"Throughout its history, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has used its expansive powers to investigate, monitor, and surveil First Amendment-protected activity. As early as 1924, public concern about the FBI’s violation of First Amendment rights and other civil liberties spurred official attempts to check the FBI’s power. This report covers FBI surveillance of political … Continue reading Still Spying on Dissent
Category: articles
Elusive Waste
"Health care in the United States has its own version of the Fermi paradox. It involves the strong evidence of massive waste that is updated in the Special Communication by Shrank and colleagues in this issue of JAMA. The authors recalculate the proportion of US health care expenditures that is waste. Their estimates, which they … Continue reading Elusive Waste
The New Consumer
"Be cautious about investing in sharing economy models that do not directly address the evolving needs of workers. We are in the middle of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the digital revolution, which has resulted in a redefinition of work. The transition will likely continue to disrupt industries and investors should take heed."—Paula Campbell Roberts, "The … Continue reading The New Consumer
Pod Life
"But here’s the catch: Each single-sex unit is designed to accommodate 18 men or 18 women. Each diminutive bedroom with its private bathroom: four to six adults in small, stacked rectangular spaces called “pods” just wide enough for a mattress and high enough to sit but not stand on top of it......In the course of … Continue reading Pod Life
Family Estrangement
"[Family estrangement can be defined as:] 'the breakdown of a supportive relationship between family members.'......despite the relative prevalence of estrangement, people suffering through it often describe feeling judged, stigmatized and misunderstood. As a result, they tend not to talk about their experiences, a reticence that has led to what some experts have called a 'silent … Continue reading Family Estrangement
Hippos & Armadillos
"Boynton’s books work best when they address adults and children together. In But Not the Hippopotamus, the title character does not partake in other animals’ activities: “A hog and a frog cavort in a bog. But not the hippopotamus.” At the end, the group invites her to join and she agrees: “But YES the hippopotamus!” … Continue reading Hippos & Armadillos
The Three Main Forces Shaping the World: Demographics, Inequality, and Access to Information
"The greatest innovation of the last generation has been the destruction of information barriers that used to keep strangers isolated from one another......What’s happened over the last 20 years – and especially the last 10 – has no historical precedent. The telephone eliminated the information gap between you and a distant relative, but the internet … Continue reading The Three Main Forces Shaping the World: Demographics, Inequality, and Access to Information
Excavating A.I.
"Datasets aren’t simply raw materials to feed algorithms, but are political interventions. As such, much of the discussion around 'bias' in AI systems misses the mark: there is no 'neutral,' 'natural,' or 'apolitical' vantage point that training data can be built upon. There is no easy technical 'fix' by shifting demographics, deleting offensive terms, or seeking equal representation … Continue reading Excavating A.I.
CRISPR Enzyme Programmed to Kill Viruses in Human Cells
"Many of the world's most common or deadly human pathogens are RNA-based viruses—Ebola, Zika and flu, for example—and most have no FDA-approved treatments. A team led by researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has now turned a CRISPR RNA-cutting enzyme into an antiviral that can be programmed to detect and destroy RNA-based … Continue reading CRISPR Enzyme Programmed to Kill Viruses in Human Cells
Book Summary: How to be an Attractive Man (or Woman)
"Mix up your entertainment. If you play games all of the time, go see a play. If you're always out with your friends, read a book. Stimulate your brain with variety."—GeneralReposti_Bot, "TL;DR: How to be An Attractive Man." Reddit.com/r/selfimprovement. October 3, 2019. Good advice throughout.
Helsinki Bus Station Theory
"...the secret to a creatively fulfilling career lies in understanding the operations of Helsinki's main bus station...There are two dozen platforms, Minkkinen explains, from each of which several different bus lines depart. Thereafter, for a kilometre or more, all the lines leaving from any one platform take the same route out of the city, making … Continue reading Helsinki Bus Station Theory
The Inbox: A Scattered, Ad-Ridden Archive of Our Lives
"To examine our inboxes is to examine our lives: our desires and dreams, our families and careers, our status, our networks and our social groupings, our projects, our commerce, our politics, our secrets/lies/fetishes. Inboxes are anthropological goldmines, textual archives, psychological case studies, waiting to be plumbed and probed for the expansive cultural, ethical, epistemological, and … Continue reading The Inbox: A Scattered, Ad-Ridden Archive of Our Lives
Joe Biden and the Problem of Corruption in U.S. Politics
"While Democrats pursue the impeachment of President Donald Trump for pressuring foreign countries to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden, they are left making an argument that is at once true and electorally and ethically compromising: What Trump did — and continues to do — was an impeachable abuse of power, and it should be considered separately … Continue reading Joe Biden and the Problem of Corruption in U.S. Politics
Problems of Post Hoc Analysis
"Misuse of statistical testing often involves post hoc analyses of data already collected, making it seem as though statistically significant results provide evidence against the null hypothesis, when in fact they may have a high probability of being false positives…. A study from the late-1980s gives a striking example of how such post hoc analysis … Continue reading Problems of Post Hoc Analysis
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