The Future of Net Neutrality
“After more than a decade of debate and a record-setting proceeding that attracted nearly 4 million public comments, the time to settle the net neutrality question has arrived.” (1) Tom Wheeler, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, published an article on Wired.com announcing his proposed plans to settle the net neutrality debate. Net neutrality contends […]
Encryption is Not Terrorism
“Do we want to allow a means of communication between people which we cannot read?” Prime Minister David Cameron asked the press, attempting to propose a ban on services which offer “end-to-end” encrypted messaging.[1] Simply put, encryption is the technology used to protect data. When users wish to protect their data— passwords, bank account […]
Know Thy Enemy: Cyber Warfare in the 21st Century
“It’s the great irony of our Information Age – the very technologies that empower us to create and to build also empower those who would disrupt and destroy.”[1] Referring to the 2010 hacking attacks on Google and several other companies in various industries, President Obama demonstrates the new type of threat that the world is […]
Net Neutrality and the Monopoly on Information
The Internet today is a vast ocean of data being downloaded, uploaded and transmitted all over the world at lightning fast speeds. Our current dependence on technology has become so fundamental that we are now considered to be living in the “Information Age.” Not only is the breadth of information seemingly limitless, but is also […]
Not Up To Code: Reprogramming America’s Changing Workforce
Young companies in this decade are built by people who fall into one of two categories: developers, and “support beams” — people who have shallow skills sets across a wide spectrum as opposed to specific expertise. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs created by establishments less than one year old […]
From the Printing Press to Printing Firearms: The effect of 3D printed guns on US federal legislation
“Reservations about rapid technological change are widely shared regardless of political party or philosophy. In America, the tensions between approval of science and worry about the rapid changes it can bring bubbles up in special ways when moral or cultural choices seem to be involved.” This quote by author Jonathan D. Moreno from his book […]
Big Brother Is Here To Stay
Big Brother is here. Earlier this year, Edward Snowden exposed the full reach and extent to which the American government spies not only on its own people, but on foreign governments and even its supposed allies in Mexico, France, Germany, and the European Union. The National Security Agency (NSA) collects massive amounts of phone data, […]
Bike Sharing the Benefits: An Evolution of Municipal Bike Sharing Programs
The winter cityscape of Boston is peppered with snow banks and heavy coats. The Hubway stations you see popping up overnight are a sure indicator that warmer weather is on the way. About to start its third season of operation, Hubway launched in the summer of 2011 as Boston’s first bike sharing program. Hubway may […]
Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes and the Man Who Makes War Possible
Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes and the Man Who Makes War Possible provides the reader with a unique insight into the growth of the globalized arms trade in the context of the collapsing post-Cold War world order. A collaboration of investigative expertise from former West African bureau chief of the Washington Post, Douglas Farah, […]
America, in the Age of Drones: Reconfiguring International Relations
The recent loss of a United States RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Pakistan’s removal of a United States UAV base in its territory have brought the issue of remotely piloted drones to the forefront of international relations. New developments in drone capabilities, including longer flight distances, the […]