I’m not a science guy, and chances are, neither are you. But when you start to notice that a series of controversial tech-related headlines are starting to sound an awful lot like a previous science-driven, pandemic-causing tech disaster, maybe it’s time for us lay-folk to weigh in and point out the obvious. I am an […]
Surveillance tech vendor Flock Safety is making some changes to both its policies and messaging following months of backlash over its products — namely, its automatic license plate readers, commonly referred to as ALPRs. Often presented by proponents as an indispensable crime-fighting tool for 21st-century policing, the devices have long been criticized by groups such as the […]
Congress has already taken the necessary steps to close the dangerous “hemp loophole.” Now, the House of Representatives has a simple choice: uphold the law and protect children, or grant the intoxicating hemp industry another opportunity to profit from an addiction-for-profit business model. The Senate recently passed a continuing resolution that would delay implementation of […]
In 1886, Friedrich Nietzsche published Beyond Good and Evil. One hundred and forty years later, the book still asks its original question: what happens when inherited moral maps lose their force, and human beings must create values from strength rather than receive them. The anniversary is worth marking for a second reason. At the same […]
Even an illusion has a basis in reality. Recently, I watched a cardinal attack its own reflection in a car mirror, mistaking its appearance for another bird. Human beings make similar mistakes in subtler ways. Every work of art appears to place another consciousness before us. Whether watching a magic trick or standing before a […]
The practice of medicine requires a high level of personal accountability. Physicians make life-or-death decisions every day, accepting the profound legal and ethical duties that come with caring for human lives. Yet, the greatest source of daily stress for healthcare providers is no longer the complexity of human disease. It is the invisible wall of […]
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is capable of deciding that he wants to run to become the leader of the free world, but the California governor can’t take a stand on a question as simple as whether the University of California system ought to heed the warning from 1,200 professors that they “now observe preparation gaps […]
In less than three weeks, American medicine produced two milestones worth noticing. On Aug. 5, the Food and Drug Administration approved MFLUSIVA, Moderna’s influenza vaccine for adults 50 and older — the first flu vaccine in the United States built with messenger RNA, or mRNA. Two weeks later, Moderna and Merck announced positive Phase 3 […]
Whether it’s the President Donald Trump assassination attempts, the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione, or the assassination of Charlie Kirk, America seems riddled with political violence. This might seem all too common in America, but what if this isn’t simply an American phenomenon? Australia is beginning to show some of the […]
In early 2022, China launched the Eastern Data and Western Compute initiative, a cornerstone of President Xi Jinping’s long-standing ambition to establish Chinese dominance in artificial intelligence. The logic behind the EDWC is simple: AI relies on data centers, and data centers require massive amounts of power. While China’s population — and therefore most of […]
Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodríguez on Saturday provided details on her country's new oil deal with the U.S., after President Trump said much of Venezuela's oil reserves will be under "majority U.S. control." "This 25-year bilateral project envisages the development of 17 strategic oilfields with a production target of more than 1.5 million barrels per...
President Trump this weekend announced a new deal for the U.S. to acquire majority control of over 65 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, which has prompted a mixed response on the home front. Senate Democrats slammed the deal, describing the move as putting private profits over the safety of U.S. soldiers. GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno (Ohio) countered...
Often called the “Wounded Bear” or YOLO (“you only live once”) Caucus, these lawmakers have nothing to lose. But despite a greater willingness to voice objections to Trump nominations and policies, they almost never vote “no” when it counts.
