Big tech’s utopia may not be all its cracked up to be. Self-driving cars? That’s nothing new — Leonardo da Vinci designed one in the 16th century. And the machine, which some call the world’s first robot, would have worked, historians and researchers later confirmed. In fact, a working model of the clockwork-driven mechanism is currently housed at the...
In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato provides what is considered one of the most famous thought experiments. In it, people with a distorted sense of reality try to make sense of their world—but with no real reference, they remain confused—and afraid. And nearly 2,400 years after the allegory appeared in Plato’s “Republic,” are we...
Nearly 60 years ago, then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan delivered a line that animates and inspires patriotic Americans to this day: “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.” Throughout history, intrepid individuals have pushed back against the excesses of government, putting self aside in sacrifice for the posterity...
Jennifer DeStefano answered the phone, hearing her daughter’s voice on the other end: “Mom, I messed up.” Her daughter’s voice was followed by a man’s; he made it clear that if she ever wanted to see her daughter again, she needed to cough up $1 million. It was a fake—a deepfake. The voice on the...
As all parents know, raising kids can sometimes feel like it is you against the world. Even the most engaged parents know that the everyday can quickly overwhelm, leaving you to wonder if you’re truly there for your child in the ways they need you. But the emergence of new technology has created new threats...
In response to the highly consequential censoring of the New York Post’s Hunter Biden laptop story, Democrats contend that the backlash surrounding this decision confirms that society needs more moderation and censorship in order for democracy to thrive. After all, to them, “the First Amendment isn’t absolute.” But free speech absolutist Elon Musk has something...
Last July, 8-year-old Lalani Walton had just returned to Temple, Texas after a road trip with her family. They got home, unpacked their things, and her stepmother promised to take her out for a swim once Lalani cleaned her room. Tired from the trip, her stepmother rested her head and took a quick nap. When...
October is here, which according to Millennials means it is officially “Spooky Season.” And while Texas is home to a number of haunted houses and spooky events that will surely raise your blood pressure and lead to a scream or two, I went down a rabbit hole that can give you that same fix at...
Every time we open a web page, we are being monitored. Not by the people in our houses, nor by the government, nor private investigators, nor foreign agents—but by our devices themselves. That’s because data is the most valuable resource on earth—more valuable than gold, oil, or diamonds—and everything we do is data. Companies like...
It might seem like hyperbole to say that securing data privacy in the Lone Star State is a matter of life and death. But it can often have tragic consequences. For example, two years ago in New Jersey, a lawyer angry at a judge for postponing a ruling on his case obtained the judge’s sensitive...
Like hundreds of millions of Americans during the pandemic, residents of the District of Columbia walked about the city, smartphone in hand. Some listened to podcasts, talked to a loved one, or bided time in the augmented reality of Pokémon GO. Many residents were likely aware that their phones were tracking them as they stretched...
I’m old enough to have heard the term “latchkey kid” as a child. I grew up in a house where I would often walk home from school to an empty house, finish my homework, shoot hoops with the neighbor kids, and then return home to join my family for dinner. This is something of a...