The horror from Christchurch, New Zealand, that exploded across newspaper pages and television, computer and smartphone screens this weekend captured imaginations in ways that no one could possibly have imagined beforehand. The fact that one individual armed with a semi-automatic rifle could visit such an outrage upon people worshipping in a place of religion isn't the worst of it, awful and distressing though this event is with at least 50 people shot dead and scores wounded, some in … [Read more...] about The fork in the road for social media and our society
Near futures at scale
On March 9, a technology trends report was published that is breathtaking in in scope and scale. Comprising a PDF of more than 380 pages, the 2019 Tech Trends Report from the Future Today Institute covers hundreds of trends in areas ranging from artificial intelligence and advanced robotics, to home automation and the Internet of Things, to workplace and learning technologies, smart cities and much more. As the publisher describes it: This report is intentionally broad and robust. We … [Read more...] about Near futures at scale
SDF Podcast 26: To regulate, or not to regulate, that is the question…
“We can have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we cannot have both.“ So the famous US Supreme Court Justice and ‘crusader for social justice’ and breaker-upper of Gilded Age monopolies, Louis D. Brandeis is said to have said, perhaps sometime in the early 1930s. Today, perhaps the best-known neo-Brandeisian anti-trust advocate is Tim Wu, Columbia law professor, ‘father of net neutrality’ and author of a series of books … [Read more...] about SDF Podcast 26: To regulate, or not to regulate, that is the question…
FIR 176: Our 1,000th episode is hefty but good
The February 2019 edition of the Hobson and Holtz Report podcast, aka FIR episode 176, is a show that marks a big milestone for Shel and I. It's the 1,000th episode* of a podcast that we began in January 2005. In addition to recollections of times past and comments from listeners from throughout FIR’s 14-plus-year history, plus special news from Shel about continuity plans, we report on these stories in this episode: Is it no longer acceptable to call people “users”?Five revelations … [Read more...] about FIR 176: Our 1,000th episode is hefty but good
A shout-out to Samsung for great customer service
I'm a big fan of Samsung's products especially their Galaxy series of smartphones. My first Samsung smartphone was a Galaxy S3 in 2012. That was followed by an S4 and then an S6. I'm now on a Galaxy S8. The next one might be an S10 as it looks like I'm an even-number kind of Galaxy user, if I go for another Samsung model again. Which, by the way, is not a guarantee with the likes of Huawei and other emerging manufacturers offering leading-edge tech and compelling user experiences often … [Read more...] about A shout-out to Samsung for great customer service