It was 1993, the beginning of the Clinton years. The Wall had come down and Yeltsin had gone up onto the tank. No longer impeded by a curtain of iron, there were now fifteen new “FSU” states strung along the old Silk Road joining China and Europe. It seemed more open than any time inContinue reading “On Adventuring”
Category Archives: philosophy
Your life-changing books
Here is the concept: what books have changed your life? I am not talking about your favourite books, or comfort food books that you have re-read over and over again (ahem… Harry Potter series), or even books that you recognize are a masterwork (eg Invisible Man or The Handmaid’s Tale) and deserving of praise. IContinue reading “Your life-changing books”
Technology is a symptom
As “software eats the world,” further intertwining with our daily lives, more and more discussions that are ostensibly about tech are at heart political discussions. What looks like technology criticism is actually political critique, and therefore cannot be countered by arguments resting entirely within the niche of technology. That is why I do not lookContinue reading “Technology is a symptom”
Pulling back the tattered ethical rags of the sharing economy
Mike Bulajewski has written a lengthy reflection on ethical consumerism singling out the “sharing economy.” His premise: We’re led to believe that as consumers and suppliers for these services, we’re supporting ethical values of kindness, community-building and trust between strangers; living more sustainably by sharing unused property; building community wealth; reducing the power of centralizedContinue reading “Pulling back the tattered ethical rags of the sharing economy”
Tech and social control — an OKDG After Action
@sundaysociology and @chadkoh deep in discussion. Photo by @scdaustin How does technology influence the social and political lives of humans? That was the central topic of discussion during the second half of last night’s OKDG event. I sat down with UBCO Professor of Sociology Christopher Schneider to talk about technology and social control. My purposeContinue reading “Tech and social control — an OKDG After Action”
4 more horsemen — a review of Cypherpunks
Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet by Andy Greenberg NOTE: Originally posted on Medium. This book is really a footnoted conversation between Julian Assange, Jacob Appelbaum, Andy MĂĽller-Maguhn and JĂ©rĂ©mie Zimmermann, some big names in the internet/activist/anarchist/online security communities. It would have been great to see this as a video, but in someContinue reading “4 more horsemen — a review of Cypherpunks”
The New Banality — a review of The New Digital Age
The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business by Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen Since I read This Machine Kills Secrets first, this book seems particularly dangerous to the web as a whole. Universal User Registration? A supranational committee for quarantining non-conforming IPs? This is a company guy and a governmentContinue reading “The New Banality — a review of The New Digital Age”
What a great culmination of some of my favourite things: funky organ music, beatboxing, comedy and particle physics. I am a big Fan of Dr. Reggie Watts. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
A new study finds that atheists are among society’s most distrusted group, comparable even to rapists in certain circumstances.
Possibly a bit of a sensationalist headline, but there is a key take-away in the final graf about battling anti-atheism: “If you manage to offer credible counteroffers of these stereotypes, this can do a lot to undermine people’s existing prejudice,” he said. “If you realize there are all these atheists you’ve been interacting with allContinue reading “A new study finds that atheists are among society’s most distrusted group, comparable even to rapists in certain circumstances.”
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. Matthew 5-37 Some religious advice on avoiding nuance. Sure worked out for them…
