Culture and Society

A week ago Sunday afternoon, I went down to a local radio station to do an interview with the BBC about the forthcoming Grammys (the station provided their facilities as a courtesy). While waiting to go live, I was chatting with the engineer about the Grammys and about Outkast in …

In light of heavy turmoil, conflict and emotional upheaval regarding content on the site, I believe the time has come to implement a “no hate speech” policy. If there is an instance of hate speech and any member complains about it, if I feel it is unambiguous I will remove …

The woman rumored to have had an affair with John Kerry denies it: Breaking her silence four days after the allegations surfaced on the Internet, Alexandra Polier issued a statement to The Associated Press, saying, “I have never had a relationship with Senator Kerry, and the rumors in the press …

The Bush and Kerry campaigns are sending out videos as email attachments directly to their supporters: President Bush and Democratic front-runner John Kerry are engaged in a high-tech political showdown that combines the targeting power of direct mail with the glossy appearance of a television commercial. The format is a …

And speaking of the NBA, even if I don’t give a damn about it right now, it is to be commended for being open to technological innovation and willingness to try new things: The NBA itself is stocked with tech-savvy moguls – Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen owns the Portland …

Corporate honchos are very concerned about computer security and the possibility of massive Internet failure in the wake of the latest virus attack: The mi2g Intelligence Unit has learnt that chief executives and board-level decision makers within S&P 500 and FTSE-100 component companies are seriously evaluating the possibility of taking …

Experts worry about independent verification of computerized votes: Two leading American experts on computer voting have warned that the forthcoming US presidential election could be more chaotic than the last. They told a Seattle conference that the new systems may be less reliable than those used four years ago. ….About …

With Microsoft controlling 95% of the computer operating system business, has this created a “monoculture” that is ripe for disaster? Surely this latest round of virus troubles emphasizes the vulnerability of the system: Dan Geer lost his job, but gained his audience. The very idea that got the computer security …

Illegal Art is doing what they do best, stirring up copyright-related controversy. This time it’s about Danger Mouse’s Grey Album: DJ Danger Mouse’s recent Grey Album, which remixes Jay-Z’s The Black Album and the Beatles White Album, has been hailed as a innovative hip-hop triumph. Despite that and the fact …

And not subject to telecom regulations as a result: The Federal Communications Commission, in a split decision, approved a request from voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider Pulver.com to be immune from the hefty stack of government rules, taxes and requirements that applied to 20th-century telephone networks. “This is in …