Category Archives: Tech

A news story hits home…

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If you’re at all techie, and maybe even if you’re not, you may have seen news reports of a young couple in Berkeley, California, found dead in their duplex apartment. Also found dead were their two cats.

Initially a local story, the mystery deaths soon made national and international news.

And by Friday, published reports (citing unnamed sources) said the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning from a 3D printer in their apartment.

A terribly painful story, for sure.

But for us, it was even more painful because it was personal. The dead woman was the daughter of a good friend and colleague of Meda’s who teaches at Michigan State University. She and Meda have collaborated on many publications and research projects, and stay in close touch.

It didn’t take long for the shocking news to spread through the national network of feminist criminologists.

I thought to myself…this just isn’t the kind of thing that happens to people you know. And when it does, it necessarily threatens your own sense of personal safety and security.

We had visited the couple and their cats while in Berkeley for a conference in 2013. We had dinner at their apartment, and of course spent time with their two unusual big-eyed cats, which also turned out to be very smart and would perform tricks in exchange for freeze-dried treats.

Roger, a computer game designer, had been developing his own approach to design of nonviolent games that did not rely on the militarized scenarios of mainstream games. She was a post-doctoral researcher. Two successful careers were well underway.

What can you say? Hug your loved ones. Be glad that you woke up this morning.

And maybe take that 3D printer off your shopping list.

Website by former island resident among those accused of echoing Russian fake news

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A website written and published by an old friend of mine with Hawaii roots is among more than 200 sites said to have “wittingly or unwittingly published or echoed Russian propaganda” as part of a larger Russian attempt to use “fake news” and social media to aid the presidential bid of Donald Trump.

The Washington Post focused on the issue of fake news in it’s much-cited story published last month (“Russian propaganda effort helped spread ‘fake news’ during election, experts say“).

The Post’s story was based on two pieces of public research. First, an article by Andrew Weisburd, Clint Watts, and JM Berger, “Trolling for Trump: How Russia is trying to destroy our democracy,” and a separate report by what the Post called “a nonpartisan collection of researchers with foreign policy, military and technology backgrounds,” titled “Black Friday Report: On Russian Propaganda Network Mapping.”

Based on the methodology described in the article about propaganda network mapping, the latter group also issued a list of websites and blogs which, they allege, “reliably echo Russian propaganda.”

There are sources here representing a variety of political perspectives, and includes antiwar.com, consortiumnews.com, drudgereport.com, truthdig.com, and many others.

Also on the list is oftwominds.com, a website published by Charles Smith, who was known as Charles “Chuck” Bollingmo when he attended Lanai High School in the Class of 1970. His blog by the same name is widely read for its financial and social analysis.

Smith has strongly denied any ties to the Russian propaganda effort, and dismisses the Post’s reporting, and the underlying research, as just more fake news.

The authors of the list and report explain:

We have used a combination of manual and automated analysis, including analysis of content, timing, technical indicators, and other reporting, in order to initially identify (“red-flag”) the following as Russian propaganda outlets. We then confirmed our initial assessment by applying whatever criteria we did not originally employ during the red-flag process, and we reevaluate our findings as needed.

They assert that the sites on the list “frequently display a consistent bias towards Russia in ways that echo, repeat, are used by, and redirect their audiences to Russian official and semi-official state media.”

Of course, the Washington Post’s perspective has apparently been supported by a still secret CIA analysis, and there’s no shortage of other reporters piecing together some of the same information.

I’ve been following Newsweek’s Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald on Twitter), and I’ve been surprised by some excellent reporting by Esquire, such as “How Russia Pulled Off the Biggest Election Hack in U.S. History,” and “Russia’s Interference in This Election Should Not Be a Surprise.” And concern about the impact of fake news isn’t limited to the U.S. (see the Guardian’s report, “Fake news: an insidious trend that’s fast becoming a global problem“).

The Intercept put the debate in context and called on President Obama to declassify the evidence behind allegations of Russian hacking (“Obama must declassify evidence of Russian hacking“).

Strange, exciting times we are living through.

Maui woman creates award-winning app

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Here’s an interesting blend of activism and technology.

Rene Umberger, a Maui diver, activist, and executive director of For the Fishes, has created an award-winning mobile app to reduce consumer demand for coral reef wildlife.

Her free app, Tank Watch, was among the winners last month in the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge to tackle wildlife trafficking.

The contest is an international initiative by the U.S. Agency for International Development in partnership with the National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian Institution and TRAFFIC.

Tank Watch – The Good Fish/Bad Fish Tool for Saltwater Aquariums aims to save fragile reefs and marine wildlife captured for household and small display aquariums worldwide by developing consumer awareness and ultimately reducing demand for wild caught aquarium fish.

According to the description posted at Apple’s iTunes Store:

Tank Watch helps you identify reef-friendly, GOOD FISH, for saltwater aquariums, whether in stores or display tanks. Our app brings you the entire list of reef and wildlife-friendly fish: those species bred in captivity and suitable for saltwater tanks. It also includes the most commonly held BAD FISH: those taken from coral reefs. Our “Search by Color” feature lets you quickly and easily identify species you may be unfamiliar with.

FEATURES
• Provides free, up-to-date information at your fingertips with beautiful images to aid in fish ID.

• Allows easy fish ID by color.
• Sort by family, common name(s), or scientific name.
• Quick access lists for “Good Fish”, “Bad Fish”, “Good Fish for Novices”, and “Most Common Bad Fish”.
• Includes additional common names, care level rating and more.
• Provides wildlife and reef-friendly alternatives for conscientious fishkeeping.

“We won over $20K in cash and training, and will compete this summer for a handful of Grand prizes in the $100K – $500K range,” Umberger said yesterday in an email. The Grand Prize awards are to support the winners as they scale their solutions.

“Of the 15 other winners, we are the only solution in the reduce consumer demand category, so we feel excited about our chances!”

Tank Watch is available now for iPhone or iPad, with an Android version under development now.

Walking off the edge of the digital world

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We had dinner last night with an old high school friend. We graduated together from University High School, now known as the University Laboratory School, a charter school. We stayed in touch through college, and then his whole family moved to Canada, and we’ve had only intermittent contacts since then. He retired after 35 years as a public school teacher. We last saw each other ten years ago.

Here’s the thing that amazed me. Is that the right word? I’m not totally sure. In any case, he surprised me by announcing that he has chosen not to participate in the digital world, at least not as part of his everyday life. He does not use email because he doesn’t have a computer. If I need to email something, it goes to his brother, who then prints it and shows it to my friend. He doesn’t have a iPad, any other tablet, or a smartphone. Actually, I don’t think uses a cell phone, either. He does have a land line phone at home. That’s it.

He did admit to resorting to email to keep in touch with his family while traveling in Europe. But that’s about it. Send something to his email address, and it’s likely to be a long time before he sees it.

“Want to reach me?” he asked. “Pick up the phone and dial.”

He commented on the way so many people are tied to their technology, staring at the small screens on their phones instead of interacting with the world around them. Fair criticism, I guess. And it leaves him lots of time to read. Not on a screen, though. He reads books. Remember them? And he was quite excited by the three history books purchased yesterday at the Punahou carnival, each well under $1.

I suppose that I’m almost a polar opposite. I’ve got the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Pro. I check regularly to moderate comments left on this blog. I do check email. And, yes, I check what’s happening with friends, and the broader world, via Twitter and Facebook.

His mode is definitely more relaxed and contemplative. He goes for long walks. Without a cell phone. He does regularly read newspapers, so manages to keep up with local and world events. But that’s different from our routine immersion in the digital world.

I’m afraid that walking away from all the means of communication except for a land line phone would leave me with symptoms of withdrawal. It doesn’t sound like a pretty sight.

In some ways, I feel like I should be aspiring to periods of digital detachment, at least to acknowledge that there’s another world out there and another way of relating to it. But then again, that’s a daunting idea.

Thoughts?