The magical thinking of the early internet was just that. Projections of hope for change in society onto the new medium. But social patterns didn't change, so neither did how we used the internet. It's the same progression as most all new-at-the-time technology in the history of our industrial world…

Another way to frame our dilemma is that there's no adults in the room. Not in any of the rooms of power anyhow. This assumes a different definition of 'adults' - which has only trivially to do with biological age. Adults take responsibility rather than dodge it. Adults act, guide…

Election day is nearly upon us — my ballot is already in. In the mail, that is — I live in a state with mail-in voting for all. Before my ballot went in the mail, before it even arrived, the Voters’ Pamphlet arrived. I didn’t crack it open for at…

Re: "People who lived through the 90s to 00’s probably never thought soft censorship and a hostile corporate takeover would happen via search engines, but it sure did." I have been in tech/IT and online since before the web existed, and even a bit before mass public email availability. I…

The intense focus on vaccines, and the concurrent avoidance of focus on social responsibility (test/trace/isolate, ventilation, hygiene, wastewater testing, etc.), is an effective way to maintain a hyper-individualist, consumption-based culture. As you say, COVID doesn't give a rip about our feelings, or our politics. Or our sayings, like "what doesn't…

I would say, Pelosi plays both of the roles you mention. Which may be your point also, but you don't make it explicit. A problem with Pelosi is one of the same problem as with Cheney (Dick or Liz), the Bushes, the Clintons, Kissinger, Rumsfeld, and so on, and on…

I am just old enough to remember when there were electronics & appliance repair shops in most towns, even fairly small ones. Cities had one per neighborhood (more in big neighborhoods). They fixed all manner of household appliances and electronics - toasters, TVs, radios, blenders, washing machines, refrigerators, lamps, whatever. …