All Things Connected

First Amendment Forever?

Folks, our government is in the process of asking private companies to regulate content on social media sites. Journalist Glenn Greenwald writes, “Silicon Valley executives, required by law and by their nature…

Caregiving and Tech

The ambulance pulled into the driveway. “Is she dead?” I tremulously asked as they wheeled my 96-year-old beautiful, brilliant, sweet, unconscious mom toward the house. “No,” the hospice people said and dropped…

The Future of Libraries

I have such fond childhood memories of libraries. Having a library card was a ticket to worlds far beyond my young reach. Local librarians of that era grew to know kids who…

Connected Conservation

Technology is saving endangered rhinos and elephants in Africa. I am talking about a significant reduction of poaching through new programs like Connected Conservation. BACKGROUND Rhino horn is in demand in Asia,…

Emotional Machines!

Of all people, George Orwell said, “Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.” What a prophet! If he only knew how “understood” we are getting!…

Future-Ed

According to Futurist Thomas Frey, a radical shift is occurring in education right now. We are headed for new territories to deal with the exponential growth of information available today. Students are…

Sky Glow

I once saw the respiration of the Earth. I could see trees breathing, the chest of the forest floor rhythmically heaving. The hues of sunset were all kinds of layered colors. The…

China Trade Talks: Cyber Foxes in the Henhouse

I really want to have chickens again, but Topanga is a tough place to have them. There are so many clever predators. No matter how careful you are, it seems impossible to…

The Facebook Furor

Are you wondering what the Facebook commotion is about? Here is the situation. It involves United States privacy laws, data mining and manipulation of the masses. What happened? There are allegations that…

Troll Farms

A whiff of spring this early March day. I long for rich, loamy dirt and a bag of heritage seeds. But forget corn, beans or tomato crops. Today, I am going to…