The Problem is Not Simply the Technology

Sometimes we want to blame technology. And certainly it can contribute to the way we experience life and to the kind of failures we experience. But I think this story about a year without the internet shows that underneath it all, we are susceptible to the same kinds of failures with or without. Here’s his confession:

What I do know is that I can’t blame the internet, or any circumstance, for my problems. I have many of the same priorities I had before I left the internet: family, friends, work, learning. And I have no guarantee I’ll stick with them when I get back on the internet — I probably won’t, to be honest. But at least I’ll know that it’s not the internet’s fault. I’ll know who’s responsible, and who can fix it.

The Psychology of Lost Causes

I thought this article on lost causes was interesting. What are your lost causes?

Semester is over…

And a turbulent one in many ways. Our school wasn’t able to continue, another school stepped in to take over, many changes (e.g., 2 office moves in one semester), many friends and colleagues losing their jobs and more. So, I think I have an excuse to have taken a hiatus. But I’m going to try and pick things back up. We’ll see how it goes…

Howard Zinn

A dissection of Howard Zinn and the bad effects of his historiography.

Lament for Google Reader

A meditation on the meaning of the end of Google Reader. I’ve not used it, but have often thought I should. And now it’s probably too late. This says a lot about our world of changing technology too.

Creative Class

I thought it was interesting that this fad of pursuing the creative class as a revitalization tool is now pretty much debunked. Not too surprising. How much money and effort was wasted on an unproven and untested theory? And since it was government money, no one had to worry too much about it..

The GIF

Here is some history of the gif.

Thinking about Markets, Individuals and Community

Here’s a helpful discussion of what can and can’t be done via central planning. It’s a simple argument: no one person knows enough to make consistently good decisions. Of course, that also means no one can go it alone. So it’s a nuanced kind of libertarian argument. Think about the pencil.

The Me Decade

Tom Wolfe’s classic essay on the “Me” decade and the Third Great Awakening. There is a lot of insight here.

Ebooks and Paper Books

Are print books here to stay? Of course. Here’s a take on print books vs. ebooks that may be a bit too optimistic, however. Perhaps not. We’ll look at it again in 20 years or so….