Book Review of “The Politics of Obedience”

I come to you now with The Politics of Obedience (circa 1552) by Étienne de La Boétie (1530–1563). In a very real way, La Boétie is the reformer of political thought in the same way that Luther was the reformer of the Catholic Church, except that where Luther's Reformation took hold and flourished, La Boétie's has never taken hold to the same extent, though his ideas have influenced thinkers over the centuries. Here is a book worth reading and really worth ruminating over. Given how brief it is (only about 80 pages in this edition) it is one that you ought not delay in reading.

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Tech Group Calls Police Use of Amazon Facial Recognition “Patriotic”

After an outcry over reports that law enforcement agencies are using facial recognition technology marketed by Amazon to profile people in real time, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released a letter claiming that Amazon’s Rekognition technology was “patriotic and can benefit society.” “Facial recognition technology has many beneficial uses for society, even when used by…

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Amazon Selling Real-Time Facial Recognition Technology to Government

It was revealed publicly last week that law enforcement agents are using facial recognition technology marketed by Amazon to profile people in real time. It is being used in the Orlando, Fla., area as well as Washington County in Oregon and will soon be rolled out in more areas throughout the country. These developments serve…

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The Perfect Coffee Table Book: “Reasons to Vote for Democrats” by Michael J. Knowles

The coffee table, in many homes (but ours) is a collection of reading material we leave out for guests to discover our interests, and maybe stimulate conversation (in ours it’s multiple remote controls, shopping lists, glasses, and pill bottles, but … Continue reading →

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Review – “Did You Read That Review?: A Compilation of Amazon’s Funniest Reviews” pre-order at Amazon

Every now and again, an Amazon online product will go viral for no other reason than its customer reviews. The first one that I’d ever heard of was for a plastic banana slicer, of all things. Weird, I know, but … Continue reading →

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