Journalists aren’t your enemy — they might be your last resort. Imagine you’ve been wronged. Someone, or some faceless corporation or other spineless institution, has caused you physical, emotional, or financial injury. […]
Connected TV: there’s good news and bad news
CTV is a giant leap ahead as we search for better ways of doing things that are bad for us. I’m doing a little project on Connected TV. CTV – aka Smart TV – is […]
Lyft, Uber: the shame of lesser work (and get ready for the automation of white collar jobs)
Automation is getting worse for workers, and the emotional strain is already evident. I’ve noticed something. When I take a Lyft (I never take Uber, although I imagine the same is true […]
Dear Papa John’s: you need to rebrand. Like, next week.
The brand now stinks worse than the actual pizza, and it’s going to stay that way. The F6 shitnado that is Massa Papa John Schnatter continues unabated. The most reecent episode found […]
July 4, 2018: What, if anything, can stave off the ruination of the Republic?
Only trust … assuming it can still be found. In 2007, on this overblown, sadly commercialized holiday whose historical moment has been buried by beer, barbecue, patriotic bombast, and over-the-top, often taxpayer-paid […]
Border proposal: a high-speed commuter rail line
It’s not enough to complain and resist. We need forward-thinking ideas. I had an idea at work earlier. Good or bad, at least it’s an idea, something Democratic leadership seems to be […]
Bagdikian was right: Don’t allow media to concentrate
Journalism should serve the public, he argued, no one else. Ben Bagdikian, one of the nation’s foremost media critics, died in 2016 at age 96. He left behind warnings about concentration in […]
When is that chemical toxic? Ask the industry-guided EPA
Industry’s concerns trump social concern. Economic activity trumps social concern. If you’d like a reason to be cynical about whether government favors you or favors an industry, look no further than a […]
Why save coal instead of investing in wind?
Money moves toward enterprises where profit lies in waiting. But money runs as fast as possible from the tired and unprofitable. Consider the fortunes of wind-generated energy and that produced by burning […]
The FTC figuratively owns Facebook (for now) – The Tech Curmudgeon
A 2011 consent decree with the FTC might be an existential threat to Facebook, which doesn’t give a damn about protecting personal data but cares a lot about money.
