasingly digital age there are many who adopt an attitude of: if it is not on the Internet it must not be anywhere. As a librarian I have … Continue reading
The Used Book Store in the Cloud (probably isn’t heaven)
Do you “own” any of the albums, books, or movies that you have downloaded? You hit the “buy” button, didn’t you? Your bank statement provides you with evidence that you … Continue reading
You Have Already Opted-In
Have you ever walked around in a store, or by a shop window, and had a momentary odd feeling upon recognizing that you were on camera? Or, have you become … Continue reading
Choosing a New “ism” to Dread
It’s always fun to have a new ism. You can ponder the issues raised by the ism, write a book warning an unaware public about this ism (that you may … Continue reading
Douglass Rushkoff Quits Facebook (surprising nobody)
Apropos of my post about the smart phone (here), it is incumbent upon me to mention that if the filing cabinet on you is your smart phone than most of … Continue reading
The Stasi Agent in Your Pocket
Begin overly simplistic plot summary: in the film The Lives of Others a playwright in East Berlin is monitored by Stasi agents (the Stasi were the secret police in the … Continue reading
7 Questions for New Technology (Part 1)
Our hands have become very full of late. I mean this in a very literal sense. When I ride the subway in the morning it seems that almost every person … Continue reading
From the Testing Trenches
Most people who have taken their share of standardized tests know (on some level) that there is something about the tests that is, shall we say, bunk. While I was … Continue reading
Neil Postman’s 6 Questions (+1 from me)
Keeping apace with changes in technology can drive a person mad, especially as the speed of technological shifts seems to be increasing constantly. Indeed that state-of-art piece of shiny tech … Continue reading
An Obituary for the E-Reader
Do you remember MiniDiscs? If so, kudos to you. But if not, know that you are far from alone. For a brief moment in the 90s MiniDiscs seemed like they … Continue reading
“Why elites” don’t care if you “fear the robot.”
Are fears of robots being peddled to the delight of the “elite?” No. They are not. Okay, maybe. But let me rephrase this: “elites” trying to make people “fear the … Continue reading
Paul Krugman, Robots, Economic Inequality
Apparently machines are taking jobs that used to be performed by humans and this is having negative effects. Is this the plot to some new Science Fiction film or the … Continue reading
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