In this article, Samuel Matlack reflects on socio-cultural commentary from Jacques Ellul on contemporary technological society. Despite the title and subtitle, Matlack doesn’t actually address how one is set free (it is also not clear what exactly one is being set free from); rather, he tries to formulate that pervasive sense that something has gone …
In this article from “The Guardian,” Mark Keierleber discusses the disturbing presence of surveillance in schools. This surveillance was introduced to monitor students either going maskless or wearing masks improperly during Covid. But even as regulations change and the surveillance no longer used for that purpose, the surveillance is remaining in schools. There are a …
In this article, Nick Chavez–a mechanical engineer–reflects on the role engineers have in rendering workers non-experts as more expertise is transferred to the machine that gets used. Something that once had to be done by hand might turn into something done with a push of a button. This is especially troubling for communist (or other …
This article covers some of the exciting developments in surfing technology: surfboards with propellers; a pump that generates surfable waves; and a watch that helps prevent shark attacks. Read more in Richard Baimbridge’s article linked below! Image courtesy of Miguel de Ozarko Source: The innovative surfing tech making waves – BBC News
In this article, David Lumb talks about how Ukrainians are staying in touch with each other, as well as informing the world, using cell phones. Ukrainians can lose Wi-Fi access from bombings or connectivity being cut off, or they may just not be in locations where Wi-Fi is accessible. Read more at the link below. …
This article discusses what is being done in light of Russia cracking down on and arresting those protesting the war against Ukraine. Individuals have taken to posting information in ‘code’ that can be discerned by people, but not algorithms. In addition, social media companies like Facebook and Twitter have also made changes to make it …
This article provides a brief introduction to the work Bounty Everything: Hackers and the Making of the Global Bug Marketplace, by Ryan Ellis and Yuan Stevens. Their report is about the hackers hired to find bugs in programs, how this work is hired and carried out, and critiquing this model. They worry that this current …
An alternative to pink & blue: Colors for gender data This article discusses how gender data is colored, as news rooms and other presenters of such data move away from the stereotypical pink (for women) and blue (for men). Sometimes newsrooms will reverse these colors: pink for men, blue for women. But Muth think …
Claire Woodcock’s recent article (link below) discusses the importance of archiving digital cultural information during times of war, particularly when cyber warfare is being waged against the nation right along with conventional warfare. The article discusses the efforts archivists are making to ensure that Ukraine’s digital information is not erased. Source: Ukrainian Websites Are Going …
In an unnerving article, “I Used Apple AirTags, Tiles and a GPS Tracker to Watch My Husband’s Every Move,” Kashmir Hill describes the advanced, and affordable, technology available to individuals to track or record people without their knowledge. (Hill did have her husband’s knowledge, as she mentions early on.) Hill mentions stories about people discovering …
