Tag Archives: United States

01Oct/22

We’ve had the backlash against Big Tech. Now what?

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David Carroll
Published: September 29, 2022 | Parsons School of Design

David Carroll is an associate professor of media design at Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York.

Thomson Reuters Foundation — On Sept. 13 an employee of Boston’s Northeastern University was injured when a package delivered to a virtual reality research lab exploded in his hands. Like a scene from a futuristic thriller, a note accompanying the bomb accused the lab of secretly working for Facebook and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg in a plot to take over society through virtual reality. Continue reading →

26Sep/22

South African teens skip school to chase risky crypto dreams

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  • Young South Africans see crypto as way to quick wealth
  • Poverty, high unemployment pushes them to crypto
  • Users not fully aware of risks, vulnerable to scams

By Kimberly Mutandiro

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – John first heard of cryptocurrency three years ago, when the teenager came across slick YouTube videos and Facebook posts of other South Africans claiming to have become wealthy overnight with bitcoin.
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26Sep/22

To reach net zero the world still needs mining. After 26 years, here’s what I’ve learned about this ‘evil’ industry

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Bridget Storrie, UCL

On the wooded hill above the Stan Terg lead and zinc mine in Kosovo, there is an old concrete diving platform looming over what was once an open-air swimming pool. Before the break-up of Yugoslavia, people who worked at the mine would bring their families here to swim, sunbathe on the wide terrace with its view across the valley, and picnic among the trees. Now the pool is slowly disappearing into the forest, the view obscured by birch saplings.

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24Sep/22

Mini budget 2022: experts react to the new UK government’s spending and tax-cut plans

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Phil Tomlinson, University of Bath; Andrew Burlinson, University of East Anglia; Catherine Waddams, University of East Anglia; Donald Hirsch, Loughborough University; Jean-Philippe Serbera, Sheffield Hallam University; Jim Watson, UCL; Jonquil Lowe, The Open University, and Steven McCabe, Birmingham City University

UK chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has just launched the biggest package of tax cuts in half a century. This will involve around £45bn of reductions for people and businesses by 2027 – 50% more than anticipated before the mini-budget announcement.

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23Sep/22

Here’s the real reason to turn on aeroplane mode when you fly

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Doug Drury, CQUniversity Australia

We all know the routine by heart: “Please ensure your seats are in the upright position, tray tables stowed, window shades are up, laptops are stored in the overhead bins and electronic devices are set to flight mode”.

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16Sep/22

As ether adopts energy-saving ‘merge’, will bitcoin follow?

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  • No. 2 cryptocurrency to adopt energy-saving protocol
  • ‘The merge’ could cut ethereum’s power use by 99%
  • Move seen piling climate pressure on bitcoin

By Avi Asher-Schapiro

LOS ANGELES, Sept 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Ethereum, the blockchain underpinning the world’s second-largest crypto token ether, is poised for a software upgrade that will slash the amount of energy it uses – a step that could pile pressure on bitcoin to take similar climate-friendly action. Continue reading →

13Sep/22

King Charles inherits crown with support for monarchy at record low – but future not set in stone

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John Curtice, University of Strathclyde

The death of Queen Elizabeth II after 70 years on the throne has, of course, been met with widespread sadness and mourning. For most people in Britain, she is the only monarch they have known. Yet, inevitably, the mourning of her passing will be followed by a discussion about the future of the monarchy as an institution. After all, much has changed since 1951.

Although it may have provided the head of state for over a thousand years, in a modern democracy like Britain the monarchy will need to retain public consent if it is to survive.

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08Sep/22

Digital nomads have rejected the office and now want to replace the nation state. But there is a darker side to this quest for global freedom

Human Interest, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dave Cook, UCL

A ‘network state’ is ideologically aligned but geographically decentralised. The people are spread around the world in clusters of varying size, but their hearts are in one place.

In June 2022 Balaji Srinivasan, former chief technology officer of the Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange, published an ebook entitled The Network State: How To Start a New Country. It is the latest in a flurry of utopian visions by self-styled digital visionaries, crypto believers and web 3.0 evangelists who are lining up to declare the death of the traditional concept of countries and nationhood.

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