It is a commonly-held truism that technology is “neutral” and that it is the use we put it to that makes it good or bad. This ignores the reality that some technology is more accessible than others. Consider the printing … Continue reading
Category Archives: Activism
Now that the “family values” wing in California has proposed a ballot initiative (Proposition Eight) for a constitutional amendment to prevent families consisting of gay couples, I thought this would be a good time to examine the alleged religious underpinnings … Continue reading
Let’s be honest; very few people read this blog (or would cop to reading it), and even fewer leave comments. So it was with some surprise that I saw a comment awaiting moderation on my recent post about the need … Continue reading
The June 26, 2008 issue of The Nation has a brilliant, ringing address by E. L. Doctorow to a joint meeting of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society on the theme of “The Public … Continue reading
The San Francisco Bay Area is notorious for being full of people who have interesting ideas and, what’s more, are prone to act on them. Creativity is the lifeblood of the Bay Area not just in the sense that it … Continue reading
Just for a moment, let’s ignore the fact that the likelihood of someone who is truly rich reading this blog is roughly the same as Jerry Falwell getting his nipples pierced. In fact, let’s forget that this blog is probably … Continue reading
I confess I approach this post with some trepidation. Elsewhere I have lamented the passing of what used to be called the “public intellectual”; individuals both in and out of academia who helped bridge the gulf between what was going … Continue reading
I am packing for a trip to the west coast this coming week, so this entry must needs be short. In at least one previous blog I have lamented the demise of Whole Earth Review, which reincarnated itself briefly as … Continue reading
NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen has leaped into the headlines after he made allegations that he was subjected to political pressure to keep him from expressing his findings on global climate change. Dr. Hansen, director of the agency’s Goddard Institute … Continue reading