One expert says the administration is operating drones with a "kill-not-capture" policy, adding that you don’t get intelligence from those killed. But there’s also a human toll — from the pilots who remotely operate the drones to those people who live in the areas that are targeted.
http://www.npr.org/2013/05/05/181403067/the-hidden-cost-of-the-drone-program
Statistical analyst Nate Silver says humility is key to making accurate predictions. Silver, who writes the New York Times’ FiveThirtyEight blog, has just written a new book called The Signal and the Noise.
http://www.npr.org/2012/10/10/162594751/signal-and-noise-prediction-as-art-and-science
Tagged with npr statistics science politics book:author=nate silver
The history of ideas discussed by Melvyn Bragg and guests including Philosophy, science, literature, religion and the influence these ideas have on us today.
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss game theory, the mathematical study of decision-making. Some of the games studied in game theory have become well known outside academia - they include the Prisoner’s Dilemma, an intriguing scenario popularised in novels and films. Today game theory is seen as an important tool in evolutionary biology, economics, computing and philosophy. Melvyn Bragg is joined by Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick; Andrew Colman, Professor of Psychology at the University of Leicester and Richard Bradley, Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Tagged with bbc in our time game theory psychology economics politics
Anita Sarkeesian’s website is located here: http://www.feministfrequency.com/ Feminist Frequency: Conversations with Pop Culture
Tagged with anita sarkeesian feminism activism politics pop culture culture wars media
This week, Jello Biafra discusses issues of import around the Columbine shootings.
Tagged with jello biafra columbine hysteria religion anti-capitalism activism politics punk
Many commentators have debated whether the Internet is ultimately a force for freedom of expression and political liberation, or for alienation, and repression.
Rebecca MacKinnon moves the debate about the Internet’s political impact to a new level. It is time, she says, to stop arguing over whether the Internet empowers individuals and societies, and address the more fundamental and urgent question of how technology should be structured and governed to support the rights and liberties of all the world’s Internet users.
Drawing upon two decades of experience as an international journalist, co-founder of the citizen media network Global Voices, Chinese Internet censorship expert, and Internet freedom activist, MacKinnon offers a framework for concerned citizens to understand the complex and often hidden power dynamics amongst governments, corporations, and citizens in cyberspace. She warns that a convergence of unchecked government actions and unaccountable company practices threatens the future of democracy and human rights around the world.
Rebecca MacKinnon visits the RSA to give us a call to action: Our freedom in the Internet age depends on whether we defend our rights on digital platforms and networks in the same way that people fight for their rights and accountable governance in physical communities and nations. It is time to stop thinking of ourselves as passive “users” of technology and instead act like citizens of the Internet – as netizens – and take ownership and responsibility for our digital future.
Chair: Aleks Krotoski, academic, journalist and host of the Guardian’s Tech Weekly
http://www.thersa.org/events/audio-and-past-events/2012/the-consent-of-the-networked
http://www.sciencefriday.com/program/archives/201203024
Many of us spend more time at our desks than anywhere else. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson takes us into his office at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City for a tour of his office, in the fourth of Science Friday’s Desktop Diaries series. From a Saturn lamp Tyson made as a kid to his van Gogh pillow, Tyson has a lot of universe-themed paraphernalia. Tyson highlights some of his collection, and talks about what his journey to science stardom has been like. (Credits: filming: flora lichtman, christopher intagliata, production: flora lichtman, music tom pascale/beethoven) Viewed 12749 times. See More Videos
In Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson writes of how space exploration — especially human voyages — can profoundly inspire scientists and technologists of the future, and charts the path for missions to Mars and beyond.
In the 2011 Vancouver Human Rights Lecture, Ethan Zuckerman, director of the Center for Civic Media at MIT, looks at the "cute cat" theory of internet activism, and how it helps explain the Arab Spring. He discusses how activists around the world are turning to social media tools which are extremely powerful, easy to use and difficult for governments to censor. The Vancouver Human Rights Lecture is co-sponsored by the UBC Continuing Studies, the Laurier Institution, and Yahoo.
Tagged with human rights arab spring internet technology lolcats politics activism
The Senate has again rejected proposals to extend the payroll tax holiday through next year, with Republicans objecting to using a "millionaires surtax" to pay for it. NPR tried to find millionaires who also object — but with little success.
The sketches at the end are by David Lovesy & Brian Two
http://poddelusion.co.uk/blog/2011/08/05/episode-96-5th-august-2011/
Tagged with pod delusion science news politics
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