Category Archives: Technology
God & Golem, Inc. | Reflections & Notes
Norbert Wiener. God & Golem, Inc.: A Comment on Certain Points where Cybernetics Impinges on Religion. The M.I.T. Press, 1964. (99 pages) REFLECTIONS I discovered this book through Meghan O’Gieblyn’s (meghanogieblyn.com) article “Can Social Media Be Redeemed?” Reading decades-old prescience is
God & Golem, Inc. | Reflections & Notes
Norbert Wiener. God & Golem, Inc.: A Comment on Certain Points where Cybernetics Impinges on Religion. The M.I.T. Press, 1964. (99 pages) REFLECTIONS I discovered this book through Meghan O’Gieblyn’s (meghanogieblyn.com) article “Can Social Media Be Redeemed?” Reading decades-old prescience is
How To Avoid A Climate Disaster | Reflections & Notes
Bill Gates. How To Avoid A Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need. Knopf, 2021. (272 pages) Download the tables here. REFLECTIONS I believe it was Bill Gates who said (and I think I’m paraphrasing here), “If
How To Avoid A Climate Disaster | Reflections & Notes
Bill Gates. How To Avoid A Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need. Knopf, 2021. (272 pages) Download the tables here. REFLECTIONS I believe it was Bill Gates who said (and I think I’m paraphrasing here), “If
AI Superpowers | Reflections & Notes
Kai-Fu Lee. AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. (253 pages) REFLECTIONS An amazing read; surprisingly simple, compellingly human, and quite hopeful. For a book on the geopolitics and business of advanced technology, Lee actually
AI Superpowers | Reflections & Notes
Kai-Fu Lee. AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order.Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018. (253 pages) REFLECTIONS An amazing read; surprisingly simple, compellingly human, and quite hopeful. For a book on the geopolitics and business of advanced technology, Lee actually
Unlike: Why I’m Leaving Facebook | Decision Time
Decision Time I’m leaving Facebook. I hesitantly got a Facebook (FB) account many years ago after being peer-pressured to do so. I’m a naturally private person, and so posting on a “worldwide web” about my life was absolutely repellant. As
Unlike: Why I’m Leaving Facebook | Decision Time
Decision Time I’m leaving Facebook. I hesitantly got a Facebook (FB) account many years ago after being peer-pressured to do so. I’m a naturally private person, and so posting on a “worldwide web” about my life was absolutely repellant. As
Sacha Baron Cohen’s Keynote Address at ADL’s 2019 Never Is Now Summit on Anti-Semitism and Hate | Transcript, Highlights, and Reflections
TRANSCRIPT & HIGHLIGHTS Thank you, Jonathan, for your very kind words. Thank you, ADL, for this recognition and your work in fighting racism, hate and bigotry. And to be clear, when I say “racism, hate and bigotry” I’m not
Sacha Baron Cohen’s Keynote Address at ADL’s 2019 Never Is Now Summit on Anti-Semitism and Hate | Transcript, Highlights, and Reflections
TRANSCRIPT & HIGHLIGHTS Thank you, Jonathan, for your very kind words. Thank you, ADL, for this recognition and your work in fighting racism, hate and bigotry. And to be clear, when I say “racism, hate and bigotry” I’m not
Program Or Be Programmed | Reflections & Notes
Douglas Rushkoff. Program Or Be Programmed: Ten Commands For A Digital Age. Soft Skull Press, 2010, 2011. (155 pages) The GeekDadInterview With Douglas Rushkoff, Jason Cranforoteague [Wired] REFLECTIONS In response to the title of this book, I quip, “too late.” The
Program Or Be Programmed | Reflections & Notes
Douglas Rushkoff. Program Or Be Programmed: Ten Commands For A Digital Age. Soft Skull Press, 2010, 2011. (155 pages) The GeekDadInterview With Douglas Rushkoff, Jason Cranforoteague [Wired] REFLECTIONS In response to the title of this book, I quip, “too late.” The
Drawdown | Reflections & Notes
Paul Hawken, ed. Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. Penguin Books, 2017. (240 pages) cf. Project Drawdown REFLECTIONS There is, after so many years, still quite a bit of misinformation and/or misrepresentation by partisans regarding Climate
Drawdown | Reflections & Notes
Paul Hawken, ed. Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. Penguin Books, 2017. (240 pages) cf. Project Drawdown REFLECTIONS There is, after so many years, still quite a bit of misinformation and/or misrepresentation by partisans regarding Climate
TED | Kai-Fu Lee: How AI Can Save Our Humanity (Transcript & Reflections)
I’m going to talk about how AI and mankind can coexist, but first, we have to rethink about our human values. So let me first make a confession about my errors in my values. It was 11 o’clock, December 16,
TED | Kai-Fu Lee: How AI Can Save Our Humanity (Transcript & Reflections)
I’m going to talk about how AI and mankind can coexist, but first, we have to rethink about our human values. So let me first make a confession about my errors in my values. It was 11 o’clock, December 16,
TED | Douglas Rushkoff: Team Human
I got invited to an exclusive resort to deliver a talk about the digital future to what I assumed would be a couple of hundred tech executives. And I was there in the green room, waiting to go on, and
TED | Douglas Rushkoff: Team Human
I got invited to an exclusive resort to deliver a talk about the digital future to what I assumed would be a couple of hundred tech executives. And I was there in the green room, waiting to go on, and
The Facebook Dilemma | Reflections
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/facebook-dilemma/ REFLECTIONS This is an agonizing series of lessons on unintended consequences, optimistic naïveté, and how a mission and core values are ultimately subsumed under the gravity of the economics of your business model. A few thoughts. First, it is
The Facebook Dilemma | Reflections
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/facebook-dilemma/ REFLECTIONS This is an agonizing series of lessons on unintended consequences, optimistic naïveté, and how a mission and core values are ultimately subsumed under the gravity of the economics of your business model. A few thoughts. First, it is
21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Reflections & Critical Notes
Yuval Noah Harari. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. Spiegel & Grau, 2018. (372 pages) REFLECTIONS If a book sits on a shelf and no one reads it, does it make a sound? p. 326 If you want provocation, look no
21 Lessons for the 21st Century | Reflections & Critical Notes
Yuval Noah Harari. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. Spiegel & Grau, 2018. (372 pages) REFLECTIONS If a book sits on a shelf and no one reads it, does it make a sound? p. 326 If you want provocation, look no
The Inevitable | Reflections & Notes
Kevin Kelly. The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future. Viking, 2016. (327 pages) REFLECTIONS The joy of reading Kevin Kelly’s work is not just that you learn about technology, but you also learn about learning
The Inevitable | Reflections & Notes
Kevin Kelly. The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future. Viking, 2016. (327 pages) REFLECTIONS The joy of reading Kevin Kelly’s work is not just that you learn about technology, but you also learn about learning
AlphaGo | Reflections and Quotes
alphagomovie.com. On March 9, 2016, the worlds of Go and artificial intelligence collided in South Korea. Reflections In my continual search for understanding, insight, and truth about the universe, Artificial Intelligence is one of the most captivating areas of study
AlphaGo | Reflections and Quotes
alphagomovie.com. On March 9, 2016, the worlds of Go and artificial intelligence collided in South Korea. Reflections In my continual search for understanding, insight, and truth about the universe, Artificial Intelligence is one of the most captivating areas of study
Homo Deus | Notes & Critical Reflections
Yuval Noah Harari. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Harper, 2017 (449 pages) 1 The New Human Agenda For the first time in history, more people die today from eating too much than from eating too little; more people die
Homo Deus | Notes & Critical Reflections
Yuval Noah Harari. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Harper, 2017 (449 pages) 1 The New Human Agenda For the first time in history, more people die today from eating too much than from eating too little; more people die
TEDx | Daniel Kao: The Promise of Education Technology
Diplateevo. White House.gov post. Around this time last year, I was chatting with one of my friends about the recent trend of college hackathons and he blurted, “wouldn’t it be awesome to have a hackathon at the white house?” We
TEDx | Daniel Kao: The Promise of Education Technology
Diplateevo. White House.gov post. Around this time last year, I was chatting with one of my friends about the recent trend of college hackathons and he blurted, “wouldn’t it be awesome to have a hackathon at the white house?” We
Screenagers | Quotes & Commentary
http://www.screenagersmovie.com About The Film (From the website): Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that happening with her own kids which started her on a
Screenagers | Quotes & Commentary
http://www.screenagersmovie.com About The Film (From the website): Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that happening with her own kids which started her on a
Ex Machina | Reflections
Ex Machina. [R] (2015) The prospect of AI reaching the level of passing the Turing Test is intriguing in and of itself, a scientific inquiry that titillates the geek in all of us. But what I believe to be the
Ex Machina | Reflections
Ex Machina. [R] (2015) The prospect of AI reaching the level of passing the Turing Test is intriguing in and of itself, a scientific inquiry that titillates the geek in all of us. But what I believe to be the
The Imitation Game | Notes
“Sometimes it is the very people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” Are you paying attention? Good. If you’re not listening carefully, you will miss things, important things. I will not
The Imitation Game | Notes
“Sometimes it is the very people who no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine.” Are you paying attention? Good. If you’re not listening carefully, you will miss things, important things. I will not
TED | Jon Gosier: The problem with “trickle-down techonomics”
As a software developer and technologist, I’ve worked on a number of civic technology projects over the years. Civic tech is sometimes referred to as tech for good, using technology to solve humanitarian problems. 0:26 This is in 2010 in
TED | Jon Gosier: The problem with “trickle-down techonomics”
As a software developer and technologist, I’ve worked on a number of civic technology projects over the years. Civic tech is sometimes referred to as tech for good, using technology to solve humanitarian problems. 0:26 This is in 2010 in
Automata | Review
“Surviving is not relevant. Living is. We want to live.” “Life always ends up finding its way, even here.” The idea of autonomous creatures has not only been around for a while (see Radical Evolution), the possibilities and potentialities are
Automata | Review
“Surviving is not relevant. Living is. We want to live.” “Life always ends up finding its way, even here.” The idea of autonomous creatures has not only been around for a while (see Radical Evolution), the possibilities and potentialities are
TED | Andy Yen: Think your email’s private? Think again.
0:12 Twenty-five years ago, scientists at CERN created the World Wide Web. Since then, the Internet has transformed the way we communicate, the way we do business, and even the way we live. In many ways, the ideas that gave
TED | Andy Yen: Think your email’s private? Think again.
0:12 Twenty-five years ago, scientists at CERN created the World Wide Web. Since then, the Internet has transformed the way we communicate, the way we do business, and even the way we live. In many ways, the ideas that gave
Her | Reflections
Her. 2013 [R] “Are these feelings really real, or are they just programming?” For the sensible, this movie may prove disturbing. For the sociologist, technologist, and humanist, Her is intriguing, inspiring, captivating, insightful, and touching. The discussion of human and robot/AI
Her | Reflections
Her. 2013 [R] “Are these feelings really real, or are they just programming?” For the sensible, this movie may prove disturbing. For the sociologist, technologist, and humanist, Her is intriguing, inspiring, captivating, insightful, and touching. The discussion of human and robot/AI
Generation Like | Notes & Reflections
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/generation-like/ Are we asking the right questions about our teens and technology? Today’s teens don’t need to be chased down. They’re putting themselves out there online for anyone to see, telling the world what is cool, starting with their online
Generation Like | Notes & Reflections
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/generation-like/ Are we asking the right questions about our teens and technology? Today’s teens don’t need to be chased down. They’re putting themselves out there online for anyone to see, telling the world what is cool, starting with their online
Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media | Notes
Carrie James with Katie Davis, Andrea Flores, John M. Francis, Lindsay Pettingill, Margaret Rundle, and Howard Gardner. Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media: A Synthesis from the GoodPlay Project. MIT Press, 2009. (127 pages, free in .pdf) (Locations,
Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media | Notes
Carrie James with Katie Davis, Andrea Flores, John M. Francis, Lindsay Pettingill, Margaret Rundle, and Howard Gardner. Young People, Ethics, and the New Digital Media: A Synthesis from the GoodPlay Project. MIT Press, 2009. (127 pages, free in .pdf) (Locations,
Amusing Ourselves to Death | Notes & Review
Neil Postman. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Penguin Books, 1985. (183 pages) Forward This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right. (viii) Part I 1. The Medium Is the
Amusing Ourselves to Death | Notes & Review
Neil Postman. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Penguin Books, 1985. (183 pages) Forward This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right. (viii) Part I 1. The Medium Is the
The App Generation | Notes & Review
Howard Gardner and Katie Davis. The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination in a Digital World. Yale University Press, 2013. (244 pages) ONE Introduction …three topics emerged as dominant and also permeate this book: our sense
The App Generation | Notes & Review
Howard Gardner and Katie Davis. The App Generation: How Today’s Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination in a Digital World. Yale University Press, 2013. (244 pages) ONE Introduction …three topics emerged as dominant and also permeate this book: our sense
The Big Disconnect | Notes & Review
Catherine Steiner-Adair. The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. Harper, 2013. (374 pages) Introduction: The Revolution in the Living Room All the wisdom in the world about child-rearing cannot, by itself, replace intimate human ties,
The Big Disconnect | Notes & Review
Catherine Steiner-Adair. The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. Harper, 2013. (374 pages) Introduction: The Revolution in the Living Room All the wisdom in the world about child-rearing cannot, by itself, replace intimate human ties,
TED | Eli Pariser: Beware online “filter bubbles”
Mark Zuckerberg, a journalist was asking him a question about the news feed. And the journalist was asking him, “Why is this so important?” And Zuckerberg said, A squirrel dying in your front yard may be more relevant to your
TED | Eli Pariser: Beware online “filter bubbles”
Mark Zuckerberg, a journalist was asking him a question about the news feed. And the journalist was asking him, “Why is this so important?” And Zuckerberg said, A squirrel dying in your front yard may be more relevant to your
Steve Jobs | Excerpts
Walter Isaacson. Steve Jobs. Simon & Schuster, 2011. (627 pages) The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. – Apple’s “Think Different” commercial, 1997 § In July 1968 Life magazine
Steve Jobs | Excerpts
Walter Isaacson. Steve Jobs. Simon & Schuster, 2011. (627 pages) The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. – Apple’s “Think Different” commercial, 1997 § In July 1968 Life magazine
Thomas Friedman “The Next New World” Global Forum | Notes
— LIVE PERSONAL NOTES — What World Are You Living In? How we have gone from connected to hyper-connected and from interconnected to interdependent. An address by Thomas L. Friedman. We built this conference as a platform to share with
Thomas Friedman “The Next New World” Global Forum | Notes
— LIVE PERSONAL NOTES — What World Are You Living In? How we have gone from connected to hyper-connected and from interconnected to interdependent. An address by Thomas L. Friedman. We built this conference as a platform to share with
The Medium And The Light | Notes & Review
Marshall McLuhan. The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion. Gingko Press, 2002. (224 pages) Introduction For many hundreds of the years covered in his investigations, the antagonists were clergy. And their debates concerned not simply this or that idea or
The Medium And The Light | Notes & Review
Marshall McLuhan. The Medium and the Light: Reflections on Religion. Gingko Press, 2002. (224 pages) Introduction For many hundreds of the years covered in his investigations, the antagonists were clergy. And their debates concerned not simply this or that idea or
TED | Damon Horowitz calls for a “moral operating system”
Power. That is the word that comes to mind. We’re the new technologists. We have a lot of data, so we have a lot of power. How much power do we have? Scene from a movie: “Apocalypse Now” —
TED | Damon Horowitz calls for a “moral operating system”
Power. That is the word that comes to mind. We’re the new technologists. We have a lot of data, so we have a lot of power. How much power do we have? Scene from a movie: “Apocalypse Now” —
The Medium Is The Message | Transcription
(The following transcription is from all three parts of the “Monday Conference.”) Q: When you say the “medium is the message” does that leave any room at all for criticism of individual, say, television programs? MML: Or content. You see,
The Medium Is The Message | Transcription
(The following transcription is from all three parts of the “Monday Conference.”) Q: When you say the “medium is the message” does that leave any room at all for criticism of individual, say, television programs? MML: Or content. You see,
Technopoly | Notes & Review
Neil Postman. Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Vintage Books, 1992. (222 pages) Introduction …the argument is not between humanists and scientists but between technology and everybody else. (xii) First, technology is a friend. … Second, because of its
Technopoly | Notes & Review
Neil Postman. Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology. Vintage Books, 1992. (222 pages) Introduction …the argument is not between humanists and scientists but between technology and everybody else. (xii) First, technology is a friend. … Second, because of its
Peanuts, Beer and Letting Go | Notes & Review
http://shanehipps.com/films/peanuts-beer-and-letting-go/ The implications of “The Hidden Medium” for preaching. The homily during the Middle Ages was in Latin. Most people spoke the vernacular, but Latin was the scholarly language. A Latin homily was not something to get new insights. You
Peanuts, Beer and Letting Go | Notes & Review
http://shanehipps.com/films/peanuts-beer-and-letting-go/ The implications of “The Hidden Medium” for preaching. The homily during the Middle Ages was in Latin. Most people spoke the vernacular, but Latin was the scholarly language. A Latin homily was not something to get new insights. You
The Hidden Power | Notes & Review
http://shanehipps.com/films/the-hidden-power/ (all quotes below are from Marshall McLuhan unless otherwise noted.) Christianity is fundamentally a communication event. Have you ever heard: The METHODS change but the MESSAGE stays the same? I need to take a wrecking ball to that assumption.
The Hidden Power | Notes & Review
http://shanehipps.com/films/the-hidden-power/ (all quotes below are from Marshall McLuhan unless otherwise noted.) Christianity is fundamentally a communication event. Have you ever heard: The METHODS change but the MESSAGE stays the same? I need to take a wrecking ball to that assumption.
TED | Ayah Bdeir: Building blocks that blink, beep and teach
http://littlebits.cc/, http://ayahbdeir.com/ This may sound strange, but I’m a big fan of the concrete block. The first concrete blocks were manufactured in 1868 with a very simple idea: modules made of cement of a fixed measurement that fit together. Very
TED | Ayah Bdeir: Building blocks that blink, beep and teach
http://littlebits.cc/, http://ayahbdeir.com/ This may sound strange, but I’m a big fan of the concrete block. The first concrete blocks were manufactured in 1868 with a very simple idea: modules made of cement of a fixed measurement that fit together. Very
TED | Sherry Turkle : Connected But Alone?
Just a moment ago, my daughter Rebecca texted me for good luck. Her text said, “Mom, you will rock.” I love this. Getting that text was like getting a hug. And so there you have it. I embody the central
TED | Sherry Turkle : Connected But Alone?
Just a moment ago, my daughter Rebecca texted me for good luck. Her text said, “Mom, you will rock.” I love this. Getting that text was like getting a hug. And so there you have it. I embody the central
The 1% Better | Technology & Progress
In his book What Technology Wants Kevin Kelly makes an argument that Technology is producing “Deep Progress.” Here is an excerpt from my notes and review: — But the steady stream of good things is relentless as well. …I think
The 1% Better | Technology & Progress
In his book What Technology Wants Kevin Kelly makes an argument that Technology is producing “Deep Progress.” Here is an excerpt from my notes and review: — But the steady stream of good things is relentless as well. …I think
The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture | Notes & Review
Shane Hipps. The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, The Gospel, and Church. Zondervan, 2005 (176 pages) …every innovation is an amputation as well as an extension. – Brian McLaren (from the Forward) INTRODUCTION This is not
The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture | Notes & Review
Shane Hipps. The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, The Gospel, and Church. Zondervan, 2005 (176 pages) …every innovation is an amputation as well as an extension. – Brian McLaren (from the Forward) INTRODUCTION This is not
What Technology Wants | Notes & Review
Kevin Kelly. What Technology Wants. Viking, 2010. (405 pages). http://www.kk.org/books/what-technology-wants.php. Video: http://www.qideas.org/video/what-technology-wants.aspx 1. My Question Should we allow human cloning? Is constant texting making our kids dumb? Do we want automobiles to park themselves? But as my quest evolved, I
What Technology Wants | Notes & Review
Kevin Kelly. What Technology Wants. Viking, 2010. (405 pages). http://www.kk.org/books/what-technology-wants.php. Video: http://www.qideas.org/video/what-technology-wants.aspx 1. My Question Should we allow human cloning? Is constant texting making our kids dumb? Do we want automobiles to park themselves? But as my quest evolved, I
Siri & Hermeneutics
Apple has announced it’s new voice controlled “personal assistant” for the new iPhone 4S saying,… A lot of devices can recognize the words you say. But the ability to understand what you mean, and act on it; that’s the breakthrough
Siri & Hermeneutics
Apple has announced it’s new voice controlled “personal assistant” for the new iPhone 4S saying,… A lot of devices can recognize the words you say. But the ability to understand what you mean, and act on it; that’s the breakthrough
Big Think – Crowdsourcing Community and A Diffusion of Authority
Discovered this site today. It has been called the “Intellectual YouTube”: http://www.bigthink.com The gist? From the “About” page: In the global digital age, there is a glut of accessible information. And while this information empowers you, the citizen-consumer, the only
Big Think – Crowdsourcing Community and A Diffusion of Authority
Discovered this site today. It has been called the “Intellectual YouTube”: http://www.bigthink.com The gist? From the “About” page: In the global digital age, there is a glut of accessible information. And while this information empowers you, the citizen-consumer, the only
vialogue 