Reading Time: 3 minutes We are a species that struggles with group think, especially when confronted with the specter of popularity. If a famous or infamous person is in the news, it’s difficult not to pay attention. But there is a danger in allowing our attention to boost the signal for toxic people and ideas.
corporations
Posted inWar and Peace
Wagner Group in Sudan: The paramilitarization of war continues
Reading Time: 6 minutes One bad war easily gives way to others. In recent leaks of US espionage, one name figured highly: the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary outfit that has been contracting work in conflict zones for the last few years, and which is a key presence in Russian operations in Ukraine. The concern in US espionage documents […]
Posted inClimate Crisis
Four recent failures in climate change response
Reading Time: 6 minutes Welcome to 2023: another year of corporate and political mediocrity when it comes to climate change response. We’re in the middle of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, known colloquially as Davos after its Swiss Alps location, so rhetoric around climate change response (and related economic pressure points) is currently running hot. On Wednesday, an […]
Posted inTechnology
Finally! Federally-funded research will be open to all… by Jan 1, 2026
Reading Time: 3 minutes On August 25, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) updated its 2013 memo on research materials to eliminate a loophole used by scholarly publications to protect their business model. New policy guidance calls on agencies to ensure that “publications and their supporting data resulting from federally funded research [are] publicly accessible […]