Monthly Archive: June 2018
Giving Up Your Seat
When You Can and Cannot Say ‘No’ When Someone Asks to Switch Seats With You on an Airplane Duane Pickering, a 58-year-old flight attendant from Milwaukee, agrees, saying it’s entirely within a passenger’s right...
Taxing in the Name Of: Seattle Head Tax Repealed
Back in May the Seattle City Council unanimously passed the “head tax” under the auspices of raising funds for the homeless. But in the face of opposition from Seattle’s largest businesses, and a certain legal challenge to the law itself, the council has reversed themselves.
The Moral Authority Hierarchy of Loss
Sitting down to write about the moral authority hierarchy of loss in the current political landscape, I found I did not know where to begin. Death, although universal, is too terrifyingly intimate to handle indelicately. But the use of the dead as bludgeons to further essentially ephemeral agendas is abhorrent. And we are becoming entirely too comfortable with it.
Teaching Philosophy to Weaponized AI
The philosophical questions of morality in warfare are as old as recorded human history. With the rise of AI, drones, and technology, those age-old questions are only getting more complicated.
Tech Tuesday 6/12/18 – Packing up the office Edition
Packing up my office this week to put on the truck, but I still wanted to share. I promise, once this move is complete, I will make these more substantive.
SCOTUS Upholds Ohio’s Voter Purge Practices
The case involved the practice in Ohio of purging voters who have not voted in several years and who fail to return a notice card confirming their address. The case, Husted v Randolph Institute, et al., concerned whether the practice violated the National Voter Registration Act. SCOTUS says it does not.
Supreme Court Majority To The Wrong Voters: Drop Dead
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority makes a decision that happens to align perfectly with its own political preferences. It’s all just the damndest coincidence.
Net Neutrality Passes Away (2015-2018)
Net neutrality is officially repealed as of Monday, June 11. While the vote to repeal occurred back in December, the process required several further steps before officially being implemented on Monday.
Supercomputers Reach The Summit, For Now
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a facility born from the drive to accomplish scientific feats before an international competitor does the same. In the modern day race for the worlds most powerful computer, the ORNL-housed Summit supercomputer has put the US back in the lead…for now.
Speaking of the Dead: Obituary in the Social Media Age
The obituary, long the traditional and biographical announcement of a death in a newspapers, has found new life online and in social media. And apparently the old adage of “speak not ill of the dead” might be changing with it, especially if it helps the notice go viral.
The Third Coming of Mitt Romney
In a hotly contested election year, the most boring US Senate race might prove to have the most impact after the election. Barring something unheard of Mitt Romney is going to become the junior US Senator from Utah. But the former Massachusetts Governor and presidential candidate would not be your typical freshman senator.
Remembering Anthony Bourdain
When you suddenly realize that a person you never met had a significant impact on your adult life.
Sunday!
An examination of Upgrade that will spoil the movie. Do not read if you do not want the movie spoiled.
(I suppose the fact that the movie is spoilable at all is a huge spoiler as well. Sorry about that.)
Retroactive: ICYMI From Ordinary Times This Week
Retroactive is a #ICYMI listing of all the great reading from the week that was.
This week’s unique writing on culture and politcs was contributed by @trumwill @suvyboy @vikrambath1 @wvEsquiress @Gar_Stiger @OG_Jaybird @musepolsci @four4thefire and Rufus F
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