I ended up down a rabbit hole a few months ago while reading about the early days of the BASIC programming language. That trail pointed straight to John G. Kemeny, and then to his 1972 book Man and the Computer. It’s a slim volume, written at a moment when mainframes hummed like industrial dragons and … Continue reading Man and the Computer: What Kemeny Saw Coming—and Where His Vision Bent a Little
Category: Technoclasm
Reflections on the critique of technological systems and the philosophical questions surrounding humanity’s relationship with machines.
Is a Degree Worth It? Part III
In this third installment, I want to take a look at the decade that has passed and the events in my life that have refined my view. When I wrote the first piece in this series, I was reflecting on my own long, winding journey through higher education — working full-time while finishing my Bachelor … Continue reading Is a Degree Worth It? Part III
Facebook doesn’t care about your community: why local newspapers still matter
If you live in a small town like I do, you probably know exactly when the weekly paper arrives. In my case it comes once a week in the mail: the Northwest Alabamian. By the time it arrives, much of the information in it is technically “old news.” The same stories have often already appeared in … Continue reading Facebook doesn’t care about your community: why local newspapers still matter
Nothing New Under the Sun
[N.B. I originally posted this article on the Society of Southern Gentlemen blog. I don't plan to maintain that site, so I am merging all the posts there onto this site, but keeping the original timestamps.] That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there … Continue reading Nothing New Under the Sun
DDoS as a violation of the 1st Amendment
I have serious issues with this: Anonymous Files Petition To Make DDoS Legal Form of Protest: hypnosec writes "Anonymous has filed a petition with the U.S. Government asking the Obama administration to make Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks a legal form of protest. Anonymous has argued that because of advancements in internet technology, there … Continue reading DDoS as a violation of the 1st Amendment
The real-world ramifications of cyberwarfare
The following essay by Bruce Schneier has me thinking about the physical impact of cyberwarfare: Cyberwar Treaties: We're in the early years of a cyberwar arms race. It's expensive, it's destabilizing, and it threatens the very fabric of the Internet we use every day. Cyberwar treaties, as imperfect as they might be, are the only way to contain the threat.If … Continue reading The real-world ramifications of cyberwarfare
Everybody kills Hitler on their first trip
Often times I post an entry on my blog for the sole purpose of giving myself a permanent bookmark on a particular theme and this is one: The Internet meme that everybody [who is a time traveler] kills Hitler on their first trip. This one is not necessarily new to me, but I keep forgetting it when … Continue reading Everybody kills Hitler on their first trip
