Notes from the Electronic Cottage 1/3/19

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.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/27/18

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.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/20/18

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.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/13/18

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.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 12/7/18

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.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/29/18

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.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/22/18

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.

Notes from the Electronic Cottage 11/15/18

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.