Usage of facial recognition software, which identifies a person by his or her facial features, is spreading throughout the government and commercial sectors. Federal agencies and police departments are using it to identify criminals and threats to national security. Facebook, which has an enormous trove of photographs, provides it …
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October, 2015
September, 2015
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16 September
Social Media’s Negative Influence on News Coverage
The popularity of social media has had a profound effect on news coverage. A video commentary by Roberto.
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August, 2015
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5 August
Takeaways from the Killing of Cecil the Lion
Unless you live in a cave without Internet, you’ve probably heard about the killing of a lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe last month. The hunter who dispatched Cecil has been identified as Bloomington, Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer. The Zimbabwean government claims that the lion was lured off of the …
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July, 2015
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30 July
A Death in Baltimore – One Year Later
August – Three-year-old McKenzie Elliott sits on a neighbor’s front porch in Baltimore. She waits excitedly for her stepfather. It is a sweltering day and he will take her swimming. He is late – traffic is bad. A car stops at the corner of 36th St and Old York Road. …
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27 July
Robots, Big Macs, and the Fight for $15
This month, a hotel staffed almost entirely by robots opened in Japan. The robots at the reception desk include a human-like “female” robot that bows and blinks her eyes and a likewise polite English-speaking dinosaur. Robots perform other functions at the Hann’na Hotel (which means “strange hotel” in Japanese) normally …
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16 July
ESPN Hops on the Caitlyn Jenner Money Train
ESPN’s “ESPY” awards ceremony, broadcast on sister network ABC, included the latest chapter in the media saga of former Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner. Jenner received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, which is described by ESPN this way: “Recipients reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in …
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14 July
World Cup Pay Equity Arguments Don’t Score
The World Cup title earned by the USA Women’s national team this month once again sparked a debate about pay equity between men and women in the US and worldwide. The difference in award money between the men’s and women’s World Cup champion teams, $35 million and $2 million respectively, …
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9 July
Why Government Should Get Out of the Marriage Business
The recent decision by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) mandating legalization of same-sex marriage has changed the legal definition of marriage that has existed since well before the nation’s founding. In broadening the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples, the court majority cited the due …
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June, 2015
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26 June
The Threats to American Democracy
From time-to-time at ThoughtWidget.com we will discuss the state of American democracy and the threats that it faces. As the groundwork for those discussions, please see our definition of the 4 most critical elements of American democracy. Note that these are not the only important elements, but they are the most …
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25 June
The Rug
We were thirsty, the three of us. And hungry too. Jilli, petite and erudite, had come from class and, being a ‘dammer, had arrived on her bicycle. Tiger, tall and athletic and incurably mischievous, was restless. She had spent the afternoon in Vondelpark making new friends, 2 and 4-legged. Tiger …
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24 June
QuickThoughts: Obama Declares Open Season on Americans Abroad
Today, President Obama announced a new policy with regard to Americans taken hostage abroad. According to the president, the current policy that the US government will not pay ransom or make concessions to hostage-takers has not changed. What has changed is that the government will not prosecute anyone (e.g. family …
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22 June
QuickThoughts: Charleston Shows its True Colors in the Wake of the Church Shooting
The reaction of the people of Charleston to last week’s mass shooting at the city’s Emanuel AME church, particularly in the faith community, has been nothing short of inspiring. The killing of 9 worshippers at the church by an apparently deranged white supremacist young man has shocked the city. Predictably, …
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16 June
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Donald Trump!!
All journalists and observers whose job it is to follow the 2016 presidential election, get on your knees. I don’t care if you’re religious or not. Atheists, agnostics, deists, wiccans, all of you. On your knees. Direct your thoughts toward whomever or whatever guides the universe. If you think it’s …
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15 June
QuickThoughts: Do Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton Really Want to be President?
Observing the leading candidates from the two major political parties, Jeb Bush for the Republicans and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats, I am wondering whether either really wants to be President of the United States. The expectations for both candidates are high, and both have seemed at times less than …
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15 June
Don’t Worry, Rachel Dolezal, I Don’t Understand the Question Either
It has been a challenging week for Rachel Dolezal, president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP. Dolezal, who has long passed herself off as black or mixed-race, was revealed by her parents to be of Czech and German ancestry with a dash of Native American. They provided a …
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