I spend some of my free time in Washington DC’s Rock Creek Park, bicycling or hiking.  This slender gem winds its way through the northwest sector of the nation’s capital for five miles, following the aptly named Rock Creek.  Heavily wooded, the park is a haven for urban hikers and …

A short report aired today on CBS News This Morning about a billionaire and his helicopter is a demonstration of how the new media subtly uses class envy (or resentment) to generate outrage.  The teaser (a short promo for an upcoming story) for this segment talked about a billionaire’s helicopter cancelling a youth soccer game. …

Chutzpah [hoo t-spuh, khoo t-] noun, Slang. unmitigated effrontery or impudence; gall. audacity; nerve. The classic definition is that given by Leo Rosten: “that quality enshrined in a man who, having killed his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan.” A Modern Example President Obama gave a speech last week …

In last week’s Republican presidential debate on CNBC, the candidates and their supporters finally pushed back against the historical tide threatening to make such debates meaningless. The debate on the financial network was entitled “Your Money, Your Vote” and promoted as being focused on economic issues.  What ensued was a …

  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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …