Author: ScottMGS

I am open to receiving feedback on ways that my choice of words could be improved to be more welcoming and less offensive. No, I’m not trying to be “politically correct”, just less of a jerk. Photos and writing are copyrighted by me. Pronouns: they/them/their or he/him/his See the About Me page for more info.

Digital Ethics and Moral Theory Explained

This article by Per Axbom is an introduction to digital ethics. It gives me a structure to consider when trying, for instance, to explain why I think a particular feature should or should not be incorporated into the application I’m working on.

Is “acceptably non-dystopian” self-sovereign identity even possible?

Wild stuff. I’ve done only the smallest amount of reading and thinking about topics like online identity. This article has shown me that there is a whole lot more to consider. When she writes the following in her conclusion it’s clear to me that we have a long way to go before we get trusted, reliable, private, and secure identity services.

I’m a software engineer and computer nerd, and I don’t trust myself to self-custody this data.

Molly White

https://blog.mollywhite.net/is-acceptably-non-dystopian-self-sovereign-identity-even-possible/

What might degrowth computing look like? – Critical Studies of EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY

https://criticaledtech.com/2022/04/08/what-might-degrowth-computing-look-like/

A bunch of terms that I’ve never heard before but, in retrospect, should have been on my radar before now: permacomputing, collapse informatics, and CWL (computing within limits), degrowth.

Remedying Racial Inequity

There is a lot to think about in this video lecture by David C. Wilson, Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy from Robert Reich’s Wealth and Poverty class at U.C. Berkeley. It’s about the science behind racial resentment and justice. It surprised me by alluding to psychological similarities between people who want to keep our structurally racist systems and people to want to get rid of them – both appeal to a sense of fairness but with very different results.

Lisa Genova: How your memory works — and why forgetting is totally OK | TED Talk

I found this a very encouraging TED talk. I’m putting this here so that I don’t forget it or, if I do, I’ll be able to find it again. By spending this much attention on it maybe it’ll be a little easier to remember when I need to.

Book Bans and Fascism

With all the news about banning books — Maus and Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project, etc. — it’s hard to keep an even keel. This is a useful outcome… for fascists and white supremacists. But it’s also a sign of their weakness. Read Dr. Lisa Corrigan’s explanation.