Dead musicians...live!

Imagine you could create a holographic image of a dead musician performing live (not just a reply of an old performance, but a newly-created one). Imagine the musician was Tupac Shakur and the performance took place at this year's Coachella. Click on this link to hear a story about the digital recreation of Tupac from NPR's All Things Considered (4/17/12). The link will take you to a brief text commentary, a video of the performance, and another link to the audio file (worth listening to!). What are the ethics of bringing dead musicians back for "live" performances? Should living musicians insert lines in their will that regulate their use after they die?

Unwed young mothers the "new normal"?

A recent study suggested that more than half of births to women under 30 occur outside of wedlock. The trend appears to transcend racial and ethnic distinctions, though not necessarily economic class differences. Click on this link to read a New York Times report (2-19-12) about the findings. Are there social consequences (beneficial, detrimental?) to the replacement of marriage with a less formal kind of relationship?

Use of drones spreads to the USA

The United States military has achieved a deadly record of success hunting terrorists and insurgents with unmanned drones. Now the use of (non-deadly) drones is spreading to the general public within the USA for purposes as varied as aerial photography to dusting crops. Is it wise for the U.S. government to open up the skies to private operation of drones? Click on this link to read a New York Times article (2-17-12) about the controversy.

New edition of mental illness guide makes us all insane

The DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders, is a standard tool used by psychiatrists and psychologists to assess whether someone is mentally ill.  A new edition being proposed by a panel of the American Psychological Association, has opened up whole new categories of mental illness, and considerable controversy.  If you throw a temper tantrum three times a week, are you mentally ill?  If you can't get aroused sexually, is that a mental illness?  Click on this link to read an article about the controversy from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (1-29-12).  Here is a link to a webpage about the new DSM.

Using BPS devices to snoop

Handy GPS tracker devices will soon be on sale at the big box stores enabling purchasers to track the whereabouts of the car of their teenage child, spouse, employee, etc.  Click on this link to read the story from the Herald Tribune (1-29-12)

Oxycodone users denied driving rights

Click on this link to read a Tampa Bay Times story (12-29-11) about a Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge who is taking away driving rights from anyone who tests positive for Oxycodone--even if they have a legal prescription. The judge takes the warning on the bottle about driving heavy machinery--they shouldn't be doing it.  Do you think his actions will make the highways safer, or is he denying law-abiding citizens a basic right?  Is driving a "right" or a "privilege"?  Are individuals taking Oxycodone and driving indeed law-abiding citizens, or are they driving while under the influence?  How seriously should we take the warnings on prescription bottles?

Are apps on mobile devices children friendly?

Click on this link to read a piece by Cecilia Kang (Washington Post, 10-14-11) that worries about advertisements that come with apps installed on phones and tablets for children.  Should ads featuring "gun-toting zombie killers, lewd language or busty women prowling for 'hot guys'" be accessible to 4 year olds?  Who is responsible for matching ad content to audience?

Haiti doesn't need your old t-shirt

Click on this link to read a Foreign Policy article (November, 2011) that criticizes the tendency of developed nations to ship their undesired crap to 3rd world countries in the name of relief from poverty. Are we saving the world by shipping our unused yoga mats and boxes of Pop-Tarts to Haiti and other countries, or could we actually be disrupting their economies?

Neutrino particle at CERN held to traveled faster than the speed of light

There has been much controversy about an experimental result at CERN that claims a neutrino particle travelled faster than light. Einstein's theory holds that this is impossible, but some dispute this. It's long been held that if the speed of light could be surpassed (by particles called "tachyons"), time travel would be possible. Click on this link to read an account from Slate (9-23-11) of the controversy.

Swiss form Anti-PowerPoint political party

Switzerland is the world's only "direct democracy" and has become famous for the ease with which a political party can be formed. A recent New York Times article 9-22-11) gave examples of the "auto party" (which advocated higher speed limits) and the "animal party" "to give animals a voice in politics. Now there is the Anti-PowerPoint party which aims to free Swiss citizens from having to sit through boring PowerPoint presentations. Click on this link to read a C-Net description of the party's aims.

Irish man's death ruled as a case of "spontaneous combustion"

Click on this link to read a Slate article about an Irish case ruled by the coroner as "spontaneous combustion." There have been a number of alleged cases down through the years, though they are often explained away as due to other causes (e.g., cigarettes). Do you believe this is explicable in terms of body chemistry, or is this a case of "weird shit happening" that has no clear physical cause?

The Origins of AIDS (Documentary)

"Banking systems"

"I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs."

-Thomas Jefferson

Interesting interview...

JC Penney withdraws "I'm too pretty to do homework" t-shirt

Click on this link to read a Slate posting about a controversial J.C. Penney t-shirt (pictured) that privileged beauty over intelligence. The retailer received a score of petitions and angry letters claiming that the shirt was sexist (or just stupid). Or was it "cute and sassy" as the original ad claimed?

PETA creates porn site

Click on this link to read a Slate blog posting (8-29-11) about PETA's new porn site. PETA has never hesitated to shock audiences to get it's point across; the new strategy plays off alleged similarities between sexual objectification and the way we regard "meat products." Critics complain about PETA going too far, but they seem to be successful in keeping their topics in public discussion. Other than perhaps finding them distasteful, what do you think about their tactics (including this latest approach)?

Drone submarines join drone airplanes

Click on this link to read a Sarasota Herald-Tribune article (8-20-11) about the Navy's recent attempts to operate submarine drones. Drone airplanes have already become a major weapon in the U.S. military's arsenal. Are submarines a natural extension of this technology, or are there unique challenges (and worries) about pilotless boats stealthily sliding through the ocean deep?

IBM seeks to replicate human brain with new chip

Click on this link to read a BBC story (8-19-11) about a new chip developed by IBM that seeks to replicate human brain functioning by reverse engineering synapses. It is suggested that the chips will have the capacity to learn.

"Bigger bang" created for U.S. military

Click on this link to read a BBC story (8-19-11) about new forms of explosives that promise to deliver a 4-5 times greater punch while, potentially, reducing collateral damage. While such (expensive) technologies could deliver a temporary advantage to the U.S. military, should we worry about the proliferation of such materials? Are there weapons that should never be operationalized because of the danger, should they spread? Or is the "if we don't do it, someone else will, so we might as well be first" principle applicable here?

"Pre-crime" software reducing crime?

Click on this link to watch an ABC News story (8-18-11) about technology being used by California police to predict criminal activity. The software has resulted in a number of arrests and a measurable drop in the crime rate. Is this the first step towards Minority Report forms of "pre-cognition"? What does it say about human nature if criminal behavior can, apparently, be successfully predicted in this way?

Metering car usage to save the environment?

Click on this link to read a NY Times story about a Dutch pilot project metering car actual usage as a basis for taxation. Rather than charging citizens a tax when buying petrol for their cars, the meter would track, in a very detailed way, how the person actually uses their car (and how much). Gas hogs who waste gas would be taxed at a higher rate. Participants in the project were able to see the tax meter rising and immediately changed their driving habits. Critics worry about privacy concerns, since the meter uses GPS technology to track drivers' travel. GPS units have already played a role in a number of criminal cases and trials, providing valuable evidence of the accused's activities. If this new meter technology caused people to drive less and more efficiently, would it we worth the intrusion to save our climate and roads?

Breast implants for senior citizens?

Click on this link to read a NY Times story (8-8-11) about an 83 year old woman who received a breast implant to improve her looks. Is it "age-ism" to reject this as a bad idea or is a ridiculous waste of money? Note: no one is proposing that there should be any legal obstacles to such procedures, but some are raising ethical questions about the expense and its purpose.

What could possibly go wrong?

Click on this link for another article from the February, 2011 Popular Science magazine.  This one explores a number of potentially bad technological ideas that are receiving attention from the government and corporations.   If you take a look at the archives of this blog, you'll recognize some themes from earlier blog posts.

Starbucks to offer 31 ounce coffee

Click on this link to read a Washington Post article about Starbucks' move to selling coffee in huge 31 ounce cups.  Convenience stores have long served soft drinks in huge sizes; Starbucks is apparently joining the "super-size me" movement.  Will this add to level of caffeine jitters/caffeine rage in society?  Will we all be talking faster and sleeping less?

Fourth Amendment underclothes?

"Now there's a way to protest those intrusive TSA X-ray scanners without saying a word."

4th Amendment Wear makes undergarments printed with the fourth amendment to the U. S. Constitution on them. What's clever is that the text, printed in metallic ink, and is readable on your airport security scan. 


View the site here.

Gay birds?

Click on this link to read a Fox News story about the alleged effects of mercury upon avian species and their sexual preferences.  [thanks, Alex, for this link!]

Knife rights?

We've heard plenty about the right to bear arms, but a new controversy concerns the right to carry a knife.  If a knife can be used for self-defense, then wouldn't the same rights that extend to guns also extend to knives?  Click on this link to read a Sarasota Herald Tribune article about this Arizona controversy.

Robots rodeo

Given that we are already employing drone planes to conduct surveillance and drop bombs, it seems like a logical next step to replace front line infantry with robots.  Click on this link to read a Sarasota Herald Tribune story (11-28-10) about the military's "Robotics Rodeo.".  Is this the first step towards a Terminator-friendly world?  (note: the robot featured in the article was only 15" tall)

Supreme Court OKs guns for 18 year olds

If you are 18, you are old enough to fight for your country.  Are you also old enough to carry a gun in that country?  A recent state Supreme Court decision says, "yes, you are."  Click on this link to read an article (from a gun rights website) summarizing last year's decision.  Some applaud this as a step towards fairness and consistency while others worry about whether teenagers are yet ready to carry personal weapons.  Another link leads to a story about two young Texas men challenging in Federal court their state's prohibition of gun ownership for teenagers under age 21.

Should state funds be used to build a new Noah's Ark?

Should the state government of Kentucky commit taxpayer funds to the creation of a theme park modelled around the story of Noah's Ark?  Click on this link to read a Sarasota Herald Tribune story (12-6-10) that describes the controversy.  On the one hand, it is hoped that the park would create lots of jobs.  On the other hand, the for-profit group proposing to build it is allied to an overtly evangelical cause.  Does this violate the principle of the separation of church and state?

Beheading of Indonesian woman in Saudi Arabia provokes protests

Click on this link to read a Washington Post article (8-9-11) regarding protests that have erupted in Indonesia (the world's largest Muslim population) against Saudi Arabia after an Indonesian worker in Saudi Arabia was beheaded for killing an allegedly abusive employer.  The beheading has raised questions in Indonesia about the conservative Wahabi form of Islam that has been exported worldwide from Saudi Arabia.

Can hackers shut off patients' insulin pumps?

Click on this link to read a ZDNet article about a new form of hacking that can shut down via wifi a patents' insulin pump (and hence shut down the patient). As implanted medical devices become more technologically sophisticated and networked, will a new sport evolve of hacking into them and disrupting peoples' bodies? Will the new teenage prank be stopping someone's heart for 2 minutes or shutting down their morphine pump until they start screaming?

Man tried to split atoms in kitchen

Stockholm (from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 8-4-11)

A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was doing it as a hobby.

Richard Handl told The Associated Press that he had the radioactive elemtns radium, americum and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorized possession of nuclear material.

The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove. Only later did he realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden'ts Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.

Woman faces trial for fake testicles

By Harriet McLeod

CHARLESTON, South Carolina | Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:31pm EDT

(Reuters) - The police chief of a small South Carolina town will ask a jury to decide if a woman broke the state's obscenity laws by driving a pickup truck with plastic testicles hanging from the back.

Bonneau Police Chief Franco Fuda ticketed Virginia Tice, 65, in early July at a local convenience store after spying the adornment dangling from her truck.

South Carolina law considers a bumper sticker, decal or device indecent when it describes, in an offensive way as determined by contemporary community standards, "sexual acts, excretory functions, or parts of the human body."

The offense carries a maximum fine of $445 but no jail time, Fuda said.

"This is certainly not a staple of my ticket writing in Bonneau," the police chief told Reuters on Wednesday.

The Charleston law firm Savage & Savage will represent Tice for free, attorney Scott Bischoff said. The trial had been scheduled for next week but was delayed because the defendant will be out of town.

"She's such a sweet lady and she just says 'I don't want to pay the fine.' We'll let a jury decide whether this is really criminal behavior. I don't want to take away from the importance of free speech, but it's really comical," he said.

Lawmakers in some states have sought to ban the colorful plastic or rubber devices that go by brand names such as Bulls Balls and Truck Nutz.

Fuda said if the fake testicles were a free speech issue, "I don't know what they would be trying to express."

"I went to (a) few websites that said, excuse the expression, 'show your nuts,'" he said. "I didn't see anywhere it said support your local proctologist or farmer."

(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Cynthia Johnston)

Eight year old boy drives truck on interstate

From the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (7-31-11):

BATON ROUGE, La

State police said an 8-year old boy was driving a pickup truck down an interstate while his drunken father slept in the passenger seat. Troopers said the man's 4-year-old daughter was in the back seat when the truck was stopped Saturday morning. The boy's driving was so erratic that it alarmed other motorists, who called authorities.

The children were handed over to the Louisiana Child Protective Servies. The father, 28-year-old Billy Joe Madden of Hattisburg, Miss., was booked on charges including Child Desertion and Allowing a Minor to Drive.

Are we building homes to close to rivers?

Click on this link to read a Sarasota Herald-Tribune story (7-31-11) about developers who have been building homes closer to rivers, thanks to government-constructed dams and levees, more conservative flood estimates, and the availability of federal flood insurance. Yet many of these homes have been experiencing floods in recent years due to weather changes some attribute to global warming. Humans have always been drawn to live near waterways, but is it reckless to invest millions of dollars in real estate in such potentially hazardous areas? What role does the government play in contributing to this practice? Should government take a stand against it or would this constitute an infringement of indviduals' right to build and live where they wish?

Anti-Shariah movement gaining momentum

Click on this link to read a New York Times article (7-30-11) about the growing movement in many states to legally ban Shariah or Islamic Law. Proponents view the advocacy of Shariah as an attempt by Muslims to take over the United States (and other western nations). Others argue that Shariah should be distinguished from Islam, the religion that gave the concept its birth. Similar controversies raged for many centuries in the Holy Roman Empire regarding the extent to which Christianity included aspirations to political power. Does public advocacy of Shariah undermine the foundations of western democracy, or should Muslims who seek it be protected in their right to do so by the First Amendment?

Over the top parenting?

Click on this link to read a column (Sarasota Herald-Tribune) about parents who build extravagant backyard playgrounds for their children. Is anything a parent does to make a fun childhood for their children OK or are there limits to what is reasonable? The columnist argues that simpler forms of entertainment (crayons, paper, tape, etc.) are just as good and sometimes better in terms of encouraging imagination. Do you agree?

Doughnut wars give Shanghai a sugar jolt

Click on this link to read a Washington Post story/photos (7-18-11) about the rapid rise in popularity of fast foods and now, doughnut shops, in Chinese cities. Are sugar and caffeine the nutrients by which high tech affluent societies thrive? Is the flow of such substances (along with cheap fast food) a necessary ingredient, like electricity, internet access, or clean water, for economic development ala 21st century forms of life? Does Krispy Kreme sound the final death knoll of traditional Chinese culture?

Childhood obesity = child abuse?

Click on this link to read a column by Esther Cepeda (7-17-11) that cites an American Medical Association opinion that parents who allow their kids to grow very fat are engaging in a form of child abuse. For earlier article (USA Today, 7-23-09) that discusses how the courts have handled this question, click on this link. Does the government have a right/obligation to protect children from fatness-enabler parents?