Author: laku

Tech

Sidewalk Toronto’s master plan raises urgent concerns about data and privacy

By laku on April 1, 2020April 1, 2020

On June 24th, Sidewalk Labs, the Google sister company proposing a smart city for Toronto’s eastern waterfront, released its mammoth 1,500-page Master Innovation and Development Plan
During Sidewalk Labs’ approximately two-year public consultations, privacy and control over data quickly emerged as flashpoints. A July 2019 survey by The Forum Poll found that while only 38 per cent of Torontonians were familiar with the smart-city project, 60 per cent of those people did not trust Sidewalk Labs to collect data on its residents.

Business

Shutterstock EU-Japan trade deal comes into force to create world’s biggest trade zone

By laku on March 31, 2020April 1, 2020

Two new landmark agreements between the EU and Japan come into effect on February 1, 2019: the Economic Partnership Agreement and the Strategic Partnership Agreement. The economic agreement is the largest bilateral trade deal ever made by the EU in terms of market size and will be the largest zone of free trade created in history.

Business

Design global, manufacture local: a new industrial revolution?

By laku on March 29, 2020April 1, 2020

What if globally designed products could radically change how we work, produce and consume? Several examples across continents show the way we are producing and consuming goods could be improved by relying on globally shared digital resources, such as design, knowledge and software.

Politics

Why do we keep having debates about video-game violence?

By laku on March 26, 2020April 1, 2020

After the series of tragic mass shootings in El Paso, Tex., and Dayton, Ohio, and shocking murders in Ontario and British Columbia, all on the heels of the horrific events in Christchurch, New Zealand, we once again are having debates about the effects of video-game violence on society. We need to stop.

Business

Is Instagram’s removal of its ‘like’ counter a turning point in social media?

By laku on March 25, 2020April 1, 2020

Instagram’s recent decision to remove its “like” counter from its platform in select geographic regions is an interesting, perhaps long overdue, measure. Although recently users in Canada reported seeing the “like” counter back on for a day, the counter is currently off. The roll-out is a techno-social experiment, and there are advantages — and a few unintended consequences — of such an action.

Business

Is freelancing the future of employment?

By laku on January 26, 2020January 28, 2020

Today, freelancers represent 35% of the United States workforce. In the European Union, the rate is 16.1%. Both figures demonstrate the same global trend: from creative entrepreneurs to those paid by the task, freelancing is on the rise worldwide.

Tech

Pseudoscience is taking over social media – and putting us all at risk

By laku on January 25, 2020January 28, 2020

Search for “climate change” on YouTube and before long you’ll likely find a video that denies it exists. In fact, when it comes to shaping the online conversation around climate change, a new study suggests that deniers and conspiracy theorists might hold an edge over those believing in science. Researchers found evidence that most YouTube videos relating to climate change oppose the scientific consensus that it’s primarily caused by human activities.

Tech

Groundwater reserves in Africa may be more resilient to climate change than first thought

By laku on January 24, 2020January 28, 2020

Groundwater reserves in Africa are estimated to be 20 times larger than the water stored in lakes and reservoirs above ground. These are the freshwater stores that flow in rocks and sediment beneath the Earth’s surface. They are a vital source of drinking water in sub-Saharan Africa, where groundwater is often the only year-round supply of fresh water in rural areas. Increasingly it is being used in towns and cities as well.

Politics

India revokes Kashmir’s autonomy, risking yet another war with Pakistan

By laku on January 23, 2020January 28, 2020

Tensions are on the rise in Jammu and Kashmir, an Indian state situated mostly in the Himalayas. For decades, it has had constitutional autonomy from India.
The region is an area of major territorial conflict between India and Pakistan. Parts of the Kashmir valley have been under Pakistan’s control since the 1948 Indo-Pakistani war and both India and Pakistan have since fought two more wars claiming title to Jammu and the whole of Kashmir.

Tech

To the moon and beyond 5: What space exploration will look like in 2069

By laku on January 21, 2020January 28, 2020

What will space exploration look like in 2069, a century after the first moon landing? In the fifth and final episode of podcast series, To the moon and beyond, we speak to space scientists about the missions they are dreaming about and planning for the future.