Culture

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 …

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, …

  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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

The popular adoption of the Internet and cable television as sources of information in the past 30 years has revolutionized the way that the average person receives news. Before the 1980s, the available sources of daily news were limited to newspapers, radio, and broadcast television.   Many small towns had a …

For at least the past 50,000 years or so, humans have entertained themselves and others with music and singing.   Up until about 100 years ago, those artists good enough to perform for a living made their money by, well, performing. Only since the advent of recorded music have performers had …

Below I describe a personal experience that illustrates an important principle that relates to any hierarchy. I attended the hour-long Executive Council meeting as a stand-in for my boss.  The invitees were a collection of VPs and high-ranking directors, and today the conference table was full.   I was in note-taking mode; my only …