This week we are sharing stories on gun violence, Silicon Valley in the ’90s, the ability of artificial intelligence, and the community of audiophiles.
silicon valley
Aristocrat Inc.
“How a small computer chip company, owned by the author’s mother, became the target of a sprawling pan-Asian crime ring that operated throughout Silicon Valley.”
Billionaires Like Elon Musk Want to Save Civilization By Having Tons of Genetically Superior Kids.
“Inside the movement to take ‘control of human evolution.'”
Silicon Valley and the Rent-to-Own Trap
“If you want to become a homeowner but don’t qualify for a mortgage, Divvy Homes has a solution: Rent a house from them until you’re able to buy it. What could possibly go wrong?”
Slate Star Codex and Silicon Valley’s War Against the Media
The story of a controversial blogger, the weaponization of online engagement, and the growing fault lines between tech and traditional journalism.
Can Tech Become Ethical, If It Learns to Be Mindful First?
Is tech disrupting spirituality, or is spirituality finally disrupting tech?
Close Encounters of the Digital Kind
“The idea seems to be that we all live in the great database in the sky, occasionally summoning aliens with our minds.” Emily Harnett explores Silicon Valley’s appropriation of UFO culture.
The Ethical Dilemma Facing Silicon Valley’s Next Generation
At Stanford University, a farm system for tech giants, “students are reconsidering whether working at Google or Facebook is landing a dream job or selling out to craven corporate interests.”
Bread, Disrupted
Bread: it was so terrible, right? Thank goodness the tech industry finally iterated on it so we can make a decent piece of toast after 6,000 years.
Not Quite Democracy: Lucie Greene on the Civic Aspirations of Tech Giants
Lucie Greene’s new book “Silicon States” is about the danger of concentrating so much power in so few hands.