Society

Back then, as now, the reporter does not quote a single marginalized person, though we do not want for soundbites from the wealthy.

Do we live in a post-modern age? Or has modernity never existed? A review of the provocative (and possibly crazy) We Have Never Been Modern.

“Come and take them,” said Leonidas. “I will, thanks,” said Xerxes.

What we can learn from our complicated relationship with boredom.

Unreasonable burdens prevent people from thriving. Eliminate them.

From Priya Satia’s recent and interesting Time’s Monster: History, Conscience and Britain’s Empire: Evolutionary history likewise advised tolerance in the face of the mass death enabled by the new machine guns, which ended the long technological parity between Europeans and others, making it possible for Europeans to conquer Africa at least.  Robert Routledge’s popular 1876 […]

Digital privacy laws help control how your data is stored, shared, and used by big businesses—but those protections vary wildly depending on where you live.

Experts say Cascadia needs a coordinated grid to expand access to renewable energy.

By employing certain words and phrases, social media-savvy mothers are able to create insulated online environments and ultimately spread dangerous misinformation.

A conspiracy theory spreading online says the whole internet is now fake. It’s ridiculous, but possibly not that ridiculous?

Marginal cost is how much extra you’ll need to spend to serve one more customer. The marginal cost of a hot dog is pretty low–if you don’t have to account for rent and labor and i…

A tool for comedians and comedy fans. Transcribes standup performances and rates jokes based on laughter.

A milestone document in the history of human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. It has been translated into over 500 languages.

Tired of Big Tech monopolies, a community of hobbyists is taking their digital lives off the cloud and onto DIY hardware that they control.

We generally assume that the world is becoming a better place every year. But when it comes to individual freedoms, the opposite is true. Most studies show humanity is now less free than several years ago. 20 years ago we had decentralized Internet and a relatively unrestricted banking system. Today, Apple and Google censor information and apps on our phones while Visa and Mastercard limit what goods and services we can pay for. Every year we give up more power and control over our lives to a handful of unaccountable corporate executives we didn't elect. Most of us willingly carry tracking devices – our phones – and allow corporations to use our private data to target us with content that keeps us distracted with low-quality entertainment. Unlike 20 years ago, we are now surrounded by surveillance cameras, which in countries like China use AI to make sure nobody can hide. In 2017, China overtook the US as the largest economy in the world by purchasing power, showing the world that individual freedoms are…

Managers of business technologies are motivated to push forward a new wave of no code and low code development.

The FTC’s new Facebook case isn’t any better than the old one, even as there are ever more questions about the potential harm of regulatory interference

Posted on Monday 5 Oct 2020. 758 words, 5 links. By Matt Webb.

Posted on Wednesday 1 Sep 2021. 748 words, 2 links. By Matt Webb.

The model for TV in the 1960s was three major networks supported by mass advertising. And so the shows that were produced were banal, reassuring and fairly inexpensive to produce. The goal was simp…

In this edition: Markets overview, Dr. Milgram’s dramatic forecast for CBDCs & surveillance, news and themes

Tyler Cowen is an economist that has spotted top talent in fields ranging from biotech to literature, often years before insiders. How does he do it?

Corporate and hierarchical, bureaucracies strive for legibility. But people aren't corporate or hierarchical. Instead they're messy and innovative.

In 2015 the world was divided into two warring factions overnight. And at the center of this schism was a single photograph. Cecilia Bleasdale took a picture of a dress that she planned to wear to her daughter’s wedding and that photo went beyond viral. Some saw it as blue with black trim; others as