US Opinion and Commentary

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Why the Internet Isn’t Making Us Smarter – and How to Fight Back

Posted April 15th, 2016 at 4:41 pm (UTC-4)
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Our access to information, both good and bad, has only increased as our fingertips have gotten into the act. With computer keyboards and smartphones, we now have access to an Internet containing a vast store of information much bigger than any individual brain can carry – and that’s not always a good thing.

How a Digital Surge Can Help Beat Islamic State

Posted December 15th, 2015 at 4:25 pm (UTC-4)
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To wage a digital counterinsurgency, we need to understand the structure of this enemy’s digital army. Unlike Al Qaeda’s cluster of isolated cells, Islamic State is centralized. Its hierarchy, in fact, resembles a corporate pyramid…

The Cost of Saying Yes to Convenience

Posted June 1st, 2015 at 11:00 am (UTC-4)
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I’m not buying an Apple Watch. It’s not because I’m cheap, or a Luddite or not fully initiated into the Cult of Steve. I’m not buying one because it would make my life too easy, too convenient.