Eichhorn, the author of The End of Forgetting, discusses the long and complicated history that children have and challenges associated with identity. She explains that our ability to control what is forgotten has been diminished in the age of social media. Although new solutions may allow us to connect, this also creates its own problems and consequences, such as the calcification of polarised politics. Eichhorn would like to say things are going to change, but she argues that there is little incentive for big tech. Although young people are becoming more cynical, there maybe resistance, but little hope for a return to an equitable utopian web.
Kate Mannell explores the idea of forcing a sense of ethics through the form of a hypocratic oath. Some of the problems with this is that there are many versions of the oath, it does not resolve the systemic problems and it is hard to have an oath of no harm when it is not even clear what harms are actually at play. In the end, it risks being a soft form of self regulation.
I found Eichhorn’s comments about resistance interesting when thinking about my engagement with the IndieWeb and Domain of One’s Own. I guess sometimes all we have is hope. While Mannell’s point about no harm when it is not even clear what harm is at play reminds me about Zeynep Tufekci’s discussion of shadow profiles, complications of inherited datasets and the challenges of the next machine age. In regards to education, the issue is in regards to artificial intelligence and facial recognition.
This Article was mentioned on brid.gy
This Article was mentioned on brid.gy
With the proposed changes to the right to abortion in United States, Zeynep Tufekci explains how we need take back our privacy. She provides a number of examples of data uses associated with Grindr, Uber and phone companies, highlighting the limits associated with de-anonymised data.
When Tufekci says ‘we’, she is talking about more than personal action, but rather collective change through law. She highlights how attempts to turn off location settings, use a burner phone or stay away from big tech are fraught, and explains how we need more systemic change.
Sadly, as she demonstrates with the example of Louis Brandeis in 1890 responding to Kodak camera small enough to carry and loaded with 100 shots, calls to protect privacy are not new.
It is interesting to think of this in regards to discussions around digital forgetting and the idea of a hypocratic oath. I guess Tufekci’s point is that maybe some things should not be ‘remembered’ in the first place. Often we worry about the threat of cyber attacks when it could be said the greatest fear is often in plain sight.
Welcome back to another month of global change and disruption, just glad to see Clive Palmer’s freedom posters have at least disappeared again and Biloela family allowed to return to central Queensland.
At home, there was finally some action in regards to fixing up our yard. We inherited a few issues when we purchased the property, such as a water tank on a lean. A part of me felt guilty in getting somebody else to do the work. My home, my problem, or something like that. I had done what I could in cleaning things up. However, I soon realised that sometimes there is a reason that you get somebody with the skills and tools to do the job. I am pretty sure it would have taken me months to achieve what a few guys and an excavator achieved in a few days.
On the family front, our youngest had to stay home for a few days two weeks running with a lingering cough. All of her RATs came back negative and her energy levels were normal. I was supporting a teacher who pointed out that in some ways lockdown was easier as we did not have to worry about all the coughs and sneezes meaning that everyone could simply battle on. Guess this is all a part of the new normal.
At work, focus turned to supporting the setup of academic reports. However, as seems to be the way, nothing ever quite goes to plan as we were inundated with requests for attendance data associated with a government audit. On further investigation it was discovered that there were some who were already aware of the requirement, they just forgot to pass this information on. I never cease to be surprised by the way in which one hand fails to speak with another. With so much outside of our control, it feels frustrating when something in our control is overlooked. In between all this, I continued creating guides to fill gaps in our instruction, as well as develop some spreadsheets and scripts to help automate practices.
Personally, I went on a journey with Patrick White’s Voss. I listened to new albums form The Smile, Florence and the Machine, Arcade Fire and Hatchie. I finished watching The Vikings. My daughters and I also went to Fiona Hardy’s book launch for How to Tackle Your Dreams at Readings’ Kids. In a Post-COVID world, they were in awe of all the books. Guess it is not the same as buying online.
Here then are some of the posts that have had me thinking:
Education
A Culture of Thinking for Teachers
Cameron Paterson unpacks his learnings associated with leading difficult pedagogical change in schools.
Zombie Data with J. Clutterbuck and R. Daliri-Ngamatua (TER Podcast)
Jennifer Clutterbuck and Rafaan Daliri-Ngametua discuss the idea of zombie data, that excessive excessive, purposeless and redundant data.
The only question you need to ask about education technology
Dan Meyer discusses his simple rubric for evaluating edtech, “What happens to wrong answers?”
A Behind The Scenes Look At How I Create A Technical Video Course
Ben Collins methodically breaks down his process for creating a technical video course.
10 steps to running an event I’d want to attend
Doug Belshaw shares ten steps associated with running an event.
Technology
We Need to Take Back Our Privacy
Zeynep Tufekci highlights the limits associated with de-anonymised data and calls for collective change through law.
Does data science need a Hippocratic oath? (Future Tense)
Antony Funnell speaks with Kate Eichhorn and Kate Mannell about digital forgetting and whether data science needs a Hippocratic oath?
Tracking Exposed: Demanding That the Gods Explain Themselves
Cory Doctorow discusses Tracking Exposed, a collective of designers using adversarial interoperability to go beyond the guessing game of algospeak to provide a more concrete understanding of algorithms and content moderation.
The Many-Worlds Theory, Explained
John Gribbin takes a dive into the history of the Many Worlds Interpretation (MWI).
General
Permanent Pandemic – Will COVID Controls Keep Controlling Us?
Justin E.H. Smith questions whether the controls brought in during COVID will in fact keep controlling us long after the threat has passed.
Plastic Recycling Doesn’t Work and Will Never Work
Judith Enck Jan Dell explains why recycling plastic is a ruse.
Why the parkrun practice initiative will encourage more GPs to engage in social prescription
Kate O’Halloran explores the parkrun phenomon and the way in which it is helping change people’s lives.
The secret world beneath our feet is mind-blowing – and the key to our planet’s future
George Monbiot discusses the world beneath our feet and the possible futures for farming.
Read Write Respond #076
So that was May for me, how about you? As always, hope you are safe and well.
Image by Bryan Mathers
Background for cover image via “One Percent” by the great 8 https://flickr.com/photos/great8/6820722517 is licensed under CC BY
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