Ruminations on our relationship with technology
Distracted driving laws FAQs Those who have followed my writing as of late probably noticed I’ve felt a need to write about the problem of distracted driving, including shortcomings with some distracted driving laws in my state (Minnesota) and other states. For instance, on this site, I’ve written about research on distracted driving and distracted … Read more
The science of expertise vs. ‘talent’ Anders Ericsson is a psychologist who studies how people acquire expert skill and knowledge. It’s research known as the science of expertise. (Notice we say expertise and not talent—we’ll soon see why.) Basically, Ericsson is an expert on how to become an expert. In a book written with mathematician … Read more
From the Internet paradox to the village effect The British sitcom The IT Crowd once ran a hilarious episode about a fictional social networking site called “Friendface” (a parody of social media like Facebook). “Isn’t it great the way Friendface brings people together,” says Jen, one of the main characters of the show. However, contrary … Read more
Do hands-free devices make roads any safer? Recently, MinnPost (a Minnesota newspaper) published an opt-ed I wrote (“Hands-free cellphone bill won’t stop distracted driving”). In it, I criticized a hands-free law passed in Minnesota, which bans the use of hand-held phones while driving. Evidently, proponents of this law assume that using hands-free devices in the … Read more
How laptops affect learning—and why the medium is the message! Years have passed since media guru Marshall McLuhan declared “the medium is the message.” Nonetheless, his insights about technology remain relevant to this day. In particular, his ideas about media can shed light on an ongoing debate in education. Does using laptops and computers in … Read more
Media ecology, and the rise of celebrity politics Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election was a shock to many—myself included. Afterward, however, I couldn’t help but notice this electoral upset fit an emerging pattern I’ve seen most of my life. As a child of the 1980s, I grew up in the Reagan … Read more
Ten Great Science Fiction Films (concluded) Concluding the list of ten great science fiction films. (See Parts I, II, & III of this series on mythology in media if you haven’t previously.) #8) Gattaca “There’s no gene for fate.” Genetic Discrimination The human genome is a mystery scientists are unraveling … and manipulating. Of course, … Read more
Ten Great Science Fiction Films (continued) Continuing the list of ten great science fiction films. (See Parts I & II of this series on mythology in media if you haven’t yet.) #5) Interstellar Love is the one thing that we’re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space. Maybe we should trust that, … Read more
Ten Great Science Fiction Films (continued) Continuing the list of ten great science fiction films. (Check out Part I of this series on mythology in media if you haven’t already.) #2) Solaris (1972) We don’t want to conquer space at all. We want to expand Earth endlessly. We don’t want other worlds; we want a … Read more