While the U.S. government sits on its hands and does little to regulate tech monopolies, (Blog 8/16/17) Europe takes an aggressive stand.  For example, The European Commission has hit Apple with a claim for $13 billion in back taxes; Uber faces criminal charges for unlicensed taxi 

On several occasions, I’ve blogged about technological advances in robotics and how androids could disrupt our society. What I hadn’t considered was the way large tech companies could become a threat in themselves.  I’m talking about monopolies.  Not the traditional kind, like

My visit with my former student from South Africa was memorable but all too brief.  We had a wonderful time exploring Portland and, as the saying goes, “by my student I was taught.” Kitty is a travel agent in Cape Town, used to finding her way in foreign places.  So, when I prop

IF ONE COULD TALK WITH RUDYARD KIPLING Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” offers advice on character building and how to weather the vagaries of one’s fellowman. Unfortunately, it says nothing about coping with electronic devices, which is natural enough as the man died in 1936.  

He sat opposite me at a popular restaurant, letting his coffee grow cold.  In the midst of his second divorce, he wanted to talk about a dating service he’d joined, one that matched couples using algorithms.  He hoped  the technology would help him find a new soul mate. I hoped h

When Jennifer Doudna at Berkley and Emmanuelle Charpentier of France collaborated on their CRISPR research, a  gene-editing tool, (Blogs 9/11/15, 6/15/16) they little imagined they’d be starting a war.  But when Feng Zang, of the Broad Institute at Harvard/MIT, tried to patent his

Know what 123456 is? It’s the world’s most popular security password. (“To Fix Your Terrible Passwords, Kill them,” by Nate Lanxon, Bloomberg Businessweek, May 29-June 4, 2017, pgs. 36-37.)  Understand, I mock no one for lack of originality.   For a time, 000000 worked for

“Ohhhhh…you snow white bitches love white womens (sic) books.”  So began a diatribe from a Just Read It viewer.  I was amused, having suffered greater abuse growing up as a Latina in Los Angeles during the 40s and 50s.  Certainly, I’ve heard worse.     Which brings me t

In 1972, Phyllis Schlafly,  (Click) opponent of the ERA amendment said, “the women’s libbers don’t understand that most women want to be a wife, mother and homemaker – and are happy in that role.” (“Real Housewives,” by Sarah Jones, New Republic, May 2017, pg. 58.)  I�

Because the news is filled to overflowing with the surprising machinations of President, Donald Trump,  we might forgive the media for failing to fully expose the seditious acts originally purported to be the work of his disgruntled supporters, the Shadow Brokers*. (Click)  (“Seri