Posted on

The Old Fears, Faster

The fears about artificial intelligence are the fears about the internet, rerun at twice the speed. When the public internet arrived in the mid-1990s, four anxieties traveled with it. One concerned human contact, a sense that conversation would erode as it migrated to screens. Another concerned regional culture, a worry that local identity would flatten under a single global signal. A third concerned the limits of knowing, the prospect that anyone, anywhere, could learn anything with no curator to vet the source. The last concerned gatekeeping, the dread that quality would dissolve once newspapers, publishers, and broadcasters lost their grip.

Continue reading → The Old Fears, Faster

Posted on

The Post Office as the Last Great American Place

I am confounded by the hatred of the Post Office by Republicans.  There is nothing more American than the United States Postal Service.  I don’t understand why the GOP are so willing to kill a necessary, national, institution.  I love getting mail.  Yes, I pay my bills electronically, but I still send and receive lots of paper letters and cards. The latest game of the 2006 GOP is being played out in August of 2013 — and the horrible result is forcing the Post Office to cease Saturday mail delivery.  Email didn’t kill the mail — the fax machine didn’t kill the mail — the Republicans killed the mail.

Continue reading → The Post Office as the Last Great American Place

Posted on

Ding Dong the Wicked Netscape is Dead!

We are thrilled to learn of the final demise and ultimate death of Netscape — even though it is only in browser form and not a company any longer.

Netscape, as a company, was one of the most arrogant entities in the mid-90’s as it professed its superiority while sitting on its elegance.  As a browser, Netscape did some good things.  As the company behind the browser — Netscape stink, stank, stunk!

Continue reading → Ding Dong the Wicked Netscape is Dead!