Category: Technology Policy

By Michael Burnam-Fink The recent revelations of a set of massive and longstanding NSA surveillance programs have prompted blizzard of accusations, defenses, and recriminations from across the political spectrum, PRISM and related programs have been called everything from “all the…

Student Pugwash USA is a social benefit organization that promotes social responsibility in science and technology. Contrary to the misperceptions of occasional callers, we’re not in the business of washing animals or cars.  Instead, we connect students and young people…

By Alaina George, Traditionally, nearly every Diné interaction requires a prayer of some sort. When hunting, there are prayers sung before and after the kill. There are offerings given to fire when cooking. And each morning, a Diné person is…

This is Video 1 of a 7 video series. Check back for the rest.  Video 1: Three Big Ideas.  About the videos: To be an informed citizen one must not only follow the obvious social issues like taxes, international relations,…

Left: A cartoon by Peter Steiner, published by The New Yorker on 5 July 1993 Right: A cartoon by Merlyna Lim, 2012…

By Eric Kennedy, This post has been updated from its previous version.  Conversations about innovation in the United States are rife with the adversarial language of exceptionalism. Take, for example, a recent article by Gary Shapiro, the CEO of the…

I have spent much of the last six months traveling. I’ve been in countless airports and train stations and I’m continually frustrated. No, it’s not the passport controls or security checks or baggage scans. It’s the bathroom sinks.  At least…

By Daniel Sarewitz, This is the first in a series on big data and its impact on society from CSPO co-director Daniel Sarewitz. Check back in 2013 for his next post.  Advances in real-time data acquisition, processing, and display technologies…

A professor of mine when I was in graduate school commented that one could more openly and objectively discuss the Arab-Israeli conflict in a café in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv than in the United States.  Teaching courses on the Middle…