Talk About Timing...
Talk about timing...
It's amazing that it's been a year since Glen met with Snowden and the NSA landed in the headlines for violating our 4th amendment rights to privacy, a cornerstone of democracy.
Last week the USA Freedom Act passed in the house- doublespeak from our government that allows this abuse to continue. This week Snowden gave his first American Network TV interview.
Why does this issue of privacy and democracy matter so much? After all, "If you aren't doing anything wrong, what do you have to hide"?
----- excerpt from The Eternal Value of Privacy by Bruce Schneier-----
"Two proverbs say it best: Quis custodiet custodes ipsos? ("Who watches the watchers?") and "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Cardinal Richelieu understood the value of surveillance when he famously said, "If one would give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest man, I would find something in them to have him hanged." Watch someone long enough, and you'll find something to arrest -- or just blackmail -- with. Privacy is important because without it, surveillance information will be abused: to peep, to sell to marketers and to spy on political enemies -- whoever they happen to be at the time.
Privacy protects us from abuses by those in power, even if we're doing nothing wrong at the time of surveillance.
and
"Too many wrongly characterize the debate as "security versus privacy." The real choice is liberty versus control. Tyranny, whether it arises under threat of foreign physical attack or under constant domestic authoritative scrutiny, is still tyranny. Liberty requires security without intrusion, security plus privacy. Widespread police surveillance is the very definition of a police state. And that's why we should champion privacy even when we have nothing to hide."
For the link to a short collection of other related articles, visit http://americanvirtueproject.wikispaces.com/readinglist
More Posts from Krillion and Others
Freedom Act
House Passes USA Freedom Act to Curb NSA Spying
NSA Reform Falters as House Passes Gutted USA Freedom Act
Did Judge Who Tuled NSA Phone Dragnet Illegal Call Snowden a Whistleblower?
Study: Congress Really Doesn't Care What You Think
Why Politicians Don’t Want Us To Think, But Opinions Are OK
The FBI Used to Recommend Encryption, Now They Want to Ban It
Some good suggestions...
Lots of great advice and links in this post!
It’s finally here!
The trailer is finally out... looks awesome, Dune is one of my favorite books of all time, and I’ve read A LOT of books. Can’t wait to see this!!!!
I’m not very familiar with director Denis Villeneuve but he directed Arrival which I thought was brilliant, and I’ve heard good things about his other films so the excitement factor is high.
I love that the trailer is set to a cover of Pink Floyd, which is one of my favorite bands. Io9 does a great wrap up for folks who are looking for the breakdown of the rest of the trailer (spoiler alert).
"Herbert's creation of this universe, with its intricate development and analysis of ecology, religion, politics, and philosophy, remains one of the supreme and seminal achievements In science fiction." (The Louisville Times)
See also:
Dune, 50 years on: how a science fiction novel changed the world
Rare DUNE Interview with Frank Herbert
XKCD Finally Takes Physics To Task
Changes in technology and in how information is shared both further and faster are transforming how organizations operate. Thomas Malone, of the MIT Sloan School of Management, shows how the changes in organizational structure mirror changes in how human society has organized and operated. His presentation illustrates that these changes can be primarily tied by a single factor, the cost of communication, and he presents present-day examples to show what the organization of the future may look like.
Creativity, Technology/Robots/Jobs, Futurism
Links discussed/related to a couple of conversations this week about the purpose of education and what is your purpose in life....
Creativity....
Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking and Arthur C. Clarke - God, The Universe and Everything Else (1988) [52:10]
A couple of clips from this excellent video, an hour well spent… Big questions and Curiosity Science, Politics, and Skepticism Creativity
Is Stifling Creativity in the Classroom Preventing Future Problem Solvers?
Excerpts: "Dr. Mae C. Jemison, an American physician and NASA astronaut, correctly noted that the “majority of scientists say they developed their passion for science by age 11. That means that the educational experience children have in grade school profoundly impacts our nation’s ability to graduate a prepared STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] work force.”"
"Look at any truly stunning innovation and you’ll find creativity at play. Inspiring our students to think creatively while being trained in a specific discipline is vital for our country’s growth and development. But here is the sobering reality: according to researchers, scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (the standard test used to measure creativity, akin to IQ tests for measuring intelligence) have been declining in the U.S. during the past two decades, with the most significant decline among kindergartners through sixth graders. This leads to a fundamental question: Is our education system stifling creativity in today’s children, preventing them from becoming the world’s future creative problem solvers?
Some argue that the decline in creativity may be caused by excess media consumption, because students are spending countless hours interacting with smart phones, video games and television. Others may argue standardized testing or other root causes. However, a fundamental fact remains: most children spend the majority of their day in a highly structure, perhaps overly ridged learning environment. How are we supporting teachers and equipping classrooms in the battle to preserve the child’s inherent and natural curiosity?" MORE LINKS 18 Things Highly Creative People Do Differently TED Playlist: Where do ideas come from IN THE AIR New Yorker (Gladwell)
Technology, robots, and jobs...
10 Rad Jobs of the Future Infographic
Will Technology Make Work Better for Everyone? Slate
Here Comes The Future Of Education. Are We Ready? Mitch Joel Robots Are Already Replacing Us Wired (I like page 11) Better Than Human: Why Robots Will — And Must — Take Our Jobs Kevin Kelly, Wired Excerpts: "Robots create jobs that we did not even know we wanted done." "When robots and automation do our most basic work, making it relatively easy for us to be fed, clothed, and sheltered, then we are free to ask, “What are humans for?” Industrialization did more than just extend the average human lifespan. It led a greater percentage of the population to decide that humans were meant to be ballerinas, full-time musicians, mathematicians, athletes, fashion designers, yoga masters, fan-fiction authors, and folks with one-of-a kind titles on their business cards. With the help of our machines, we could take up these roles; but of course, over time, the machines will do these as well. We’ll then be empowered to dream up yet more answers to the question “What should we do?” It will be many generations before a robot can answer that." (also see Kevin Kelly's TED talk: The next 5,000 days of the web?)
The long view...
Have you seen Jason Silva's latest 'Shots of Awe' video? JASON SILVA’S LATEST: TO BE HUMAN IS TO BE TRANSHUMAN
The next species of human Juan Enriquez TED Talk I'm planning to give a talk on transhumanism (more than just Kurzweil's ideas on the singularity) next semester....
Happy Carl Sagan Day!
Carl Sagan Day is celebrated on November 9 every year. Carl has inspired so many people with his teachings and today is the day that we celebrate his legacy.
My favorite links about Carl:
Carl Sagan’s last interview with Charlie Rose (Full Interview) Neil deGrasse Tyson - Carl Sagan Experience LOVE THIS Symphony of Science - ‘We Are All Connected’ (ft. Sagan, Feynman, deGrasse Tyson & Bill Nye) Why Carl Sagan is Truly Irreplaceable Lessons of Immortality and Mortality From My Father, Carl Sagan Take a Course or Two with Professor Sagan
miracle of life
miracle of life
The animation on this video is truly amazing, made me think of my “What Are the Odds” post. #perspective
Some of what I come across on the web... Also check out my Content & Curation site: kristentreglia.com
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