"For Chinese companies, staying on the safe side of government censors
is a matter of life and death. Adding to the burden, the authorities
demand that companies censor themselves, spurring them to hire thousands
of people to police content.
Friday, January 4, 2019
Censoring China’s Internet, for Stability and Profit; The New York Times, January 2, 2019
Li Yuan, The New York Times; Censoring China’s Internet, for Stability and Profit
That in turn has created a growing and lucrative new industry: censorship factories."
Ethics Webinar: When an Attorney or Expert Screws Up; American Bar Association (ABA), Thursday, January 24, 2019
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| This program will address the ethical rules governing attorneys when they make a mistake or discover that someone else has made a mistake. The program also provides: |
Panelist(s): David Benkert (Ankura Consulting, Inc); Latoyia Watkins Pierce (AXA); Michael Leboff (Partner, Klein & Wilson); and Selena E. Molina (Associate, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP) (Moderator) |
Thursday, January 3, 2019
To Deal With Trump, Look to Voltaire: Advice from the Enlightenment: In the face of crude bullying and humorless lies, try wit and a passion for justice. ; The New York Times, December 27, 2018
Robert Darnton, The New York Times; To Deal With Trump, Look to Voltaire
Advice from the Enlightenment: In the face of crude bullying and humorless lies, try wit and a passion for justice
"We are living through a climate change
in politics. Bigotry, bullying, mendacity, vulgarity — everything
emitted by the tweets of President Trump and amplified by his followers
has damaged the atmosphere of public life. The protective layer of
civility, which makes political discourse possible, is disappearing like
the ozone around Earth.
How can we
restore a healthy climate? There is no easy answer, but some historic
figures offer edifying examples. The one I propose may seem unlikely,
but he transformed the climate of opinion in his era: Voltaire, the
French philosopher who mobilized the power of Enlightenment principles
in 18th-century Europe."
We Are! ... Happy Valley? Penn State applies for trademark on moniker; The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 2, 2019
Bill Schackner, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; We Are! ... Happy Valley? Penn State applies for trademark on moniker
"Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney in Washington, D.C., tweeted about the Penn State application Dec. 28, calling it a “trademark ‘land grab.’”
He said Happy Valley should remain in the public domain, since the university did not create the expression and the words are used broadly in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. He said others should be able to profit from it.
“It’s a generally accepted term for a geographic area in which the university happens to reside,” he said. “It seems out of place for the university to come in and say they should be the exclusive provider of Happy Valley clothing throughout the country. That’s exactly what they are asking to do.”"
"Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney in Washington, D.C., tweeted about the Penn State application Dec. 28, calling it a “trademark ‘land grab.’”
He said Happy Valley should remain in the public domain, since the university did not create the expression and the words are used broadly in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. He said others should be able to profit from it.
“It’s a generally accepted term for a geographic area in which the university happens to reside,” he said. “It seems out of place for the university to come in and say they should be the exclusive provider of Happy Valley clothing throughout the country. That’s exactly what they are asking to do.”"
2019: The Year of the Wolves Can the Constitution withstand the partisans?; The New York Times, December 31, 2018
David Brooks, The New York Times; 2019: The Year of the Wolves
"The story reminds us how thin the crust of civilization really is. It
reminds us of what otherwise good people are capable at moments of
severe stress and crisis, when fear is up and when conflict — red in
tooth and claw — takes control."
The New Congress Has A Record Number Of Women — But Very Few Republican Women; NPR, January 3, 2019
Danielle Kurztleben, NPR; The New Congress Has A Record Number Of Women — But Very Few Republican Women
"Both parties also have different ideas about how important diversity is. One in 3 Republicans believe there are too few women in political office. In comparison, 8 in 10 Democrats think so, according to the Pew Research Center.
Walsh adds that pitching a candidate's gender as a positive factor is a tough sell in a party where "identity politics" is an insult.
"On the Republican side there is a real shunning of identity politics. In fact, when Paul Ryan became speaker, he thought that the number one reason that there was the kind of partisan gridlock in Washington was because of identity politics," she said. "So that makes it harder it makes it harder when you go out to raise money and make the case for why why do elect more women, if you can't talk about the substantive difference that they make by being there.""
"Both parties also have different ideas about how important diversity is. One in 3 Republicans believe there are too few women in political office. In comparison, 8 in 10 Democrats think so, according to the Pew Research Center.
Walsh adds that pitching a candidate's gender as a positive factor is a tough sell in a party where "identity politics" is an insult.
"On the Republican side there is a real shunning of identity politics. In fact, when Paul Ryan became speaker, he thought that the number one reason that there was the kind of partisan gridlock in Washington was because of identity politics," she said. "So that makes it harder it makes it harder when you go out to raise money and make the case for why why do elect more women, if you can't talk about the substantive difference that they make by being there.""
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Spider-Verse Is The First Movie To Properly Understand The Meaning Of Spider-Man; ScreenRant, January 1, 2019
Max Farrow, ScreenRant; Spider-Verse Is The First Movie To Properly Understand The Meaning Of Spider-Man
"With his love for graffiti and music, Miles is not the same every-man that Peter is. Indeed, as an American teenager of color, he reflects the modern and diverse world that we live in. However, he also serves as a literal embodiment of how fans from every corner can see themselves within Spider-Man. Into the Spider-Verse depicts Miles being inspired and shaped by Spider-Man’s legend to become a hero in his own right. And this is key to the movie’s inclusive message...
Before Into the Spider-Verse's hilarious post credit scene, the film ends with another quote from Stan Lee:
"With his love for graffiti and music, Miles is not the same every-man that Peter is. Indeed, as an American teenager of color, he reflects the modern and diverse world that we live in. However, he also serves as a literal embodiment of how fans from every corner can see themselves within Spider-Man. Into the Spider-Verse depicts Miles being inspired and shaped by Spider-Man’s legend to become a hero in his own right. And this is key to the movie’s inclusive message...
Before Into the Spider-Verse's hilarious post credit scene, the film ends with another quote from Stan Lee:
“That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero.”Superheroes can serve as comic or violent fantasies, but at their heart they are stories about people learning to be better themselves. Peter Parker and his comic books act as a springboard for Miles Morales to achieve greatness, as he recognizes how to use his abilities responsibly. But the lesson that we can all change for the better is not one that Peter or Miles must learn on their own – we too can be inspired by Miles' story in Spider-Verse. Indeed, it’s an empowering and universal message that anyone can live by. As Miles says in his voice-over at the end of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, anyone can wear the Spider-Man mask. Therefore, everyone has the potential to do good in this world, just like the every-man superhero, Spider-Man."
Tech predictions for 2019: It gets worse before it gets better; The Washington Post, December 27, 2018
Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Washington Post; Tech predictions for 2019: It gets worse before it gets better
It was the year we came to grips with how little we can trust Facebook and how much we’re addicted to our screens. It was the year that online hate and misinformation became an unavoidable reality and Google, Microsoft and Amazon faced revolts from their own employees over ethical lapses. It was the year Apple became the first trillion-dollar company — and then lost a quarter of that when we yawned at its new iPhones.
"2018 is a year the tech industry wishes it could forget. But 2018’s problems aren’t going anywhere.
It was the year we came to grips with how little we can trust Facebook and how much we’re addicted to our screens. It was the year that online hate and misinformation became an unavoidable reality and Google, Microsoft and Amazon faced revolts from their own employees over ethical lapses. It was the year Apple became the first trillion-dollar company — and then lost a quarter of that when we yawned at its new iPhones.
Even YouTube’s “Rewind 2018” video is already the most-disliked video in history.
When
my Post colleagues and I looked into a crystal ball to make this list
of nine intentionally provocative headlines we might see in 2019, it was
hard to see past the problems we’re bringing with us into the new year.
New
technologies like 5G networks, alternative transportation and
artificial intelligence promise to change our lives. But even these
carry lots of caveats in the near term.
I’m
still optimistic technology can make our world better. So here’s a glass
half-full of hope for the new year: 2019 is tech’s chance to make it
right."
Experts Reveal Their Tech Ethics Wishes For The New Year; Forbes, December 30, 2018
Jessica Baron, Forbes; Experts Reveal Their Tech Ethics Wishes For The New Year
Below, I've asked some prolific tech ethicists about their hopes for the upcoming year and to share with readers what they would like to see people and policy bodies pay more attention to before the opportunity passes us by.
Their answers cover a wide range of topics from AI to the Arctic.
Here's what they had to say:"
"We can only hope that 2019 will be the
year when the ethics of emerging technologies becomes a central part of
discussions on innovation and progress.
Below, I've asked some prolific tech ethicists about their hopes for the upcoming year and to share with readers what they would like to see people and policy bodies pay more attention to before the opportunity passes us by.
Their answers cover a wide range of topics from AI to the Arctic.
Here's what they had to say:"
Wielding Rocks and Knives, Arizonans Attack Self-Driving Cars; The New York Times, December 31, 2018
Simon Romero, The New York Times; Wielding Rocks and Knives,Arizonans Attack Self-Driving Cars
““They said they need real-world examples, but I don’t want to be their real-world mistake,” said Mr. O’Polka, who runs his own company providing information technology to small businesses.
““They said they need real-world examples, but I don’t want to be their real-world mistake,” said Mr. O’Polka, who runs his own company providing information technology to small businesses.
“They didn’t ask us if we
wanted to be part of their beta test,” added his wife, who helps run the business.
At least 21
such attacks have been leveled at Waymo vans in Chandler, as first reported by The Arizona Republic. Some analysts
say they expect more such behavior as the nation moves into a broader
discussion about the potential for driverless cars to unleash colossal changes
in American society. The debate touches on fears ranging from eliminating jobs
for drivers to ceding control over mobility to autonomous vehicles.
“People are
lashing out justifiably," said Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist at City
University of New York and author of the book “Throwing Rocks at the Google
Bus.” He likened driverless cars to robotic incarnations of scabs — workers who
refuse to join strikes or who take the place of those on strike.
“There’s a
growing sense that the giant corporations honing driverless technologies do not
have our best interests at heart,” Mr. Rushkoff said. “Just think about the
humans inside these vehicles, who are essentially training the artificial
intelligence that will replace them.””
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