Notes From The Electronic Cottage

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/22/23: Understanding AI 9

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:30:31 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/22/23: Understanding AI 9 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/8/23: Understanding AI 8

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 11:30:34 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell On a recent episode in our series on Artificial Intelligence, we looked at what Artificial Intelligence, or AGI, might bring about if those who see a virtual Utopia on the horizon are correct. Today, we look at possible futures of a much darker sort. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/8/23: Understanding AI 8 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/1/23: AI Books 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 11:30:10 +0000

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/1/23: AI Books 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/25/23: AI Snake Oil

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 25 May 2023 11:30:01 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell AI is part of our world now/ As with many new technologies, it is wise to pay attention to claims of new wonders since some may turn out to be little more than “snake oil”, even when they come form usually reliable sources. Here are a few examples. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/25/23: AI Snake Oil first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/18/23: Understanding AI 7

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 18 May 2023 11:30:35 +0000

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/18/23: Understanding AI 7 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/11/23: Understanding AI 6

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 11 May 2023 11:30:22 +0000

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/11/23: Understanding AI 6 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/4/23: Independence of Cyberspace Redux

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 04 May 2023 11:30:26 +0000

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/4/23: Independence of Cyberspace Redux first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/27/23: Understanding AI 5

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 11:30:48 +0000

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/27/23: Understanding AI 5 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/20/23: Understanding AI 4

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 11:30:56 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell As we continue our series on Artificial Intelligence, we begin in this segment to look at some of the possible implications of the potential arrival of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), or even Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI), on us humans. Link for Vernor Vinge’s 1993 presentation on “The Coming Technological Singularity” mentioned today. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/20/23: Understanding AI 4 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/13/23: Understanding AI 3

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 11:30:53 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Today in our series on Artificial Intelligence, we’ll look at Machine Learning and at the difference between Supervised and Unsupervised learning. Unsupervised learning is the method that computers use to beat the greatest chess masters in the world, or to suggest the next movie you may want to watch online, or to read your chest X-ray, and a lot more. An online introduction to the Elements of AI that requires no tech background. Understanding the difference between Supervised and Unsupervised Machine Learning, a bit more techie but not much more. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/13/23: Understanding AI 3 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/6/23: Understanding AI 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 11:30:43 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In this second episode in our series on Understanding AI, we’ll begin to take a look at how AI actually works in the many applications we see all around us today. For those interested in learning more about how AI works, this free online course requires no previous technical knowledge. For those who might be interested in reading or signing the open letter calling for a pause in training AI, follow this link. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/6/23: Understanding AI 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/30/23: Understanding AI 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 11:30:19 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Artificial Intelligence is all over the news these days, but what the heck is it, how does it work, and, importantly, what might it mean for us humans in the future? Important questions, and we’ll take a shot at providing an overall answer to those questions on a series of Electronic Cottage episodes that start today. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/30/23: Understanding AI 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/23/23: Negative Options Marketing

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 11:30:57 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Ever heard of “negative option marketing?” While you may not recognize the term but we all run into it every day on the web. Same for Dark Patterns. The Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has certainly heard of practice and they don’t like it at all. Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/23/23: Negative Options Marketing first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/16/23: Current AI Headlines

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 11:30:59 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There have been a lot of headlines in the popular press of late about Artificial Intelligence. On today’s edition, let’s look at a few headlines that may not have made it into the popular press yet. Here are links for the materials mentioned in today’s edition: AI artwork can’t be copyrighted rules the US Copyright Office Robots let ChatGPT touch the real world thanks to Microsoft NYC AI Hiring Law Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/16/23: Current AI Headlines first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/9/23: AI Bill of Rights 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 12:30:39 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell News of dramatic developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been all over the web and the news of late yet there seems to be no legislation making its way through Congress to protect us from the harms that AI can cause in our everyday lives. Why is that, and what can we do about it? Here are a few thoughts. Here is a link to the “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights” About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/9/23: AI Bill of Rights 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/2/23: Informed Consent 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 12:30:12 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell As we move around the web and use different web sites, we are constantly asked for our “informed consent” for the sites to know how to collect and use personal data about us. But can most of us actually give our “informed consent” in response to those demands? Some recent studies suggest the answer may be no. Here are links to the documents mentioned today: “Metrics for Success: Why and How to Evaluate Privacy Choice Usability” “Americans Can’t Consent to Companies’ Use of Their Data” About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/2/23: Informed Consent 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/23/23: Informed Consent 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 12:38:55 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell When we are going to undergo a medical procedure or be part of a research study, we are asked to give “informed consent” to permit the medial professionals to provide treatment or to be part of a research study. There are very specific criteria for what “informed consent” means in those situations. On the web, we are often asked to give consent to our Internet Service Provider (ISP) or to web sites we use to enable the ISP or the site to collect and sell our personal information. But what does “informed consent” mean in those cases? Let’s think about that, and begin to look at what a recent national study discovered about that question. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/23/23: Informed Consent 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/16/23: AI Thoughts We Aren’t Hearing

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 12:30:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Artificial Intelligence (AI) is all around us today, and that is going to be even more true – and more obvious – in the near future. Simply put, AI is going to change the world we live in every day. So who should decide how those changes will happen? It’s a good – and critically important – question that we all would do well to think about, and then make our opinions known. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/16/23: AI Thoughts We Aren’t Hearing first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/9/23: 23rd Anniversary Edition!

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 12:30:41 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell This month marks the 23rd anniversary of Notes from the Electronic Cottage on WERU. Let’s take a little trip down memory lane as we listen to what we think is the very first Electronic Cottage program. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/9/23: 23rd Anniversary Edition! first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/2/23: Thoughts on Buying a Computer

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 12:30:37 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Someone asked the other day what all the measurements that often appear in computer ads mean. We haven’t looked at that sort of information lately, so let’s give it a try today. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/2/23: Thoughts on Buying a Computer first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/26/23: Privacy Policies & More Headlines

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 12:26:04 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Read any good online privacy policies lately? Just in case the answer is no, today we read a bit from a recently updated Privacy Policy from the publisher Conde Nast. It’s clearly written and not that different from the policies at many other web sites, and it is unlikely to make us feel good about the information web sites can collect about us. As an extra added attraction, a few recent tech headlines some of us may have missed. Full Conde Nast updated Privacy Policy About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/26/23: Privacy Policies & More Headlines first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/19/23: January ’23 Headlines

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 12:30:08 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Now that holiday time is over, let’s take a look at some recent digital related headlines and stories that may affect our everyday lives in Maine and beyond. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/19/23: January ’23 Headlines first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/12/23: ChatGBT

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 12:30:10 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell ChatGPT has caused quite of lot of online buzz of late, and there are good reasons. In case you aren’t familiar with what ChatGPT can do, or are wondering about some of the implications, both good and bad, of its use, here is a start. And, just because, we note a few other recent items that most of us wish weren’t happening. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/12/23: ChatGBT first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/5/23: Will Quantam Computing Change the World?

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 11:30:26 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In the Dec. 19, 2022 print issue of the New Yorker, one article trumpeted “The Future of Everything: How Quantum Computing will Change the World – Eventually.” That’s quite an assertion but just what is quantum computing and how might it change the world? Here’s one way. Here’s the digital version of the article mentioned today. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/5/23: Will Quantam Computing Change the World? first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/29/22: AI Books 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 11:30:42 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Artificial Intelligence – AI – is already a big part of our world and will be even more prevalent in our everyday lives as we move forward. Today, let’s look at some books that might help us get our heads around what AI is and is not – at least not yet – and how AI will quite probably affect all of our lives in our Information Age world. Here are the books mentioned on today’s program: Wiener, Norbert, The Human Use of Human Beings: Cybernetics and Society Shannon, Claude E. and Weaver, Warren, The Mathematical Theory of Communication Brockman, John, ed., Possible Minds: 25 Ways of Looking at AI Kissinger, Henry A., Schmidt, Eric, and Huttenlocher, Daniel, The Age of AI and Our Human Future About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/29/22: AI Books 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/22/22: AI Books

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 11:30:39 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There are three very big challenges that humans will have to deal with in the near future: Climate Change, Genetic Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence or AI. Today, we briefly look at some sources to check for those interested in the first two challenges, and then turn our attention to sources for those interested in what AI means for us today, and will mean for humans in the near future and beyond. On genetic engineering, a good book for an overview, written very clearly for non-specialists, is The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson. A book from 1950 that has had a big impact on the development of what we now call Artificial Intelligence is The Human Use of Human Beings by Norbert Wiener. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/22/22: AI Books first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/15/22: December 2022 Headlines

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 11:30:56 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It is the season of Ho Ho Ho! While we do not enjoy being Grinches, we still feel it’s important to look at some current tech headlines as well as cheery holiday gift hints. So, for better or worse, here are a few things of import that might have gotten lost in the the holiday media punch bowl. Here is a link to the article from The Markup mentioned in today’s program About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/8/22: Holiday Gift Settings Redux

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 11:30:36 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell As we excitedly gather all sorts of amazing electronic digital devices to bestow on others during this gift-giving season, here are a few thoughts that might be worth considering before the recipients fire those devices up and start using them. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/1/22: More Thoughts on AI

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 11:30:20 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Over 20 years ago, Bill Joy wrote that 21st century technologies posed a danger of the extinction of humans from the earth. Last month, that sentiment arose again from people as diverse as Henry Kissinger and Jaron Lanier. In between, Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, and other luminaries offered similar cautions. Why? And why should we pay attention to what they have to say? Here are links to web sites mentioned today: ‘Extinction is on the table’: Jaron Lanier warns of tech’s existential threat to humanity, The Guardian Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us, WIRED National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, The Final Report How the Enlightenment Ends, Henry A. Kissinger, The Atlantic The Age of AI And Our Human Future About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/24/22: Thanksgiving Thoughts Redux 2022

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 11:30:03 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Electronic Technology is a sort of “front of the hand-back of the hand” world. Here at the Electronic Cottage we look at both sides of tech – wonderfully positive and, alas, dismayingly negative. Today is Thanksgiving so let’s look at things – whether offered through giant corporations or through individuals – that the Web can offer us that generations before those alive today would truly marvel at. Thanks are in order. Here are links to web sites mentioned today: Online Etymology Dictionary Your Dictionary alphaDictionary: Search All Online English Dictionaries at Once WordNet: A Lexical Database for English, Princeton University Official U.S. Time, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Dept of Commerce Creative Commons About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/17/22: Some Old Things, Some New Things

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 11:30:06 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Technology developments – and what they may mean – can sometimes seem confusing as we try to sort out reports and headlines. Here are a few illustrations, as well as news about the inauguration of Democracy’s Library About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/10/22: AI Snake Oil

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 11:30:16 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Suppose you were an academic who posted some slides from a lecture on your university’s archive page and suppose that tens of thousands of people found them and downloaded them and 2 million people read your Twitter feed on the subject. Would you be surprised? This really happened to Avrind Narayanan and therein lies the source of a book in progress and blog underway entitled “AI Snake Oil.” That title alone should make it worth listening to today’s episode of the Electronic Cottage. Here are links to the sources mentioned in the program: AI Snakeoil, Substack How to Recognize AI Snake Oil, Arvind Narayanan, Associate Professor of Computer Science, Princeton University A checklist of eighteen pitfalls in AI journalism, Sayash Kapoor, Arvind Narayanan. September 30, 2022 About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/3/22: No Tech

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 11:30:15 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Looking for tech info? Today’s episode has none but we hope you will like it anyway. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/20/22: Election Voting Security

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 20 Oct 2022 11:28:48 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It’s election season and we’re hearing a lot of stuff that is pretty unbelievable. But we aren’t hearing much about voting machine companies doctoring votes at this point in time. Why is that? Hmmm. But even if we aren’t hearing a lot of about alleged voting machine fraud now, it’s still important to think about how we might guarantee that vote counting is accurate. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) thinks so and in October of 2022 released a TechBrief entitled “Election Security: Risk Limiting Audits.” It’s brief and offers Risk Limiting Audits (RLA) as a tool to ensure that electronic vote counting is accurate and transparent. Only four pages and definitely worth reading, here About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/13/22: Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 13 Oct 2022 11:28:44 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Artificial Intelligence is used widely in our digital world affecting our everyday lives. Although it can affect everything from making credit decisions to reading x-rays, it is also completely unregulated in the US. That is why this White Paper, “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights” is worth a very good look. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/6/22: October ’22 Update

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 11:30:14 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Technology marches on. Here are two recent developments, one of which is pretty amazing amazing but both of which are also disturbing for different reasons. See what you think. Links referred to in the program: Holly Herndon: What if you could sing in your favorite musician’s voice? | TED Talk Chrome’s New Ad Blocker Limiting Extension Platform Will Launch in 2023, Arstechnica Google delays execution of doomed Chrome extensions, The Register Chrome Users Beware: Manifest V3 is Deceitful and Threatening | Electronic Frontier Foundation About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/29/22: AI Online Processing 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 11:30:40 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not just for big corporations any more. AI is emerging as a way for regular folks to more quickly and simply get their work done, create new things, and change how they look or sound online. Let’s take a look at some of those emerging, and sometimes quite remarkable possibilities, and even try out a couple of very impressive ones. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/29/22: AI Online Processing 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/22/22: September ’22 Headlines

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 11:30:02 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Have you heard the Amazon’s Ring Doorbell division is teaming up with Amazon’s MGM division to create a new TV series called “Ring Nation” hosted by comedian Wanda Sykes? What could possibly go wrong? Plenty. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/22/22: September ’22 Headlines first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/15/22: September ’22 Headlines

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 11:30:00 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There is a lot going on in the digital world these days. We can’t cover all of it in these short programs but we can at least summarize the stories behind a a selection of very recent headlines that some folks may have missed in the switch from summer time to school time. Here are a few. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/15/22: September ’22 Headlines first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/8/22: Believing What We See Online

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 11:30:25 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Can we believe what we see online? Maybe not so much anymore. Here are the links mentioned in today’s program: DALL·E 2 – a new AI system that can create realistic images and art from a description in natural language. How to Create Synthetic AI Art With Midjourney, Joe Fedewa, 8/9/22, How-to-Geek Github CompVis Stable Diffusion About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/1/22: Encryption Explained 2022

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 11:30:48 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We’re hearing a lot about encryption these days. Some in law enforcement think it is a bad thing. Others think it is the best way to protect personal communications and privacy. But what is encryption and why are there such different perceptions of encryption in today’s digital world? Here’s a start of an answer. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/1/22: Encryption Explained 2022 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/25/22: Electronic Fingerprinting

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 11:30:04 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Have you been digitally fingerprinted lately? If you use the web, chances are pretty good that you – or at least your computer or tablet or smart phone – have been. But what the heck is a digital fingerprint anyway and why should we care? Listen up. Here is a link to a site mentioned in today’s program. Give it a read – and a try: About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/25/22: Electronic Fingerprinting first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/18/22: Online Privacy After Roe v Wade Overturn

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 11:30:11 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We are starting to see the effects of our digital world on individual women now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade. Here are links to further investigate the issues mentioned in today’s program: These Companies Know When You’re Pregnant—And They’re Not Keeping It Secret, Gizmodo “Gizmodo identified 32 brokers selling data on 2.9 billion profiles of U.S. residents pegged as ‘actively pregnant’ or ‘shopping for maternity products.'” Google Maps Regularly Misleads People Searching for Abortion Clinics, Davey Alba and Jack Gillum, August 15, 2022, Bloomberg EXPLAINER: Online privacy in a post-Roe world, The Associated Press, August 10, 2022 In a Post-Roe World, the Future of Digital Privacy Looks Even Grimmer, Natasha Singer and Brian X. Chen, New York Times, Published July 13, 2022; Updated July 20, 2022 About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/11/22: Summer Encore 10: Neural Privacy Follow-up

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 11:30:55 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Isn’t is great to be able to think anything we want and know that what we think is safe within our own minds? Do you even wonder how long that will continue to be true? If not, you should. Here’s why. Here is a link to the report referenced in today’s program About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/4/22: Summer Encore 9: Computing & Climate Change

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 11:30:19 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Digital technology can be a wonderful thing in our daily lives. It can also be a major source of carbon emissions and, hence, global warming. Here’s why, according to the Association for Computing Machinery. Here is a link to the report quoted today About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/4/22: Summer Encore 9: Computing & Climate Change first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/28/22: Summer Encore 8- Data Brokers 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 11:29:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Many of us have heard the term “data brokers” as we traverse our digital world. But what exactly are data brokers and what do they do, and does it matter to us? It should, and research by Justin Sherman of the Duke Sherman Cyber Policy Program tells in very concerning detail exactly why. Read the whole report here About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/28/22: Summer Encore 8- Data Brokers 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/21/22: Summer Encore 7 – Our Devices Watch Us

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 11:30:53 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Hmmm. A report from Common Sense Media with a subtitle of “Watching TV That Watches Us.” Wonder what that could be about? Strangely enough, it is about exactly what it’s title says. Here’s why… Here are links to the reports mentioned in today’s program: Privacy of Streaming Apps and Devices: Watching TV That Watches Us, Common Sense Media iPhone and Android Privacy About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/14/22: Summer Encore 6- Understanding Algorithms

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 11:23:42 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Algorithms are a big part of our lives these days, though many of us may not be aware of that fact. More and more, though, regulators are attempting to make those who are using algorithms to make decisions that affect our lives in important ways – who should get a mortgage, how much should someone pay for car insurance, etc. – to explain how those algorithms work. The problem is that those who use algorithms often don’t actually know how they work. And, surprise, neither do the software engineers who designed them. What? Listen up. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/7/22: Summer Encore 5: Understanding Algorithms 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 11:33:40 +0000

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/7/22: Summer Encore 5: Understanding Algorithms 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/30/22: Cashless Toll Roads

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 11:30:57 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Heading out to hit the road for the holiday weekend? In addition to three word signs drivers never want to see, e.g., “Road Work Ahead” or “One Lane Road”, there’s another one increasingly visible these days: “No Cash Accepted.” This one deserves a bit of pondering for not only its obvious meaning but also for some its perhaps not so obvious implications for personal privacy and autonomy. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/30/22: Cashless Toll Roads first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/23/22: Summer Encore 4: Facial Recognition Technology & Maine

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 11:30:40 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There are lots of reasons to live in Maine – fresh air, beautiful surroundings, nice folks, and the best law in the country regarding limitations on government use of facial recognition technology. That last one might be a surprise, but it’s true. Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/23/22: Summer Encore 4: Facial Recognition Technology & Maine first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/16/22: Summer Encore 3 – Surveillance Advertising

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 11:30:12 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Here are the links mentioned in today’s program: Factsheet: Surveillance Advertising: What is it? Consumer Federation of America, August 26, 2021 Which? Your Consumer Champion About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/9/22: Summer Encore: Neurotechnology and Privacy

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 11:30:39 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Our thoughts are, to many people, our most private possessions. Aided by computers, they can also control things in the outside world. And, increasingly, be read and understood by AI aided computers. Let’s think about both of these phenomena for a moment or two. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/9/22: Summer Encore: Neurotechnology and Privacy first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/2/22: June 2022 Reports 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 11:33:27 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Spring is busting out all over in nature – the same seems to be true in the digital world. Today, we look at three reports that have been published within the past month by organizations that are providing some of the investigative reporting that our very financially stressed traditional media is hard pressed to provide today as often or as deeply as in the past. These other organizations are providing us with valuable information we might not otherwise have. Here are links to the reports mentioned today: The Intercept: FBI PROVIDES CHICAGO POLICE WITH FAKE ONLINE IDENTITIES FOR “SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLOITATION” TEAM AMERICAN DRAGNET: DATA-DRIVEN DEPORTATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY, Georgetown Law Center on Privacy and Technology EVALUATION OF ACTIVE DRIVING ASSISTANCE SYSTEMS, AAA online About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/2/22: June 2022 Reports 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/26/22: Roe Reversal Digital Implications

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 26 May 2022 11:31:40 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The recent leaked draft Supreme Court decision that appears set to reverse a federal Constitutional right to abortion is based in part on the fact that the word “abortion” does not appear anywhere in the Constitution. Neither does the word “privacy”. There is a serious possibility that the justifications for overturning the right to abortion could have wide-ranging unintended consequences for all of us who use digital technology in today’s increasingly digital world. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/26/22: Roe Reversal Digital Implications first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/19/22: Making Our Electric Homes Safe 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 19 May 2022 11:30:22 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Our homes are filling up with electronic devices, and that has become even more true for many in this work-from-home Covid time. While those swell “smart devices” can be very handy, they can also do a lot of things that we may not be aware of, and not to our benefit. even the Portland, Oregon office of the FBI thinks so, and they have a point. Here are some things to think about the next time you interact with your smart TV or other gee-whiz device. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/19/22: Making Our Electric Homes Safe 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/12/22: Digital Currency 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 12 May 2022 11:30:55 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell More thoughts on digital cash for the US: what might its characteristics be, why is it worth thinking about in the first place, are we likely to see such a thing any time soon, how would it be different from paper money – or would it? About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/12/22: Digital Currency 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/5/22: Digital Currency 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 05 May 2022 11:37:47 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There is a good bit of talk about digital currency these days, even to the point of replacing paper money all together and having a cashless economy. What might such a cashless economy be like, and is it something to welcome or fear? It’s probably a good idea to start thinking about that question because the topic is definitely a live one. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/5/22: Digital Currency 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/28/22: Banned Books in the Digital Age

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 11:30:39 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Over the past year or so, there have been an unprecedented number of book bannings in school and other libraries in the United States. In the digital age, though, there are options for students or anyone else who wants to get access to banned books. PEN America reports over 1500 books have been banned just in schools from July 1, 2021 until March 31, 2022. Some large libraries have responded by opening access to their digital book collections to students from across the country. See what you think. Here is a link to the full PEN America Report on “Banned in the USA” About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/28/22: Banned Books in the Digital Age first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/21/22: Deep Fakes 2022

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 11:30:17 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Machines can generate images, text, audio, and video, supposedly of or by real people, that can fool almost any of us, which means we have to be very careful about what we think we see online. Don’t believe it? Try going to whichfaceisreal.com and see how you do at choosing between images of real people and computer generated “people” who don’t exist. We bet you’ll be right about half the time. Think about what that means to us, our society, and our democracy. Other references mentioned today include: 1,000-plus AI-generated LinkedIn faces uncovered Random Face Generator (This Person Does Not Exist) AI-synthesized faces are indistinguishable from real faces and more trustworthy Jordan Peele Impersonates Obama for PSA on Fake News About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/21/22: Deep Fakes 2022 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/14/22: Cars Today & Tomorrow

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 11:30:52 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Cars have been pretty much what they have been for the last 50 or even 100 years. That is changing. Cars are such a big part of our lives that the way we interact with them will have some pretty big implications for our daily lives. Here are a few. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/14/22: Cars Today & Tomorrow first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/7/22: Password Hygiene

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 11:30:22 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Passwords on the web are a big problem both for users who have to remember them, and for web sites that have to believe them. Efforts have been underway for some time to develop a secure way to replace passwords as authenticating who someone is to web sites. How will that happen? Here are some proposals for the future but we aren’t there yet so we’d best keep taking the time to develop strong passwords to keep ourselves – and the web – safe. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/7/22: Password Hygiene first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/31/22: Two Tech Tales for Today

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 11:30:07 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Digital technology, as we all know, can be a wonderful gift – or a big problem. Here are current examples of each. Here is the link to the research paper mentioned on today’s program: About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/31/22: Two Tech Tales for Today first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/24/22: Sunshine and Government

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 11:30:15 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We recently discussed Sunshine Week here and its commitment to the public’s access to government information. That is a commitment that can exist at the top, as US Attorney General Garland’s March 2022 memo demonstrates, but doesn’t always filter down to the agencies that interact with the public, as the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s “Foilies” Awards demonstrate. Plus some indications that politicians’ outrage at surveillance by social media and tech firms doesn’t often extend to surveillance by government. Link to Attorney General Garland’s Memo on Freedom of Information Access Guidelines Link to EFF “Foilies” Awards About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/24/22: Sunshine and Government first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/17/22: Sunshine Week and More

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 11:25:34 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It’s Sunshine Week. Here’s why we need it, plus some catch-up on geofence warrants and AI algorithms being put to good use. Here is the link about the court case mentioned today About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/17/22: Sunshine Week and More first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/10/22: Understanding Algorithms 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 11:30:41 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell On past programs, we’ve discussed how important a role algorithms play in our daily lives, mostly without us knowing they even exist, let alone how they work. As attention about the existence and importance of algorithms grows, there is a rising interest in understanding how algorithms arrive at decisions that affect our everyday lives. Several government regulators in this country and abroad have indicated that people affected by algorithmic decisions should have the right to an explanation of how they work. Sounds like a pretty simple request but really isn’t. Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/10/22: Understanding Algorithms 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/3/22: Section 230

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 11:30:32 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1996 continues to be a hot potato as far as Congress – and lots of others – is concerned. But why? Why do both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden, who agree about very little, both say that the law needs to go, or at least change significantly? Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/3/22: Section 230 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/24/22: Understanding Algorithms 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 11:30:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We hear a lot about things called algorithms in today’s digital world – but what the heck are they, and why do they seem so important today? Here is a first try at starting to answer both of those very important questions. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/24/22: Understanding Algorithms 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/17/22: Data Privacy Every Day

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 11:30:00 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Data Privacy Day has come and gone but that doesn’t mean that personal data privacy is not a concern for all of us every day. Here are a few examples why that is still, and will always be, the case. Here is a link to the Guide mentioned on today’s program About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/17/22: Data Privacy Every Day first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/10/22: Weapons of Math Destruction 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 11:30:57 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The tech world changes fast but some things, though they change in velocity, remain remarkably the same in purpose. The effect of invisible algorithms on our everyday lives – algorithms that most of us know nothing about – is one good example. Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/10/22: Weapons of Math Destruction 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/3/22: Weapons of Math Destruction

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 11:30:19 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Now and again, we wander through the Electronic Cottage archives to see whether old episodes are still relevant in our fast changing tech world. Some, of course, are no longer relevant. But some sound like they could have been written yesterday. Here is one of those episodes on “Weapons of Math Destruction”, perhaps even more relevant today than back in January 2017 when it was first broadcast, since algorithms affect our everyday lives even more today. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/3/22: Weapons of Math Destruction first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/27/22: More Early 2022 Tech Developments

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 11:30:48 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell A few more tech developments from the early part of the New Year that might be of interest. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/27/22: More Early 2022 Tech Developments first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/20/22: Cryptocurrency Mining and other updates

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 11:30:16 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The pace of tech development moves in apace, even in our present Covid affected world. Here are a few items from the just a past few weeks that might have escaped wide notice. Here is a link to Brian Krebs comments about cryptocurrency mining mentioned in today’s program. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/20/22: Cryptocurrency Mining and other updates first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/13/22: Public Domain Day 2022

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 11:30:26 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Welcome to the New Year with hopes for a better 2022 than was 2021. No “Year’s 10 Best” or “Year’s 10 Worst” list on today’s program. Instead, let’s take a look at a few things in the tech January 1 was Public Domain Day for 2022. Here’s what that means and why it is worth celebrating. Here’s the link mentioned on today’s program. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/13/22: Public Domain Day 2022 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/6/22: Tech Things That May Have Escaped Notice in 2021

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 11:30:52 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Welcome to the New Year with hopes for a better 2022 than was 2021. No “Year’s 10 Best” or “Year’s 10 Worst” list on today’s program. Instead, let’s take a look at a few things in the tech world that may have escaped our notice in the tsunami of Covid, Climate Change, and other news that dominated the headlines in 2021 but deserve some of our attention nonetheless. Here is the Verizon mobile link mentioned on today’s program: About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/6/22: Tech Things That May Have Escaped Notice in 2021 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/30/21: Surveillance Advertising

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 11:30:08 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In a factsheet entitled “Surveillance Advertising: What Is It?” the Consumer Federation of America defines the term, and then lists a number of problems with Surveillance Advertising. It’s sobering reading. It also asserts that there is not a lot that individual online users can do about it on their own. In the absence of a national privacy law in the US, other suggestions for dealing with Surveillance Advertising have been offered. We’ll begin to take a look at some of them today. Here are links to the documents mentioned in today’s program: Surveillance Advertising Factsheet Value of the Choice Requirement Remedy About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/30/21: Surveillance Advertising first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/23/21: Class Action Lawsuit Against Zoom

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 11:30:03 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Perhaps you didn’t notice but there was a recent announcement about a proposed settlement of a class action lawsuit against Zoom, the videoconferencing company that a whole lot of people have been using in Covid times. What!?! Who sued Zoom – and why? Here’s the story plus how, if you used Zoom, you might be part of the lawsuit settlement. Here are the links mentioned today: Zoom Video Communications, Inc. Privacy Litigation Jitsi 5 open source alternatives to Zoom About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/23/21: Class Action Lawsuit Against Zoom first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/16/21: Brain-Computer Interfaces

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 11:30:07 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The Future of Privacy Forum, in conjunction with IBM, released a report in November 2021 entitled: “Privacy and the Connected Mind: Understanding the Data Flows and Privacy Risks of Brain-Computer Interfaces.” Although the most extreme cases – for example, reading a person’s thoughts from outside the person’s mind or body – may be a few decades away, it may be worth our while to start thinking about the issues such tech will bring up before it actually arrives. After all, the future has a way of becoming the present, often before we expect it. We’d be wise to be ready for this future whenever it arrives. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/16/21: Brain-Computer Interfaces first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/9/21: Maine Law re Facial Recognition Technology

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 11:30:20 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There are lots of reason for those of us who live in Maine to be grateful. Who would have thought that one of them is Maine law regarding facial recognition technology? It’s true! Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/9/21: Maine Law re Facial Recognition Technology first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/2/21: Some Additional Holiday Thoughts

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 11:30:04 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It’s getting to be the holiday gift-giving season so odds are pretty good that some swell new digital devices will be showing up in houses all over town. But, snazzy as they are, it is a good idea to set them up to serve our interests rather the interests of the manufacturers or app developers before we start using them. Here’s what and a start on how. This is the link mentioned on today’s program About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/2/21: Some Additional Holiday Thoughts first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/25/21: Computing, digital tech and climate change

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 11:30:13 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Does computing and digital technology have any serious impact on energy use, carbon emissions, and Climate Change? The largest society of computer professionals in the world says Yes! Here’s why. Here is the link to the paper discussed today. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/25/21: Computing, digital tech and climate change first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/18/21: Cars Today & Tomorrow

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 11:35:47 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Some folks like watching cars and find it cool. It might be considerably less cool when your car is watching you. And that is coming… About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/18/21: Cars Today & Tomorrow first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/11/21: Computerized Cars- What We Don’t Know

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 11:33:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Do you know all the things your car is doing – besides taking you from one place to another? You may be surprised. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/11/21: Computerized Cars- What We Don’t Know first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/4/21: Neural Human Rights

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 11:31:33 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Most of us assume we have a right to free speech and freedom of religion. But in an age of increasingly powerful neurotechnologies, do we have we have a right to freedom of thought, or from others knowing our thoughts? A new paper suggests we need to revise our conception of Human Rights for this coming time. Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/4/21: Neural Human Rights first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/28/21: Holiday 2021 Shopping Thoughts

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 11:31:22 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Yup, it’s not even Halloween but we’re getting suggestions that we should be doing holiday shopping early this year given Covid, supply chain kinks, etc. Scammers are loving it – an extra month to try to cheat us! Here are some suggestions to help keep us from being among the 2.2 million people last year (and probably more this year) who filed fraud complaints with the Federal Trade Commission. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/28/21: Holiday 2021 Shopping Thoughts first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/21/21: Neurotechnology & Privacy

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 Oct 2021 11:29:17 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell An article posted by Scientific American recently asked; “Do We Have a Right to Mental Privacy and Cognitive Liberty?” It’s a question we are all going to have to consider in the coming era of Brain Computer Interfaces. Here’s why. Here is a link to the proposed laws in Chile dealing with neurotechology and human rights About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/21/21: Neurotechnology & Privacy first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/14/21: Location Location Location

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 11:30:10 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Lots of folks have heard the old saying about what matters in real estate: location, location, location. A surprising number of services and sites in the digital age agree and that can have big implications on our personal privacy, identity, and safety. Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/14/21: Location Location Location first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/7/21: Our Devices Watch Us

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 11:30:17 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell “Watching TV That Watches Us” is a new report form Common Sense that once more brings to our attention that our electronic devices are doing much more than we may realize. Here is a link to that easy to use Infographic The other report mentioned on today’s program entitled: “Are iPhones Really Better for Privacy? Comparative Study of iOS and Android Apps” takes a look at what goes on with the apps that we use on our smart phones. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/7/21: Our Devices Watch Us first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/30/21: 20 Years After 9/11

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 11:30:11 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In the midst of our remembering 9-11-01 in many different ways 20 years later, a group of headlines from September, 2021 suggest that some big changes in surveillance have occurred in this country in the past 20 years, which in turn have helped to affect the way people today perceive the job the government is doing in protecting basic rights. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/30/21: 20 Years After 9/11 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/23/21: Domain Name Servers

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 11:30:10 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Have you ever wondered what actually happens when you type in words you want information on in your web browser? Wonder no more… About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/23/21: Domain Name Servers first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/16/21: Data Brokers 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 11:32:03 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Most of us who use cell phones or computers or other electronic devices assume that we are being tracked and that our personal information is being used so that advertisers can better direct their ads at us. But our personal information in this digital world is being gathered and aggregated and used in lots of different ways as a recent report from the Duke Sanford Cyber Policy Program demonstrates. We bet most people will be surprised at the extent of the information data brokers gather about us and sell to anyone with the money to buy it. In today’s edition we quote from the report but the full report is worth a read and it’s available here About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/16/21: Data Brokers 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/9/21: Unintended Consequences

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 Sep 2021 11:33:42 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Two recent events in the news illustrate how unintended consequences in technology applications can have life or death consequences for those whose personal information is captured for what initially seemed to be useful purposes. Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/9/21: Unintended Consequences first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/2/21: Summer Encore 6 – No Reasonable Person

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 11:30:16 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Do you consider yourself a “reasonable person”? If so, you may have a very different sense of what that term means than, say, lawyers like Sidney Powell – or to companies like Apple, Amazon, or Google. All of those entities are facing lawsuits and their defenses are based on the fact that “no reasonable person” would actually believe what they have said. See what you think. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/26/21: Apple Scanning Photos on User Devices

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 11:30:53 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Apple has announced that it’s next software update for iPhones and iPads will contain software that will scan photos on a user’s device before thye are uploaded to a user’s iCloud account for any images that contain Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). CSAM is a problem on today’s web and Apple’s new initiative sounds like a useful approach, and one that is more private than scanning all of a user’s photos stored in the cloud. Some are applauding Apple but over 7000 security experts and over 100 civic, human rights, and privacy organizations definitely are not. Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/19/21: Summer ’21 Encore 5- A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 11:30:02 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell On today’s Summer Encore, a remembrance of how some of the first users of the web 25 years ago envisioned what the web could be – which is a whole lot different, perhaps unfortunately, from what it has become 25 years later. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/12/21: Summer ’21 Encore 4 -Computerized Cars- What We Don’t Know

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 11:30:09 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell New cars come with lots of amazing features – including over 100 sensors and cameras and, by the way, over a hundred million lines of computer code. Here are as few things all those sensors and lines of computer code are doing, probably without the car owner’s knowledge or consent. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/5/21: Summer 2021 Encore 3- Science and Fiction

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 05 Aug 2021 11:30:48 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Arthur C. Clarke once observed that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. While that once may have been true, it probably isn’t any more. We’re so used to amazing scientific and technological innovation these days that we take the next one with a grain of salt. But, some of today’s “exploratory fiction” writers suggest that we may not want to shrug our shoulders about new technology. Instead, perhaps we ought to really think about if and how we are going to live with it. Here’s a Summer Encore to help us think about that idea. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/29/21: Summer 2021 Encore 2 – Retraction Watch

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 11:30:02 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We’ve been hearing a lot about anti-vaxers because of Covid but what we haven’t been hearing so much about is exactly why some folks are so opposed to not only Covid vaccinations but vaccinations in general. Turns out that in many cases their concern is based on a 1998 science paper that was retracted 12 years later, in 2010, after it was found to be, quite simply, wrong. And despite the journal it was published in pulling it from its archives because it was proven wrong, lots of people have no idea that paper is no longer considered scientifically correct or defensible. So how could any of us who aren’t scientists know about that? Well, we could make a stop at retractionwatch.org and find out that this paper – and a whole lot of others – have been retracted or withdrawn, often by their authors, when they have been proved incorrect. That’s the way science works. And while we are there, we could also take a look at well over a hundred papers on Covid-19 that have been retracted after being shown to be incorrect. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/22/21: Summer 2021 Encore 1 – Dark Patterns

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 11:30:56 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Seen any dark patterns lately? If you use the web, the answer is almost certainly yes. That’s why we all need to know what dark patterns are, how they work, and how we can avoid being caught in them Here are links mentioned on this edition: Dark Patterns – the website from which some of today’s program quotes from Link to the academic paper quoted today About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/15/21: Dirigo, Bits & Bytes 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 11:31:35 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The Motto on Maine’s State Flag says “Dirigo which Maine folks usually translate as “I lead.” In the case of a new law regarding the use of facial recognition tech by government, that motto is very true. And more discussion of bits and bytes and multiples thereof. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/8/21: Audacity Bits & Bytes

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 11:30:57 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell What is a bit, what is a byte, and why should we care? Good question. Here’s why… Any, by the way, for users of Audacity audio software, the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy have changed. Worth a read through – here are the links: www.audacityteam.org/about/desktop-privacy-notice/ www.audacityteam.org/terms-of-service/ About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/1/21: DNA Today 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 11:30:50 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Much of our quite amazing current technology is wonderfully positive – until is isn’t – and that includes personal DNA analysis technology. Sure it’s fun and seems harmless to spit in a tube and then be able to wow family and friends with tales of the old countries our ancestors supposedly came from. And it would be if that were the end of the story but even the Department of Defense isn’t so sure it is. Here’s why. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/1/21: DNA Today 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/17/21: June Odds & Ends 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 11:30:53 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Today, a follow-up on Britain’s National Health Service’s plan to collect medical records of every patient of every General Practitioner in the country and assemble them into one giant database for research and other purposes. That plan has been delayed – here’s why. And a look at some of the additional automation of work that has accelerated during, and will continue after, the Covid 19 pandemic. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/17/21: June Odds & Ends 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/10/21: Opt In and Opt Out

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 11:30:16 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There is a big difference between “opt-in” and “opt-out” in the digital world. Tens of millions of people in the US and in the UK are finding that out in June of 2021 whether they know it or not. In the US, owners of Amazon Echo or Amazon Ring devices are included in a new Amazon mesh network call Sidewalk, unless they take steps to “opt-out.” For those folks who do not want to be sharing their wifi and Internet connections with their neighbors, here are instructions of how to “opt-out” by turning Sidewalk off on their devices. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/10/21: Opt In and Opt Out first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/3/21: Electronic Fingerprinting

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 11:30:32 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell As folks get more and more savvy about not accepting cookies or deleting them from their browsers, the companies that try to track us for profit keep coming up with new ways to identify what we do on the web and sell that information to advertisers. Take Browser Fingerprinting, for example. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/3/21: Electronic Fingerprinting first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/27/21: Making Our Electronic Homes Safe

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 27 May 2021 11:27:40 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Cars are the second largest purchase that many Americans make. The first is our homes. We’ve called cars “computers on wheels” because they come pre-assembled with lots of digital technology. Homes usually don’t. We are the ones that bring all sorts of electronic tech into our homes, and we would be wise to make sure that tech is safe for out families to use. Here are some suggestions to make that possible. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/27/21: Making Our Electronic Homes Safe first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/20/21: May 2021 Catch Up

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 20 May 2021 11:30:38 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Today, let¹s look as some recent developments in topics we¹ve looked at in past programs including Right To Repair laws (or lack of them), Apple’s new requirement that apps give users an opportunity to choose to whether to be tracked across the web – or not, and how Smart TV manufacturers are making almost as much money selling information about users¹s viewing habits as selling users TV sets in the first place. If you¹d like to look at the Federal Trade Commission report mentioned on today’s program, click here About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/20/21: May 2021 Catch Up first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/13/21: Cars Today and Tomorrow, Part 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 13 May 2021 11:30:38 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We’ve mentioned in the past that cars are more and more becoming computers on wheels. Here’s another way that will be happening in the near future – Driver Monitoring Systems. A proposed bill in Congress would make such systems mandatory on all cars made in the US from 2027 on. What are these systems (already being used by long haul trucking companies and now by Amazon delivery vehicles), how do they work, and what might they mean for our personal privacy when we are driving in our own cars? Good questions. For an explanation of what these systems are and how they work: What Is a Driver Monitoring System? What Are the Levels of Automated Driving? For a very instructive – and perhaps disquieting – video on how Amazon’s version of this tech works: Amazon Netradyne Driver Information About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/13/21: Cars Today and Tomorrow, Part 2 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/6/21: Cars Today and Tomorrow, Part 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 06 May 2021 11:30:23 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Lately, we’ve been seeing car makers stopping or slowing down production lines because of a lack of critical components – computer chips! As auto technology changes, there are lot of new issues that need to be addressed and sorted out: for example, what happens when gas tax revenue disappears because virtually all cars are electric? This is only one of many big questions facing us as our cars become more and more “computers on wheels.” About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/6/21: Cars Today and Tomorrow, Part 1 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/29/21

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 11:30:18 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It’s been in the news recently that one of Mr. Trump’s lawyers, Sidney Powell, has been sued by Dominion Voting Machines for defamation based on her claims that Dominion programmed their voting machines to generate more votes for Mr. Biden and less for Mr. Trump. Her defense? “No reasonable person” would believe that her claims were actually facts. Strangely enough, Apple tried to use a similar claim to get a suit thrown out of court when a customer sued because he believed he was buying songs on iTunes and he later found out that Apple had the right to remove those songs he purchased and thought he had bought. The judge wasn’t buying Apple’s argument, and would not grant a dismissal of the suit. Several suits are in court now against Apple and Amazon that center on just what is a person purchasing when they “buy” a song or movie or book in digital format. Good question. The answer at present is not very pretty. About the host: Jim Campbell has a longstanding interest in the intersection of digital technology, law, and public policy and how they affect our daily lives in our increasingly digital world. He has banged around non-commercial radio for decades and, in the little known facts department (that should probably stay that way), he was one of the readers voicing Richard Nixon’s words when NPR broadcast the entire transcript of the Watergate tapes. Like several other current WERU volunteers, he was at the station’s sign-on party on May 1, 1988 and has been a volunteer ever since doing an early stint as a Morning Maine host, and later producing WERU program series including Northern Lights, Conversations on Science and Society, Sound Portrait of the Artist, Selections from the Camden Conference, others that will probably come to him after this is is posted, and, of course, Notes from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/29/21 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/22/21: Looking Outside our Filter Bubbles

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 11:38:18 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In previous programs, we’ve looked at some ways to evaluate information we find on the web. But sometimes a bigger challenge is to find information on the web that helps to get us out of our “filter bubbles” so we can see how others view the same events we are looking at but in different ways. Here are a couple of resources on the web that can help us do that.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/22/21: Looking Outside our Filter Bubbles first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/15/21: Retraction Watch and Filter Bubble

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 11:30:04 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Previously, we looked at the CRAAP test, a way to evaluate how credible we find information on the web to be. But what about scientific information as it appears in original journal articles. Many scientific articles are difficult for lay people to understand. Even with peer review, scientific articles can go out of date or later prove to be inaccurate. How can we know if scientific articles are still accurate? Retraction Watch can help. But even with the CRAAP test and Retraction Watch, we still have another information problem on the web, “filter bubbles.” Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/15/21: Retraction Watch and Filter Bubble first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/8/21: CRAAP Test 2021

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 11:31:03 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell A big question for all of us who use the Web is: how can I know whether the information I see there is reliable? One way to to subject information we find on the web to the CRAAP test to separate the crap from the good stuff. Here’s how.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/8/21: CRAAP Test 2021 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/1/21: Tools For Today’s World 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 11:30:44 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Here are the cool links mentioned in today’s program: “The Longest Time” song For Digital Shred: sites.psu.edu/digitalshred/ Privacy Grade to rate Android apps for privacy Ratings of Terms of Service most people didn’t read

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/25/21: Recent Privacy Initiatives 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 11:30:24 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Third party cookies on the web have long been the bane of those concerned about personal privacy online. Now Google, through its Chrome browser, is proposing to finally block third party cookies ((Firefox and Safari began doing that a while back) and to replace them with something Google Calls FLoC. Huh? First what are first and third parties cookies and why is FLoC supposedly an improvement? Or is it? Here is the link to the article mentioned in today’s episode.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/18/21: Recent Privacy Initiatives

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 11:30:08 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Privacy and control of our personal information on the web is a hot topic these days, and recent initiatives hold out the hope of returning more control over our personal information to users. Who is leading the charge on this topic now? The federal government? Not a chance. State governments? A few. Internet giants like Apple and Google? You got it! In this first of a short series on the subject, we’ll look at how Apple is requiring users to affirmatively choose to be tracked across the web. If users say no, that’s it. Not surprisingly, some companies (can you say “Facebook”) are not too happy about this change. Here’s what’s happening. By the way, as mentioned in today¹s show, if you would like to change your Domain Name Server (DNS) to one that does not track you, here’s how

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/11/21: Domain Name Servers

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 11:30:57 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/4/21: Section 230

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 11:30:03 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It’s difficult to find many things that Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump agree on, especially when it comes to policy. But they both agree that Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1996 has to go. Why? Not for the same reasons, that’s for sure. Here’s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/25/21: Free to Use – Web

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 11:30:31 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell As limits on where we can safely go and what we can safely do remain in place, some folks are getting creative – making little videos, composing new music, creating new images. The good news is that even though the great majority of material on the web is copyrighted, there still is a huge amount of material that we can freely use as parts of our own original creations. Here are some tips on how to find materials we can use legally adn creatively.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/18/21: Living a COVID Digital Life

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 11:30:20 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Technology has been a huge boon to many people during this Covid time, at least to those who have access to computers and high speed online connectivity. One big question as we all hope that a return to some sort of normal isn’t too far away is how many of the technologies that have become commonplace during the pandemic will remain as key parts of the online experience once the pandemic subsides – it will probably never disappear completely. Here a few ponderings on that subject.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/11/21: Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 11:32:44 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Think today’s Internet and Web, what many refer to as Cyberspace, has turned out to be what early netizens envisioned? Turns out that 2021 is the 25th Anniversary of a document that hoped to address what Cyberspace would become. It is called “A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace.” Let’s take a listen and see what you think.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/4/21: Geofencing

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 11:30:23 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Many folks feel a bit fenced in by Covid these days, and that is a very understandable feeling. We know all about that type of being fenced in. We may not know quite as much about being geofenced in – in fact, we may have never heard the term. But if a person has a cell phone, there’s a very good chance that person has been geofenced – probably more than once – and never knew anything about it. So just what the heck is geofencing and why should anyone care? Listen up.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/28/21: Net Neutrality

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 11:31:32 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We are going to be hearing a good bit in coming weeks and months about regulating Internet giants of one sort or another. So we will be in a little better position to figure out what politicians and assorted special interests are talking about that will, of course, affect all of us who use the Internet, let’s begin to look at some key terms in US communication law. Today, we’ll start with Net Neutrality, jettisoned during the Trump administration but quite possibly being resurrected during the current one.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/21/21: Government & Media Regulation

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 11:30:16 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Today, let’s continue our exploration of what power our government has, or doesn’t have, to regulate media companies of one sort or another, online or otherwise, when it comes to speech or information.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/14/21: Big Tech & First Amendment

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 11:30:59 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In the wake of what many are calling an insurrection in our nation’s Capital (and Capitol), Twitter, Google and other big tech companies removed the accounts of Donald Trump and others for, in the judgement of the tech companies, fomenting violence. Can they do that? Doesn’t that violate the right to free speech under the First Amendment? There is a lot of confusion about that and about what the law is and is not when it comes to free speech on the web. Let’s start at the beginning and sort things out because we are going to be hearing a lot about proposed laws in the next little while that will affect what we all can – and cannot – say online. Here’s chapter 1.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/7/21: New Year’s Digital Tune Up 3

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 11:30:36 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell New Year, time to sweep out the old – or, when we are talking about or computers, time to be sure we are preserving the old we want to keep, and updating the rest! Here are three very basis questions we can all ask ourselves as we start the New Year. They may seem very basic, and that’s because they are but polls indicate that well over half of personal computer users in this country don’t ask these questions, let alone try to answer them. Just in case, here they are.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/31/20: New Year’s Digital Tune Up 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 11:34:47 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell As the year turns, we are all focused on Covid and vaccines, and that is perfectly understandable. Still, once vaccines are distributed and the pandemic is under control, we will still be living in a digital world in which, we would suggest, those who have at least a basic understanding of science and technology will be a lot better off than those who don’t both for themselves personally and for society in general. Let’s think about that for a moment with the help of Stephen Hawking and Isaac Asimov.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/24/20: Holiday Gift Settings

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 24 Dec 2020 11:30:37 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Many folks may find a swell new personal digital device gifted to them in this holiday season. The first reaction for many people is to start using the device right away. Don’t! Instead, check and adjust the Settings on the device first to make sure that new gift works the way YOU want it to work, not just the way the manufacturer wants it to work.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/17/20: December Update 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 11:30:43 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Difficult as it may be to get into stores these days, it’s still the holiday season and lot of folks are buying “smart” appliances. As we’ve mentioned on past programs, these devices are called “smart” for a reason, a point made by one of the regional offices of the FBI. Those agents offered some very good advice for any time of year but especially in the gift-giving season. The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, is trying to offer some swell advice as well about having your face scanned if you want to take a plane out of the country. That idea deserves a stocking full of coal. Here’s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/10/20: COVID-19 Tracking Again

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 10 Dec 2020 11:30:06 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Who wants to be talking about Covid-19 tracking in the holiday season? Probably no one. However, given the world we are in, it’s not a bad idea and think about one of the most important tools for stopping the spread of the virus – contact tracing. Technology was supposed to help make that cumbersome task easier but that will only happen if people choose to use it. So far they haven’t.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/3/20: Holiday Shopping & Phishing

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 11:36:35 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Despite all that is going on in the world, it’s still the holiday season and that means lots of folks are shopping, and increasingly shopping online, and that means an increase in email phishing attempts. Here are a few thoughts on how to falling prey to phishing attacks to help avoid the world of hurt those who succumb to those attacks can find themselves in.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/26/20: Holiday Shopping & COVID tracking

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 11:30:26 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It’s holiday shopping season again – and, it’s still Covid-19 safety season. One thing they have in common is remembering personal privacy while buying digital doodads, and/or loading Covid-19 apps on a smart phone. Here’s why. Here are the URLs to web sites mentioned today: Mozilla: Privacy not Included. Be Smart. Shop Safe. The Pandemic App Ecosystem: Investigating 493 Covid-Related iOS Apps across 98 Countries

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/19/20: Free Speech in the Digital Age 4

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 11:30:33 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Zoom has announced that it will remove the 40 minute limit on free Zoom use for Thanksgiving day so that folks can celebrate with family and friends safely in this pandemic time. Pretty cool! Some other recent actions by Zoom and Facebook and Google, however, aren’t cool at all. Here’s why, and the huge questions those actions raise in our increasingly online lives.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/12/20: Tech Ballot Initiatives

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 11:30:19 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell While everyone was paying attention to our nail-biter presidential race in the 2020 election, it was easy to overlook several ballot initiatives that were also voted on around the country which affect consumer rights in the digital world. The results were very positive for consumers, as voters approved key initiatives in three states by majorities that would make any politician drool.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/5/20: Free Speech Online 3

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 11:28:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Perhaps you heard about or maybe even listened in to the Senate Commerce Committee’s hearing on Oct. 28, 2020 with the heads of Google, Facebook, and Twitter. If so, do you have a clear idea what the hearing was about, or what Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is, or why some Congress people want to change it, or what proposed changes would mean for the Internet giants and the regular folks who use those services? If not, here is an attempt to answer those questions.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/29/20: Free Speech Online 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 11:30:59 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Many folks think that there should be some way to control some of the “noxious doctrine” – a term coined in 1927 by Justice Louis Brandeis – that is circulating online. The big question is who should decide what gets transmitted and what doesn’t in the digirtal age when we have a First Amendment in this country that protects free speech. It’s a big question. Let’s start to think about it.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/22/20: Free Speech Week 2020

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 11:30:42 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It’s Free Speech Week in the US this week, which brings up an important question: what does Free Speech actually mean in the digital age? Is our traditional idea that the answer to bad speech is more speech still relevant? Today, we’ll look at our First Amendment context for Free Speech. In following programs, we’ll look at different responses to this question in the digital age. Links to sites mentioned in today’s program: Free Speech Week Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books, 2010-2019 First Amendment Museum – Free Speech Week

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/15/20: Ring Doorbells and Police

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 11:30:05 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Been recorded on a video camera lately? If you don’t think so, you might be wise to not be so sure. If you’ve walked down a street lately, there is a reasonable chance that someone’s doorbell was watching you pass by and recording your movements as long as you were within the doorbell camera’s field of vision. Think that is a great idea here in the land of the free? Quite a few police departments, well over 400 across the country, seem to think it’s such a good idea that in many cases they are using taxpayer dollars to help pay for these “Ring” video doorbells. And, by the way, Ring is owned by Amazon. Oh yeah, and the police can “request” video recorded by homeowners’ cameras without a warrant. Good idea? See what you think.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/8/20: Science and Fiction

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 11:30:28 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The great science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke once observed that “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” While that may have been true in days gone by, it doesn’t seem so true to day. Science fiction movies like “Minority Report” from 2002, TV series like “The Last Enemy” from 2008, and novels like the 2020 “Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution” deal with futures that are filled with technology but that technology is not of the “Gee-Whiz” type of the old Flash Gordon movies, or even of the Star Wars movies. All of the tech in these more recent stories is technology that is more developed than today’s, to be sure, but that is nonetheless entirely recognizable for those of us alive today. The question is how will these not-so-far-in-the-future technologies affect our daily lives and those of our grandchildren. Fiction may have something to tell us about science.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/1/20: Tech and Government 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 11:30:25 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In our digital age, large tech companies wield a lot of power. So, of course, does the government. The relation between those two large parts of our everyday lives can be confusing and even downright murky. Let’s consider those relationships for a bit.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/24/20: DNA Today 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 11:30:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Having one’s DNA analyzed to see where one’s ancestors may have come from can be fun and maybe even informative. But there are other potential results to ponder before splitting into that tube. At least, that is the opinion of the Department of Defense, and it might be worth giving a listen to what the DOD has to say about this technology before sending a DNA sample off. See what you think.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/17/20: Some Surprises & an Unsurprise

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 11:30:26 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell A few tech topics for today. First, what was the biggest selling physical format of music was in the first half of 2020? Second. what did IBM tell the US Department of Commerce about the export of facial recognition technology software? Third, why did a group of German researchers entitle a recent paper examining smart watches for children STALK? Curious? Listen up.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/10/20: CBP & License Plate Readers

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 11:33:35 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Maine is the only state that borders only one other state, which means that we have very long national borders with the ocean and with Canada. That, in turn, means that most, if not all of Maine, is within 100 miles of a US national border, and that fact gives the Customs and Border Protection Agency the ability to do a lot of things in the name of border protection that would not happen beyond that 100 mile border. One of those things is the ability to use license plate reader technology on any car on Maine roads without any warrant or warning. CBP’s recent “Privacy Impact Assessment for the CBP License Plate Reader Technology” describes the risks to our personal privacy of that program. The link is here It’s worth reading. Here’s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/3/20: Computerized Cars- What We Don’t Know

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 03 Sep 2020 11:30:55 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Many of us that drive daily have little idea of what our cars are doing. We don’t mean how the engine or transmission works: we mean how all the information about how we drive and where we drive that is being collected, some of which is being sent through a cellular connection that we don’t even know exists to companies that we similarly don’t know exist for purposes that we don’t know anything about and haven’t agreed to, at least consciously. Might be worthwhile to know a bit more about the data that is being collected about our driving without our knowledge and monetized by others, so lend an ear here.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/27/20: August 2020 Catch Up

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 11:30:13 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell A couple of recent developments remind us it’s time to update subjects we’ve looked at in the past: “dynamic pricing” that lets online vendors offer different prices for the same item to different people based on the highest price the vendor thinks a person will pay, and the always important topic of secure passwords. Here are the links to sites we mentioned today: Diceware on wikipedia Dicekeys

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/20/20: Dark Patterns on the Web

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 11:30:25 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Seen any digital dark patterns lately? If you buy anything on the web, or subscribe to anything, or sign up for free samples of this or that, chances are pretty good that you have although you may not have noticed them. That’s the way they are designed, and not with your good in mind. Here’s how they work and why to avoid them. Links mentioned in today’s program: What Are Dark Patterns? Link to the paper quoted today

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/13/20: Electronic Cottage in Washington?

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 11:30:38 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We doubt that politicians and officials in Washington actually listen the Electronic Cottage but we are very happy to see that issues that we’ve featured on the program over the past few months – for example, smart phones disgorging a person’s location data; facial recognition technology – seem to be getting increased attention in parts of the nation’s capital. Listen for some examples. Here are some of the links mentioned in today’s program: Limiting Location Data Exposure NIST Study Evaluates Effects of Race, Age, Sex on Face Recognition Software NIST Launches Studies into Masks’ Effect on Face Recognition Software

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/6/20: Summer Redux 2- HARPA

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 11:30:03 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Here’s another edition from the Electronic Cottage archives that might be worth another listen, this one from September of 2019. What do you think might be a good way to address the problem of mass shootings in this country? Some folks might say making it more difficult to get automatic weapons. Others might say it isn’t guns that are the problem, it’s the people firing them – they must have mental health problems. Folks who think along those lines have proposed a new federal agency to be names HARPA which would use all sorts of monitoring technology to supposedly identify people with mental illness who might have a tendency to violence so they can be stopped before the next mass murder. Makes perfect sense to some people, including some in Washington. But, as you might imagine, there are a few problems…

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/30/20 Summer 2020 Redux 1: Deep Fakes

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 11:30:29 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It’s time for some summer reruns. This one is, unfortunately, even more relevant today with a big election coming up than it was when it was first broadcast. Deep Fakes, anyone?

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/23/20: Ventilators, Facial Recognition

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 11:30:03 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is a lot going on in the digital world that doesn’t always make it through the headlines about the very real-life drama we are all living through. Here are two very vital topics that we all should be aware of because they are making a big difference today and potentially a bigger difference tomorrow. Give a listen.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/16/20: Living a Covid Digital Life

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 11:30:55 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We’re all trying to adapt to living safely with Covid-19, and that includes all sorts of industries. One way to see how different businesses and industries are adapting is to take a look at publications aimed at folks in those business sectors. Today let’s look at some articles from some of those specialty publications to see how technology is affecting them, and through them, all of us.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/9/20: Facial Recognition Update and Broadband Expansion

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 11:30:11 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Two different but very important topics today: one, recommendations on suspending the use of facial recognition software from the largest association of computing professionals in the world, and a reminder that there is a very important question on the ballot in Maine’s upcoming election about the expansion of hi-speed Internet access in the state.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/2/20: July 2020 Potpourri

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 11:30:14 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Had your fill of Covid-19 news, at least for the moment? How about if today we look at a few things in the digital world that may not have made the headlines recently but are still pretty interesting – from new exoskeletons help workers lifting heavy loads to hacking new refrigerators so that a 13 buck water filter can be used instead of the manufacturer’s 50 buck variety. Give a listen.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/25/20: June Catch Up

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 11:30:13 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell On a recent edition of the Electronic Cottage, we mentioned that those who wished to exercise their rights to petition the government for redress of grievances might be wise to consider dressing pretty blandly if they value anonymity. This recent story from a protest in Philadelphia offers a very good illustration of why that might be a wise fashion choice.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/18/20: June Catch Up and Covid-19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 11:30:57 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Covid-19 and George Floyd protests are, of course, taking up most of the headlines these days, and rightly so, but there are other things going on in the digital world as well. Here are a few, including a couple of “are you kidding!?!” items.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/11/20: Demonstrations and Tech 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 11:30:00 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Demonstrators are taking to the streets in the wake of George Floyd’s death across the country, and, with variations to suit their local situations, across the world. While tech like cell phones and social media can help to organize those events, and while cameras on smart phones can help record what happens at them, there is another side to tech, as there often is. Authorities are using cell phone tracing tech, facial recognition, and other tech tools to identify protestors, to populate databases, occasionally, even to follow them home or call them at home later. Thus, people who wish to exercise their Constitutional rights without opening themselves up to unconstitutional wrongs should make some key choices before they hit the streets. Below are some sites that, along with today’s program, can help people prepare if they wish to demonstrate anonymously in today’s digital world. Surveillance Self-Defense Vox: The police want your phone data. Here’s what they can get — and what they can’t Gizmodo: Your Phone Is a Goldmine of Hidden Data for Cops. Here’s How to Fight Back India Times: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey says download Signal as US protests gain steam Tom’s Guide: Signal is adding automatic face blurring to help protesters Consumer Reports: How to Protect Phone Privacy and Security During a Protest Wired: How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/4/20: AI and Robotics on Their Way

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 11:30:32 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It’s no surprise to anyone that Artificial Intelligence and Robotics are having a big influence on our lives to day, and probably moreso tomorrow. But what kind of impact? That is a very big question. Here’s one version of an answer from a few years ago that sounds very much like today.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/28/20: COVID-19 Tools 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 May 2020 11:30:51 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There has been a lot of interest in creating smart phone apps that would aid in Covid-19 transmission tracking. How would they work? There is widespread agreement of what such an app should be able to do, but how they would do that is not so clear. Here’s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/21/20: COVID-19 Tools 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 May 2020 11:30:31 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell While we’re trying to keep ourselves to ourselves as much as we can, here’s a little thought experiment. Suppose we were charged with coming up with some tech-based tools to try to reduce the spread of Covid-19. How might we think about doing that? Here’s one approach…

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/14/20: COVID-19 and AI

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 May 2020 11:30:37 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In our Covid-19 times, it’s interesting to see who is getting arrested in various places around the country for violating social distancing rules – and who is not. The differences point to some serious problems with AI predictive policing software programs that are increasingly being used by police departments around the country, and offer us an opportunity to think about the Covid-19 tracking tech programs that are beginning to come online and what they man mean for us and our neighbors.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/7/20: COVID-19 and The Census

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 May 2020 11:30:59 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There are two very big things going on in our world right now: the Covid-19 pandemic and the US Census count. What might those two things have in common? The answer is the importance of trust on the part of those involved – trust that electronic efforts to track the spread of the disease will not compromise people’s privacy, and trust that the Census can generate information of great importance for the country as a whole without revealing sensitive data about individuals in the process. Here’s why there can be a problem and why that problem makes lots of people nervous.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/30/20: COVID-19 and Digital Life 5

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 11:30:44 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell One of the good things about the Web is the access to information it offers to those with Internet connectivity, which is, unfortunately, not all of us. One of the bad things about the Web is the access to bad information it also makes available. When it comes to Covid-19 information, our lives depend on accurate information. Here are some web sites where we can find it. Federation of American Scientists World Association of Medical Editors macintouch.com/coronavirus/ Covid-19 Date Resource Center Centers for Disease Control Maine CDC

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/23/20: COVID-19 and Digital Life 4

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 11:30:08 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Covid-19 is on everyone’s mind these days, as it should be. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other things happening in the digital world. Before we get back to Covid-19 digital tracking tech, let’s take a quick look at some other headlines that may have gotten missed as we all concentrate on the pandemic

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/16/20: COVID-19 and Digital Life 3

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 11:30:12 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Though we are still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, folks are already wondering what the world night be like when we get “back to normal”. Odds are pretty good that there will be some differences in the role of digital technology in our everyday lives. Here are a couple of possibilities.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/9/20: COVID-19 and Digital Life

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 11:35:59 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Most of us are sheltering at home these days. For those with high speed Internet access, there are lots of opportunities to make that sheltering at home experience a bit more bearable. Unfortunately, that is far from everyone in Maine. Here are links to some of the items discussed on today’s program. Here is some information about the Maine High Speed Infrastructure Bond Issue Here are some links with info about free streaming options during the pandemic: Here are some things that Zoom meeting convenors can do to keep their online meetings safer:

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/2/20: COVID 19 Effects

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 11:30:51 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell By now, everyone has probably heard a phrase like “COVID-19 changes everything” and that is true for all of us in our day to day lives, including, for many, a more intense online life. Here are some things for us all to think about in these days of more intense online living.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/26/20: Digital Hygiene

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 11:27:56 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In these days of the covid-19 virus, we are all hopefully practicing effective hygiene and following the advice of scientists so we can, as a community and country, get through this time minimizing damage as much as possible. Unfortunately, events that stir up our fears bring out all sorts of online low-lifes and trolls so practicing digital hygiene becomes even more important in scary times such as these. Here are some good digital hygiene hints. And, by the way, the Digital Assistant that many people have in their homes can be a lot less clever about recognizing its “wake up” words than we might think, with not-so-good results. Check out Digital Trends: These Words Can Accidentally Activate a Smart Assistant

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/19/20: Magical Thinking and Tech

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 11:30:08 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Technology is a powerful part of our everyday lives but, although it sometimes seems so, technology isn’t magic. That is something that some of our politicians and government leaders don’t always seem to understand. Two recent examples of that lack of understanding can have real consequences for our everyday lives.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/12/20: Have you been geofenced?

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 11:30:35 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Have you been geofenced? Not sure? Not even sure what the word means? Here are some descriptions.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/5/20: Free to Use – Web

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 11:30:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The Smithsonian just released 2.8 million 2D and 3D images on the web under a CC0 license. What the heck is that, and why should we all be cheering? Here’s why…

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/27/20: Fair Use – Fair Dealing Week 2020

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 11:30:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Most of us know that there is a system of copyright protection on original creative works but not all of us know part of our copyright law includes Fair Use. Fair Use/Fair Dealing Week, which is going on right now, is a good time to recall what Fair Use is and how all of us can make use of it as we create new works. The web sites mentioned in today’s program are: www.fairuseweek.org web.law.duke.edu/cspd/comics/

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/20/20: AI Today & Tomorrow

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 11:30:07 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The McKinsey consulting firm predicts that by 2030, fully a third of American workers will have lost a job due to Artificial Intelligence and automation. What kind of effects will that enormous change have on our society? And, just as importantly, why aren’t our political leaders and candidates running for office talking about how we should prepare for such a huge change? That change is not only ten years away – AI is having a serious impact on our lives today. Let’s start to think about AI and how this burgeoning technology affects our lives today, and will, to an even greater extent, tomorrow

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/13/20: Safer Internet Day 2020

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 11:26:34 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In case you missed celebrating Safer Internet Day on Feb. 11, 2020, here are a few belated suggestions for making use of the Internet safer for us personally. The suggestions are “oldies,” true, but they are still “goodies.”

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/6/20: AI and Human Bias

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 11:30:24 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We hear a lot about Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning these days and the wondrous efficiency that they are bringing to so many tasks that once only humans could perform. But they’re also bringing biases as well because the machines were created by humans. Many people, including those in courthouses as well as in factories, imagine that machines are objective but they aren’t always. The fact that once machines begin learning on their own, even those who created them don’t know how they are doing what they are doing. That can be a big problem for folks who are trying to get a loan, buy insurance, apply for a job, or even apply for bail. Here’s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/30/20: Headlines We’ve Seen Recently, Part 2

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 11:30:29 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We had so much fun on a recent program reading some of the headlines we come across as we gather information to share on the Electronic Cottage that we decided to do it again – for the last time, promise!

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/23/20: Headlines We’ve Seen Recently

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 11:30:53 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Folks sometimes ask where we get the information that we feature on the Electronic Cottage. Just for fun, here is a small example of headlines from articles we have consulted in the past 30 days. Enjoy! (if you can).

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/16/20: Ring Doorbells & Police

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 11:30:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Thinking of getting one of those spiffy new Ring doorbells with a camera on it that let’s you see who is at your door? If so, police departments across the country are applauding your purchase. Depending on where you live, the town might even help you pay for the Ring doorbell. Here’s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/9/20: DNA Today

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 11:30:37 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Oddly enough, the day after a recent Electronic Cottage broadcast looking at commercial DNA scanning providers, the Department of Defense sent out a Memorandum advising military personnel not to purchase or use these direct-to-consumer DNA testing kits. Undoubtedly a coincidence, but the concerns about the implications of how such genomic information can be used are definitely shared. Here’s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/2/20: Holiday Digital Device Check

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 11:30:07 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell As the holidays wane, and folks begin to try out those swell new digital devices they found under in their presents pile, it’s a good time to recall that default device settings are designed for the manufacturer’s purposes, not the user’s. This would be a good time to adjust those settings so that they make the device work the way you want it to.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/26/19: DNA Uses 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 26 Dec 2019 11:30:05 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell DNA is the most personal of personal information. Among other things, commercial scanning serves claim that a sample of one¹s DNA can provide information about where our ancestors came from. This has motivated many people to spit into a tube or swab the inside of their cheeks and send off a sample to Ancestry or 23andMe or other commercial companies. But the implications of sharing one¹s DNA go far beyond the individual. Within a short time, the samples submitted buy just two million people could enable the identification of 95% of people n the US of European descent even if they never chose to submit a sample of their own DNA. Here¹s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/19/19: Holiday Idea – Read Licenses

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 11:30:26 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell First off, Happy Holidays, whichever ones you celebrate. As part of the holidays, over the next week or so, lots of new digital gizmos will be opened in houses across the land. To use most of them, the new user will have to click to agree to a license before the device can be used. Ever read one of those licenses from top to bottom? Might be – no, absolutely would be – a very good idea. But in case you don’t choose to, cartoonist Stephen Pastis depicted one in cartoon form that isn’t too far from the truth. Enjoy (well…).

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/12/19: Smart Gadgets & Facial Recognition

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 11:33:13 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell A lot of new “smart” electronic gadgets will be entering our homes this holiday season, including smart TVs. The FBI has offered a set of suggestions about how to secure those new smart TVs – great ideas from a federal agency. A not so great idea from a different federal agency, the Department of Homeland Security, is to once again require Americans who want to fly abroad to submit to facial recognition scanning despite a previous DHS promise that Americans would not be included in the Biometric Exit program. Here’s an update on both topics.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/5/19: AI Thoughts We Aren’t Hearing

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 11:30:22 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Criticism of the effects of big digital technology outfits in our everyday lives is not new. What is new is criticism coming from people who have helped to create those tech giants and the technology that is, and will continue to, change our everyday world in ways that will significantly disrupt the way we make our livings and interact with one another. Two tech insiders, both venture capitalists, have recently raised their voices to say they are really worried about what they have helped to create. Here’s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/28/19: Google and Facebook Alternatives

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 Nov 2019 11:30:58 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The online holiday shopping season is upon us once again, and that means being a little extra careful in what we do online to avoid the very unpleasant consequences of identity theft and, maybe, to even think about using some alternatives to big online services like Google or Facebook. For a couple of alternative possibilities to maybe explore, take a look at: WT.Social Restore Privacy – Google Alternatives No More Google

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/21/19: Under a Watchful Eye

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 Nov 2019 11:30:51 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Drones and Satellites have the ability to watch us from above, no matter how high a fence we may try to put around our property. What can, or can’t we do about them? It’s not at all clear, another case of the development of technology outpacing the development of law. The only relevant case law that says how much airspace we own above our property is from 1946. Here’s a link to that case Give a listen for a start to pondering some of the questions that arise when we are all “Under a Watchful Eye.”

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/14/19: Technology Has No Hippocratic Oath

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 11:30:50 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The USA Freedom Act is up for renewal. The NSA wants it renewed forever but won’t supply any information about whether it has had any effect or why it is needed. For a useful overview of the situation, go to www.theregister.co.uk/2019/11/06/nsa_spy_programs/

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/7/19: Bits & Bytes

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 Nov 2019 11:30:45 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Still in our back to basics frame, here’s way back to basics – bits and bytes. No matter how fancy a computer or smart phone or anything else electronic, at bottom it’s all bits and bytes.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/31/19: URL Shorteners & Terms of Service

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 31 Oct 2019 11:30:21 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There are some pretty convenient services available on the web, URL shorteners for example, or Google Drive. They are wonderful helps for certain purposes but, as with anything on the web, it’s a good idea to be familiar with how they work and how to make them work better for you. Here are some thoughts about both of those services.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/24/19: Compressed Sound Revisited

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 24 Oct 2019 11:37:03 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Ever wonder how the audio files on your smart phone or mp3 player or computer get to be mp3 format files, which are less than 10% as large as the original music or voice files when they were recorded? If you have, here’s the answer. Listen up.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/17/19: Compress Graphics Revisit

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 17 Oct 2019 11:30:57 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Going back to the basics is never a bad idea so in this edition, let’s revisit how graphics compression works in the digital world.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/10/19: Voting Security- Again

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 10 Oct 2019 11:30:48 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell How are you feeling about the upcoming 2020 election? No matter what your favorite party or favorite candidate – or level of disgust – one thing none of us should feel real good about is the state of our election technology as we approach this very important election. Here’s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/3/19: AI-Good & Bad

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 11:30:43 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Technology can make our lives much easier and convenient in many ways. And, sometimes, the opposite can be true. Today, let’s think about a few current and developing technologies that can offer some terrific advances and/or some terrific problems.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/26/19: Private Company Tracking

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 11:30:32 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The University of Alabama has created an app that tracks student attendance at football games to help prevent students from leaving the game early when Alabama is pummeling their opponents. And there is a vigorous private marketplace for companies collecting license plates scans from cars as they drive around on their driver’s daily business. What to these two things have in common? Location, location, location.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/19/19: Deepfakes

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 11:30:36 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Have you heard of Deepfakes? If not, you will, and probably fairly soon. Here’s why.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/12/19: HARPA

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 12 Sep 2019 11:30:34 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Many folks have heard of DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, but how about HARPA? The “H” in HARPA stands for “Health” and proponents of this proposed new agency think they have come up with a way to reduce or eliminate mass shootings in the US. We’re not so sure. See what you think.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/5/19: School Data Update & Dark Patterns

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 11:30:05 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell On the Electronic Cottage, we have recently noted the upsurge in student surveillance and data collection going on in many schools. These huge troves of data offer very attractive attacks for hackers of all types, including, as it turns out, a 16 year old curious about the software his school and thousands of others use. What he found and the ease with which he found it is very disturbing. Also very disturbing is the prevalence of Dark Patterns on shopping and other web sites. A group of Princeton researchers recently analyzed the 11,000 biggest shopping sites on the web looking for Dark Patterns that are meant to cajole or deceive us into making purchases we might otherwise not make, or offering personal information we might not otherwise share online. They found thousands of these Dark Patterns, and the odds are pretty good we have all come across them without knowing it.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/29/19: School Surveillance Reactions

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 11:30:39 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We’re mentioned on past programs that many schools, and the commercial companies that they work with, are collecting and, in some cases, selling unprecedented amounts of personal information about students which students and parents often know nothing about. Now there are beginning to be reactions to this collection and distribution of data. Here are a couple of important ones.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/22/19: Tech in Schools 1

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 11:40:38 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Well, school is starting again in a week of so which means it might not be a bad idea to think about some of the tech that is being used in many schools across the country. The aims of these school technologies are lofty: their applications maybe not so lofty. In any event, parents should know what tech is being used by and on their children. Here are some of them.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/15/19: URL Shorteners & Terms of Service

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 11:30:24 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Two topics today: One: how can you be sure that those shortened URL addresses you are often pointed to actually take you where you think they will take you? Here are three services that check on those shortened addresses for you so you don’t wind up someplace on the web you really wouldn’t want to go: safeweb.norton.com, www.urlvoid.com, scanurl.net. Two: we all click “Yes” or “Agree” when we come upon things like “Terms of Service” that we have to accept is we want to use things such as Google Drive. Unfortunately, many of us don’t bother to read them. Sometimes, it is a good idea. Here’s one example.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/8/19: August 2019 Catch-Up

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 11:20:18 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Here are a few things worth pondering in the summer heat – one may be familiar, the others not so much.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/8/19: August 2019 Catch-Up first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/1/19: Summer Encore- Tech and Life Sciences

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 11:30:55 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Here’s an encore presentation of a few items in the tech world that we all might want to know about – and think hard about.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/1/19: Summer Encore- Tech and Life Sciences first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/25/19: School Surveillance 2019

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 11:30:59 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In many schools in this country, students are surveilled 24 hours a day. Why? Is this a good idea? Why or why not? And what might the long term effect of this kind of monitoring be on our children and our country. Good questions. Too bad school boards and the companies that are providing this monitoring technology don’t seem to be asking them.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/25/19: School Surveillance 2019 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/18/19: Electronic Fingerprinting

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 11:37:27 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell If you were a business with a product to sell, you would probably want to know as much about your potential customers as you could, and then try to reach them with news of your product or service just when they were ready to buy. How would you do that online at a time when people – and web browsers – are increasingly aware of being tracked online and are taking steps to defeat that tracking. Perhaps you might find a recent technology called digital fingerprinting attractive. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/18/19: Electronic Fingerprinting first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/11/19: Ownership in the Digital Age

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 11 Jul 2019 11:30:01 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Have you bought an ebook from the Microsoft store? If so, you’ve probably heard by now that it is going to disappear any day now along with any electronic notes you might have made in it. This is another reminder that ownership of digital products is not like ownership of a pair of shoes – we don’t own the digital product that we paid for. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/11/19: Ownership in the Digital Age first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/4/19: 2020 Census and Privacy

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 04 Jul 2019 14:00:18 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There’s a very big even coming in 2020 which will affect the country for a long time. Oh, you thought we meant the 2020 election? Nope, it’s the 2020 Census, and the Census Bureau has discovered a big potential problem with preserving personal privacy due to advances in technology. Happily, they have also discovered an equally big potential solution, also due to advances in technology. Here’s why it matters.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/4/19: 2020 Census and Privacy first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/27/19: More Recent Developments

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 11:30:08 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Today, let’s continue looking at some recent developments of topics we’ve discussed on previous programs; security of electronic voting machines as the 2020 election approaches, and what is motivating schools to electronically surveil their students 24 hours a day.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/27/19: More Recent Developments first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/20/19: Recent Developments

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 11:18:42 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell On this edition, let’s take a look at recent developments in a couple of areas we have discussed previously on the Electronic Cottage: facial recognition technology use at our borders, and wireless carriers selling real time location data about their customers – that’s us!

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/20/19: Recent Developments first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/13/19: Summer Redux Panopticon Online

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 11:42:42 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Have you ever noticed that you behave a bit differently if you think you’re being watched? If so, you aren’t alone. What does that human tendency mean for the web? Well, it turns out, it may mean dollars and cents, and, as we know, if economics is involved, that tends to get the attention of legislators and businesses. Here’s some empirical evidence that people’s concern about being watched can have economic consequences.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/13/19: Summer Redux Panopticon Online first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/6/19: Summer Redux Qubits & VR in 2030

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 11:33:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell What would you say is the biggest challenge facing the Web today? There are plenty of candidates but our vote would be – establishing digital identity. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/6/19: Summer Redux Qubits & VR in 2030 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/30/19: Identity Online

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 30 May 2019 11:16:07 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell What would you say is the biggest challenge facing the Web today? There are plenty of candidates but our vote would be – establishing digital identity. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/30/19: Identity Online first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/23/19: Everyday Items Surveillance

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 May 2019 11:30:01 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/23/19: Everyday Items Surveillance first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/16/19: Privacy Tools 2019

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 May 2019 11:30:55 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Let’s take a look at some of the privacy tools listed on the www.chooseprivacyeveryday.org web site. Look under Resources on the home page, then under Tools to Protect Privacy. We’ll look at four on that list today: HTTPS Everywhere, Ghostery, Disconnect.me, and Privacy Badger. They can help us to maintain at least a little more personal privacy as we move around the web, and give those who wish to track us everywhere minor conniptions.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/16/19: Privacy Tools 2019 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/9/19: Choose Privacy Week 2019

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 May 2019 23:30:01 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Did you celebrate Choose Privacy Week from May 1-7? If you didn’t, all is not lost. Today, we begin a look at some of the things you might have come across if you had been looking. Here are the web site addresses mentioned today: chooseprivacyeveryday.org/ panopticlick.eff.org/

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/9/19: Choose Privacy Week 2019 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/2/19: Biometric Exit & Reverse Warrants

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 02 May 2019 11:40:17 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Ever heard of the Biometric Exit program? How about “reverse warrants”? Well, in our current digital world, if you haven’t, you will soon. Here’s why…

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/2/19: Biometric Exit & Reverse Warrants first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/25/19: April Updates

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 11:27:58 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Today, some updates on topics we’ve discussed before of the Electronic Cottage: Facebook’s numerous privacy “accidents”; AI Algorithms that are affecting all of our daily lives; cashless convenience stores that may have to start taking cash if several states have their way. Take a listen.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/25/19: April Updates first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/18/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 11:30:31 +0000

Internet Big Picture 2 Producer/Host: Jim Campbell What do tech expert Bill Joy and Pope Francis have in common? You may be surprised. Here is the link to the Bill Joy article mentioned today: www.wired.com/2000/04/joy-2

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/18/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/11/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 11:30:14 +0000

Internet Big Picture Producer/Host: Jim Campbell So how is the Internet faring these days, especially from the perspective of what we thought the Internet would become 20+ years ago? Here are some visions from then and now. See what you think. Here are the works mentioned in this program: John Perry Barlow: A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace. 1996, www.eff.org/cyberspace-independence Lawrence Lessig: Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, 1999. Bruce Schneier: Click Here to Kill Everybody, 2018.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/11/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/4/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 11:31:34 +0000

Cashless Society Producer/Host: Jim Campbell How much cash is in your pocket or purse right now? If you are like most people, the answer is “not much.” More and more people in this country are choosing to pay for even small purchases with credit or debit cards, and in a few countries many stores won’t even accept cash any more. There are upsides and downsides to this trend. Here are a few.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/4/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/28/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 11:30:43 +0000

Browsers and Search Engines Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Everyone who uses the web uses a Browser and a Search Engine. Know which is which? A lot of folks don’t. If you are one of them, listen up…

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/28/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/21/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 11:30:47 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell What Can Our Ears Believe? Technology is pretty amazing, as we all know. Today, couple of examples of products that have been demonstrated, though are not yet fully commercialized. This software can essentially make anyone whose voice it has a sample of say pretty much anything, including things the person has never said, in one case merely by typing text on a screen. Don’t believe it? Check www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=I3l4XLZ59iw. And take a look at www.lyrebird.ai as well where you can talk for a minute or more and have your own voice synthesized. Spooky – or Great?

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/21/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/14/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 11:30:46 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Password Hygiene 2 We live in a world of online passwords but that world could be changing before too long – passwords may disappear! Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/14/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/7/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 Mar 2019 11:30:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Password Hygiene 1 Despite all sorts of attempts to do away with passwords, we still live in a password world on the Web. That means it’s really important to have passwords – or pass phrases – that it is really hard to crack. Here are some considerations to ponder as we construct crack-proof passwords for our increasingly online lives. The Diceware web site mentioned in today’s program is at: world.std.com/~reinhold/diceware.html

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/7/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/28/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 11:30:29 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell AAAS Report 2019 At the recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, there were many sessions that really pointed out how digital technology has become part of our daily lives in ways most of us would never have imagined. Here are examples from two of those sessions.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/28/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/21/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 11:30:17 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Two Questions: Pwn and 5G Today, let’s look at two current tech questions to see what they mean and why they matter: (1) have I been pwned?, and (2) what is 5G, and is it really here yet?

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/21/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/14/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 11:30:48 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Fair Use Week 2019 Fair Use Week is coming right up. Here are some reasons why it is important to anyone who uses the web. The URLs mentioned today are: fairuseweek.org/resources www.law.duke.edu/cspd/comics

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/14/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/7/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 11:25:17 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Facial Recognition Update 2019 “Imagine a government tracking everywhere you walked over the past month without your permission or knowledge. Imagine a database of everyone who attended a political rally that constitutes the very essence of free speech…” Words of some tin-hat wearing technophobe? Nope, the words of Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, talking about the potential of uncontrolled use of facial recognition technology, a technology whose uses he and many others feel requires government oversight. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/7/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/31/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 11:30:34 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell AI – Good and Bad Today, a couple of truly amazing tech developments in speech and facial analysis which, as most tech, offers some wonderful benefits, and some serious downsides.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/31/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/24/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 11:37:22 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Location, location, location in real estate the most valuable thing is said to be “location, location, location.” digital service providers would agree which is why so many try to wring location data about us from everything we do online. so who is collecting data on where we are all the time and why should it matter to us? Hear are some very good reasons.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/24/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/17/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 11:30:24 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Bits & Bytes One of the things that the Electronic Cottage hopes to do is to offer listeners a bit more information about the digital world we all inhabit these days. Every now and then, we figure it’s a good idea to go back to basics for a few minutes – back to really basis basics, so here, once again, is a discussion of what a “bit” is and what a “byte” is. They are, after all, the basic basis for every computer, smart watch, digital assistant, or any other electronic device that we use.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/17/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/10/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 11:35:11 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Digital Tune-up 3 We continue with our New Year’s Digital tune-up with three important questions.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/10/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/3/19

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 11:30:46 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Digital Tune-up 2 Before we get to the specifics of our New Year’s Digital Tune-up, a listener asked “why is there an Electronic Cottage?” That is a very useful question. Here’s an answer, which we hope is equally useful, compliments of Stephen Hawking and Isaac Asimov.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/3/19 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/27/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 27 Dec 2018 11:30:51 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Digital Tune-up Well, the New Year is right around the corner, and that offers the perfect opportunity for a Digital Tune-up for all of our digital devices. Huh? Yup, There are ways to make our computers, smart phones, smart speakers, and the increasingly web connected devices in our homes work better and safer and better reflect our values and desires instead of those of the companies that sold us the devices and apps we use every day. Let’s start.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/27/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/20/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 11:30:06 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Personal Privacy Holiday In this holiday season, we don’t want to be Scrooges about all the data being collected as we buy online, travel, and give gifts so without comment we’ll let a few current headlines remind us that we may want to think a bit about who is collecting information about us and those we are giving gifts to – despite which, happy holidays to all from the Electronic Cottage.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/20/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/13/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 11:30:59 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Tech in School, 1 Stopped by your child’s schoolroom lately or taken a look at the computer applications he or she is using to send in homework or do school projects? It’s pretty powerful stuff. Not only can teachers and schools do a lot with that software, so can the companies that provide it – in ways that may not be exactly what schools or patents had in mind.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/13/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/7/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 11:30:59 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Holiday Season & Tempting Digital Do-Dads This holiday season, there are all sorts of tempting digital do-dads that promise to enhance convenience in order to entice us to part with our dollars as we try to bring smiles to the faces of our loved ones. Convenience is great but dollars aren’t the only thing we often pay for convenience.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/7/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/29/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 11:30:53 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Tech & Life Sciences We humans are learning more and more about how we work as organisms. We’re learning how the brain works, even, some suggest, about how to read thoughts that are never spoken. We’re learning a lot about DNA, the blueprints of who we are. These are exciting times in research. What happens to that research and how it is used can be another matter as these examples indicate.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/29/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/22/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 11:37:04 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Digital Holiday Hints So even though it¹s only Thanksgiving, the holiday shopping season is upon us with a vengeance. Here are a few things to keep in mind while shopping for digitally connected toys or home appliances. The biggest one is: take a moment to understand how they work and whether they will really suit your child, or your household.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/22/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/15/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 11:30:59 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Cashless Society There’s move afoot in many parts of the world to essentially eliminate cash as a form of payment for goods or services. There are lots of advantages to a cashless society – and some pretty big disadvantages. Let’s ponder both for a few minutes.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/15/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/8/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 11:30:26 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell What Can Our Ears Believe? We know that we need to be careful believing what we see since the advent of photo editing tools. Now we need to be careful believing what we hear as well. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/8/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/1/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 11:30:42 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Humans and Machines Pretty near every week we hear about some new technological development in self-driving cars. Life will probably change for many of us as these new cars become more common on the roadways. Perhaps less familiar to most of us are some of the much more personal ways that technology will affect the interaction of humans and machines. Here are a couple that offer amazing possibilities for those who are trapped inside themselves in one way or another.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/1/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/25/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 11:30:47 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The Holy Grail of marketers is to be able to price each item they sell at an individualized price based on the willingness and ability to pay of each individual buyer. Sound far-fetched? That day is getting closer, whether we are aware of it or not. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/25/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/18/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 11:30:54 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Artificial Intelligence (AI) One of the big arguments in favor of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is that machines have no emotions and hence no biases. The first assertion is true – at least so far – but the part about having no biases? Maybe not so true because, after all, machines are programmed, at least initially, by people and people, unlike machines, do have emotions. As AI becomes more and more ubiquitous in our everyday lives, it seems like a good idea to think about just how unbiased machines really are.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/18/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/11/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 11:30:29 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Most of us feel that we are living in a time of rapid change, and change in the tech realm seems to always be accelerating. In a day to day way, it seems impossible to keep up with the details of those tech changes. If we look down the road some, however, it may be possible to get an idea of what life may be like in the future without trying to comprehend the day to day details we are immersed in now. So here are a couple of things that may well be part of everyday life in the 2030’s.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/11/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/4/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 11:30:45 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Here are links to two reports discussed on today’s program. Both are really important and worth a read for us all, but especially for those concerned about our democracy – and those concerned about their children: defcon.org/images/defcon-26/DEF%20CON%2026%20voting%20village%20report.pdf www.ic3.gov/media/2018/180913.aspx

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/4/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/27/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 11:30:02 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell People change their behavior if they think they are being watched. Many of us think think that is intuitively true. But it’s not just our gut feelings that support this intuition – there is empirical evidence as well, and that evidence has important implications for the use of the Web. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/27/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/20/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 11:30:13 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We are more and more becoming a convenience based society and technology has a lot to do with that. Many cities, schools, and even software developers seem to be offering free access to conveniences like wifi access everywhere. But what does “free” really mean these days? A second look at New York’s NYCLink kiosk system may provide some hints.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/20/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/13/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 13 Sep 2018 11:24:15 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Voting Security Voting security in the digital age is much in the public eye these days, especially with an important election coming up. The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine just released a Consensus Report entitled “Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy”(https://www.nap.edu/catalog/25120/securing-the-vote-protecting-american-democracy). It’s definitely worth a read. Just in case you don’t have a chance to read it, here are some of the highlights from that report. They deserve our attention – and our action.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/13/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/6/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 06 Sep 2018 11:30:01 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Electronic Voting Labor Day has come and gone and election season is in full swing. But whoever anyone supports, there is one thing we can all agree on – we want every vote counted accurately. In this age of electronic voting, can we count on that? Maybe, maybe not. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/6/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/30/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 11:30:56 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Labor Day is almost upon us, the unofficial end of summer. Folks are busy and so some tech issues might have passed by without much notice. Here are a such items to help us catch up as we move into a new season.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/30/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/23/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 Aug 2018 11:30:17 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Devices that can be controlled by our voices can be very convenient. But sometimes they can be controlled by other voices we can’t even hear and this archived edition of the Electronic Cottage points out.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/23/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/16/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 11:14:44 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell On today’s summer rebroadcast, we think a bit about all the data that fitness monitors and cars generate and what they can reveal about where we go, what we do, when we do it, and, not surprisingly, who we are.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/16/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/9/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 11:15:41 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell DefCon 2018, a hacker convention in Las Vegas going on now, features a “Voting Machine Hacking Village.” Who will be attempting to hack into voting web sites? This year it will be young people, aged 8-16. Why young people? Because, in the words of one of the Village’s founders: “It’s just so easy to hack these web sites we thought grown-up hackers in the Vote Hacking Village wouldn’t be interested.” Think about that as we approach the 2018 Congressional elections in a few months, and then read the report from the Vote Hacking Village from 2017 at www.defcon.org/images/defcon-25/DEF CON voting village report.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/9/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/2/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 11:30:48 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Ever use a URL shortener? Odds are pretty good that you have. They can be very convenient – and potentially very dangerous. Have you read those Terms of Service for Google Docs (and pretty near any other online service you use)? No? Well, here are some of the things you have agreed to when you clicked “Okay” to use the service. Some of what you agreed to might surprise you. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/2/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/26/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 11:39:04 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Our world is going digital. We have Smart TVs, robot vacuum cleaners, and now even free Wi-Fi throughout most of New York City. Pretty cool! And also pretty important to understand the things these devices can do that never get advertised. Here are a few.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/26/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/19/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 11:27:22 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Indictments for a dozen Russians for trying to influence our American Presidential election, hearings on how the use of Facebook users personal data was used to try to influence our Presidential election – these headlines point to an incredibly important underlying question: how can we keep Americans’ online personal information secure so that its illegal use does not undermine our system of government? Let’s look at some recommendations from the oldest and largest organization of computer professionals in the world.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/19/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/12/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 11:31:24 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Breaches and misuse of personal information Breaches and misuse of personal information held by companies, social media sites, data brokers, etc. are unfortunately very common these days. What can we do about them? The Association for Computing Machinery has some ideas, and they are pretty good ones. They sent those suggestions to the Senate. Here’s why the Senate – and all of us – might want to pay attention.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/12/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/5/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 11:30:35 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Establishing identity online – and often offline – is a bit challenge. Back in 2002, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report entitled “IDs-Not That Easy: Questions About Nationwide Identity Systems.” As businesses and government search for a way to establish people’s identity online, we would be wise to keep in mind the questions that report raised 18 years ago.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 7/5/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/28/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 11:30:37 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell What would you say is the biggest challenge online? Whatever you said at first, upon reflection, you will probably agree with many of the world’s digital experts: the biggest challenge online is establishing identity. For lack of a better system, many online companies have resorted to using Social Security numbers. As we’ve seen in a year of hundreds of millions of breached identity cases, that has put those who buy, sell, bank or just use social media in a world of hurt. We need a new system – here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/28/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/21/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 11:30:39 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell It’s summertime here in Vacationland but technology takes no vacations so here are a few tech things we will probably be thinking about a lot in coming months and years as they become part of our everyday lives.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/21/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/14/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 17:05:16 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Cashless society Some countries around the world are moving toward a cashless society. In this country, cash accounts for an ever decreasing amount of expenditures. What would a cashless society be like? What would its benefits be? It’s detriments? Here are some possibilities to ponder.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/14/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/7/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 11:30:04 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Technology, as we have all observed, can be a wonderful thing.But the same technology, for example home devices like Alexa or Google Home or DNA profiles, can have great potential positives AND great potential negatives. It is a real challenge to put these rapidly emerging technologies into a legal and ethical framework that works today. Here are some thoughts on the subject.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 6/7/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/24/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 24 May 2018 11:38:30 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Cell Phones & Location Have a cell phone? Most Americans do so on today’s program, let’s look at some things about cell phones that may be of interest to cell phone users that most of us may not be aware of – a fact which makes cell phone companies very happy.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/24/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/17/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 17 May 2018 11:30:33 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Online Privacy Policies Have you noticed emails showing up in your mailbox in which companies whose services you use like Google, or Twitter, or AirBnB are trumpeting their new privacy policies? There’s a reason for those messages but it’s probably not what you think. Here’s the story.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/17/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/10/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 10 May 2018 11:30:04 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Technology can be a wonderful thing but it does not exist in a vacuum. Government policy can have a very big effect on how digital technology operates, and does all over the world, including here in the US. Two current issues point that out very clearly – the effort to overturn the FCC’s order to repeal of Net Neutrality regulations, and the 2018 Statistical Transparency Report of the Office of the Director of National Security Here’s what’s happening.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/10/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/3/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 03 May 2018 11:30:28 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell May 3 is World Press Freedom Day So how is press freedom doing these days in our increasingly digital world. According to the annual Press Freedom Index from Reporters Without Borders, not so great. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/3/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/26/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 11:30:42 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Online Privacy The hits just keep on coming with regard to how companies, often without our knowledge,are collecting personal information about our activities on the Web. Since government at present seems uninterested in helping us to protect out privacy, it is up to us as individuals to do what we can to at least partially exert control over what we do while on the web. Here are some other ways we can try to do that.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/26/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/19/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 19 Apr 2018 11:30:57 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The media show surrounding Congress people questioning Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook’s privacy policies is blessedly over but the problem of what we can do as individuals to protect our personal information online goes on. Here are a few more ideas. Here is a link to an article that may offer users of Facebook and Google a bit of a surprise: www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/technology/personaltech/i-downloaded-the-information-that-facebook-has-on-me-yikes.html

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/19/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/12/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 11:26:26 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Is there any way we can preserve some personal privacy online in our digital world? Facebook has been much in the news lately since Cambridge Analytica scraped data on 87 million American Facebook users and used that information to try to influence voters in the last national election. But, of course, using people’s personal information to profile them is nothing new – it goes on all the time for all sorts of purposes. That’s the bargain we users make. We use free online services like Facebook, and those services sell our information to others who will pay for it. Is there any way we can preserve some personal privacy online in our digital world? Here is a first suggestion.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/12/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/5/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 05 Apr 2018 11:30:09 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Psychographic Profiling Recent disclosures about how Cambridge Analytica mined data on 50 million Facebook users to conduct psychographic profiles of Americans to use in the last election have surprised and shocked many people. Those people have not been regular listeners to Notes from the Electronic Cottage since we have been pointing out such efforts for years. As a refresher, here’s an episode from October — of 2015!

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/5/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/29/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 11:31:39 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Stop Enabling Sex Trafficking Act (SESTA) Congress just passed, with much righteous posturing and by overwhelming majorities, the Stop Enabling Sex Trafficking Act, or SESTA. While the Act’s intent is noble, the likelihood of it accomplishing its goal is small, even according to the Department of Justice, while the possibility of the unintended consequence of reducing free speech online is significant. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/29/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/22/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 11:30:03 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell AI & Life 3.0 Have you ever wondered what it means to be human in the age of Artificial Intelligence? If not, now is a good time to start pondering because the age of AI is upon us. A recent book tries to at least begin a discussion about that question. It’s called “Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” by Max Tegmark. Here are some of the questions that book raises, questions we are all going to have to answer for ourselves very soon.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/22/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/15/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 11:30:04 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell What do fitness trackers and cars have in common? They both provide a treasure trove of information about where their users go, the routes they take, when and how long they are moving, and a whole lot more. Estimates are that 98% of cars sold this year will have modems embedded in them, which could be very convenient – and very revealing about their drivers’ lives. Fitness trackers can sometimes tell even more, as the military recently found out when the data from fitness trackers that soldiers were wearing made secret military bases not so secret any more.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/15/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/8/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 08 Mar 2018 11:30:53 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Two topics today, both very important in our daily lives in different ways. March 11-17 is Sunshine Week, a time devoted to thinking about how much access we taxpayers and citizens have to the information that our governments generate. The name comes from the famous line by Justice Louis Brandeis that “Sunshine is said to be the best disinfectant.” We also take a look at what money is in today’s world, and why a new digital currency called bitcoin, and the technology it is based on called blockchain, have a very good chance of changing the way we shop, pay bills, make contracts, and more. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/8/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/1/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 11:30:02 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Copyright is supposed to strike a balance between the rights of copyright holders and the rights of users. One tool to help do that is Fair Use. Fair Use Week offers a great opportunity to become more familiar with the Fair Use provisions of our copyright law. Here are some resources, discussed in today’s program, that might be useful in expanding our understanding of Fair Use. fairuseweek.org gutenberg.org librivox.org fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/fair-use/four-factors/ www.law.duke.edu/cspd/comics/

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/1/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/22/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 11:30:03 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Think you are a pretty unusual driver? Many of us do, and guess what – we’re right! In fact, a recent study suggests we all might be so unusual as drivers that we can be individually identified using the sensors in today’s cars. Let’s ponder that possibility for a moment.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/22/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/15/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 11:30:32 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Continuing our “back to basics” look at compression, ever wonder how how sound compression works? The answer is: by fooling our ears! Here’s how…

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/15/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/8/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 11:30:43 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Continuing our “back to basics” look at compression, today let’s look at what jpeg, gif, png and other compression techniques for compressing graphics mean and what they are good for.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/8/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/1/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 11:35:58 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Every once in a while, it’s a good idea to go back to basics. One of the most basic things about the digital world today is compression of files. But what does that mean and how does it work? Let’s start with text…

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 2/1/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/25/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 11:27:48 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Advanced Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are wonders of digital technology. They are becoming more and more important in our everyday lives from deciding who will get a mortgage to deciding who will get bail if someone is arrested. But there is a sort of dirty little secret here: we don’t actually know how AI systems reach the decisions they make, or even if those decisions are right or wrong. Let’s think about this for a moment…

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/25/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/18/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 11:30:56 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell As we enter 2018, let’s take a moment to look at some recent research in Artificial Intelligence that may be becoming part of everyday life before too long: a poker bot that can win big at Texas Hold-em; another big step in making it possible for computers to read minds; and a bot that can tell if someone is lying better than humans. Tomorrow is becoming today…

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/18/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/11/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 11:30:47 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Best of 2017 In the spirit of the turning year, we thought we’d join in the “best of 2017” trend underway and choose the most important Electronic Cottage program from 2017. Turns out, it might wind up being the most important Electronic Cottage program of 2018 as well. The renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has been pushed into 2018 and will now expire if not renewed by Congress by January 19, 2018. Here’s why what happens around that renewal will affect not only our digital lives but out lives in general.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/11/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/4/18

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 11:30:28 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Today, let’s take a look at URL shorteners and how to make sure they are safe before we click on them. Three sites that can help with that are: safeweb.norton.com/ urlvoid.com/ scanurl.net/ Let’s also take a peek at Google Drive’s Terms of Service (TOS). If you use Google Drive, what you’ve agreed to may surprise you.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/4/18 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/28/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 11:30:13 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell 2017 Year in Review A lot happened in the tech world and the world that tech affects in 2017. Here’s a idiosyncratic review of some of what happened in the past year. Happy New Year to all, and hopes for a positive 2018!

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/28/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/21/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 Dec 2017 11:28:24 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There are lots of swell digital devices that will probably appear in people’s house this holiday season but these devices, especially toys, are very different from teddy bears or wooden horses. They require a much higher level of attention and monitoring. Here’s why, and here’s a link to the FBI’s suggestions on the subject. www.ic3.gov/media/2017/170717.aspx

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/21/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/14/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 11:30:07 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Three of the five FCC commissioners are voting to do away with a constellation of rules referred to as Net Neutrality, rules that protect users of the web from all sorts of use discrimination. These commissioners, none of whom are engineers or technologists, feel this is the best thing for the Internet. The people who invented the Internet and the World Wide Web have a very different opinion: “Internet Pioneers and Leaders Tell the FCC: you Don’t Understand How the Internet Works.” The link to their letter to Congress is at: pioneersfornetneutrality.tumblr.com. Now only Congress can protect Internet users – if their constituents tell them to.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/14/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/7/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 11:30:39 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We’ve all been hearing a lot about the tax bill that is still wending its way through Congress but that is not the only thing going on these days. Two other events in Washington promise to have a huge impact on our digital lives, and, of course, technology has not stopped moving at a breathtaking pace, including when digital tech is used in ways that its inventors didn’t anticipate. For example, watch here as thieves steal a newer car simply by reading the signal that the fancy car’s key emits – from inside the house. nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2017/12/01/rfid-repeater-used-to-steal-mercedes-with-keys-locked-inside-a-house/

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/7/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/30/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 11:28:56 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell This is not a happy time in Washington as Congress and federal agencies like the FCC are in a big hurry to make laws and regulations before the end of the year. That means a lot of important things that will affect our digital lives don’t make it to the front page or, often, any page. Renewal of Section 702 of the FISA is one of them. A new book, “Beyond Snowden,” offers some suggestions that Congresspeople ought to consider – it offers ways to make our out of control government surveillance of Americans both more effective and more consistent with our Bill of Rights. Here’s how.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/30/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/23/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 23 Nov 2017 11:30:45 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell There are lots of things in the digital world to be grateful for so today we offer a few. And not to put a pallor over those good things, there is one that is not so good that we need to pay attention to right now: Congress’s proposed renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Here are links to some background materials for those who are interested. Review them, form an opinion, and let your congress people know what you think – right away. www.theregister.co.uk/2017/10/24 congress_pushes_competing_laws_in_spy_program_battle/ na-production.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Opposition_Ltr_to_SSCI_702_Bill_45.pdf s3.amazonaws.com/demandprogress/letters/Coalition_Supports_Poe-Lofgren_-Shut_the_Backdoor-_Amdt_to_USA_Liberty.pdf www.techdirt.com/articles/20171111/09282938590/with-congressional-leaders-blocking-serious-reform-tepid-section-702-reform-bill-moves-forward.shtml www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/house-judiciary-committee-forced-difficult-compromise-surveillance-reform www.usnews.com/opinion/civil-wars/articles/2017-11-06/the-usa-liberty-act-is-a-bad-compromise-on-american-privacy

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/23/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/16/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 11:29:06 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Cars with whizbang technology are much in the news these days, and while the tech is pretty amazing and getting lots of attention, what isn’t getting nearly as much attention is how these new digital cars are going to affect our relationship to them. It’s another case of tech outstripping law and culture. Here are some reasons why. We also mentioned in passing how many photos from drivers licenses, as well as other unexpected sources, have found their way into a huge facial recognition database- “really huge,” as someone might say on Twiter. More info at www.perpetuallineup.org.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/16/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/9/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 09 Nov 2017 11:30:11 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Section 702 Renewal

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/9/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/26/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 11:30:16 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell In the wake of years of huge data breaches, there is increasing talk of replacing vulnerable and increasingly ineffective Social Security numbers as a means of identification both online and off. It’s a hard problem, and the underlying questions that a Committee of the National Research Council asked 15 years ago about national identity systems are questions that we should still all be asking today.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/26/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/19/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 11:30:46 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Identity theft has been in the news lately due to huge data breaches like the one at Equifax. But at the center of that concern is a number, a number that serves as a universal identifier and thus is the key to stealing an identity and causing innocent people a world of hurt. That number, of course, is a Social Security Number, a number that was never meant to serve as a universal personal identifier. Now many want to see it replaced as a way to prove identity. But proving identity online is no simple task. In fact, it is probably the biggest challenge facing the digital world today.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/19/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/12/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 12 Oct 2017 11:30:14 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Free Speech Week is October 16-22, a good opportunity for us to reflect on what we think about free speech in this country in the age of the Web. Does the Internet change everything and requires a new approach the free speech ideas of the Founders to deal with things like “hate speech”? Let’s think about it…

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/12/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/5/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 05 Oct 2017 11:30:56 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell The 18th Century philosopher Jeremy Bentham knew that people change their behavior if they think they are being watched. George Orwell in 1984 drew on the same realization but neither had any inkling of how watched some people feel on the web. There is recent data that they were both right, and how people might change their behavior is not always the way that either politicians or corporations like.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 10/5/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/28/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 11:30:37 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Lots of noise coming out of Washington these days but one thing that hasn’t garnered much public attention is the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Amendments Act of 2008. For those of us who communicate electronically, this renewal deserves a lot of attention. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/28/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/21/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 11:30:38 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Though health care and the federal budget and so forth are getting the lion’s share of headlines these days, there are several bills working their way through Congress that could have major effects on the Web that many people use every day. One is the “Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act”, a proposed law with a laudable goal – and some potentially very bad unintended consequences for the Internet we all use. Here’s why.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/21/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/14/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 14 Sep 2017 11:30:41 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell By now, pretty much everyone in the country has heard about the breach at credit reporting company Equifax of the personal information of 143 million Americans. It’s an unprecedented digital disaster, and a boon to potential identity thieves. So what can we do to help protect ourselves from all manner of financial fraud after this breach? Amidst all of the Equifax babble and recommendations from news sites and a bevy of self-proclaimed experts on the web, there is one thing that all of us can do to help protect ourselves, and living in Maine makes it free for us. Here’s the story.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/14/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/7/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 11:30:23 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Though the bluster that passes for governing these days is dominating our airwaves and news outlets, there is a very important law that no one is talking about that will sunset at the end of 2017 if not specifically renewed. Whether it should be renewed at all, or changed and renewed is an important issue for all Americans, and one that strangely seems to be buried. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is, in the minds of those who care about civil liberties, every bit as important as the budget or health care or a wall on the Mexican border. Yet we hear almost nothing about it. Here’s a start of a discussion. For background information, check www.theregister.co.uk/2017/02/15/section_702_mass_surveillance www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/privacy-and-surveillance/government-incidentally-sucking-tens-millions

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 9/7/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/31/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 31 Aug 2017 11:30:31 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell Voice controlled tech is becoming more and more a part of many people’s daily lives. Those voice controlled Internet of Things devices are really convenient – whether smart phones or baby monitors or personal assistants like Siri or Google Now or Amazon Echo. But what happens when devices are controlled not by the owner’s voice but by sounds that the owner can’t hear. Some researchers decided to find out – and they did. Here’s the story.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/31/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/24/17

podcast@weru.org (Jim Campbell) — Thu, 24 Aug 2017 11:30:14 +0000

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell We may be familiar with the fact that how we use our computers can actually identify us as individuals based on how we type, etc. Now it seems the same thing might be possible based on we drive a car.

The post Notes from the Electronic Cottage 8/24/17 first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.