Technology & Society
USA Today’s hip tech columnist Kevin Maney is taking a holiday break from his blog so I’m doing some guest posts for him. I’m in Argentina right now enjoying the summer and surfing the news. My hotel has WiFi everywhere
Those who claim that racism, sexism, and homophobia run rampant in the San Francisco Police Department got some high-powered ammunition last week. Videos posted on the Web showed police officers participating in outrageous acts – an embarrassment for the city
Oh yeah – I want one of these. Honda’s second-generation Asimo robot can run 6KM and hour (that’s 3.7 miles) and can carry drinks on a tray. Soon, it might be possible to feel as though you just landed in
I’m no fan of death, but a plan by a Brazilian mayor to fine people’s relatives when they die “too early” seems a little extreme. Would a stiff fine and jail time for Mom incentivize people to work out, eat
San Francisco supervisor Chris Daly is holding a hearing today “to discuss how the City can have a more consumer-driven rather than tech industry-driven process for establishing a TechConnect network in San Francisco.” If you’d like to testify, the hearing
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rocked the political world recently with the appointment of Susan Kennedy, Democrat and Public Utilities Commissioner (PUC) as his chief of staff. Republicans might feel snubbed, but Kennedy’s appointment is good for the technology sector. A
There’s a company called Riya that offers software to search personal photos using face recognition technology. Jennifer Granick of Stanford law school wrote a piece about it and its privacy implications, but her take is old and doesn’t see the
Sony used to be associated with the popular Walkman music player, but these days it’s more likely to conjure up images of nasty spyware. The company’s anti-piracy measures have created a security problem for unwary Sony customers — and highlighted
The city of New Orleans announced it will offer “free” WiFi over a network it deploys and owns. Everyone knows that “free” is not really free, making this one more disaster to add to the city’s woes. Using taxpayer dollars
Now that Canada’s parliament has been dissolved and Canadians face yet another federal election, it will be fun to read Rick Mercer’s blog. In case you don’t know who Mercer is, he’s one of Canada’s best political satirists — highly
Mayor Gavin Newsom has been pushing the idea of “free WiFi” in San Francisco, but it would be anything but free. The Mayor’s play to grant special status to only one WiFi provider in San Francisco would essentially create a
In a move that makes Jim Carrey’s character in “The Cable Guy” look angelic, the California Cable and Telecommunications Association (CCTA) recently circulated a letter to Sacramento lawmakers in an attempt to scare them into protecting cable’s dominant video market
Last night was the Pacific Research Institute’s annual gala dinner featuring Ambassador Howard Leach and satirist PJ O’Rourke. Around 450 people attended the event and listened to Ambassador Leach’s commentary on his time in France and what it will take
Imagine a world where China argues for guaranteed freedom of speech and Cuba and Iran push for democracy. If that sounds like an episode of “The Twilight Zone,” then welcome to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s new show set to
I met photographer Harry Benson today. He’s photographed a number of high profile people, including many politicians. He told me he liked Reagan b/c he was funny, Nixon b/c he was smart, and he thought Clinton was patronizing. He also
Should high-speed Internet access continue to develop in the marketplace, or should government bureaucrats take over? In this national debate, Americans need to consider how political management of key services often results in disaster, as in the aftermath of Hurricane
The imperative to fight diseases like AIDS and cervical cancer is a no-brainer, yet new technologies that help in this quest are under assault from bureaucrats and advocacy groups. As technology advances, questions surrounding its control and use will only
A new book by Carnegie Mellon University roboticist Daniel H. Wilson makes fun of all the silly scenarios people come up with about how robots could go bad. Apparently, it’s also being made into a hollywood film — this is
Revolutionary innovation and competition have shaken up the telecommunications sector, prompting at least three important mergers. Government officials who set the rules of the game are now faced with key decisions that will affect the future of communications in America.
The next time you print a summary of your favorite James Bond film, you should consider that there might be more than one spy on the page. That’s because printer manufacturers and the U.S. Secret Service have been quietly collaborating