The nuclear anxiety of the Cold War now seems quaint. While speculative writers of the late 20th-early 21st centuries have largely relegated nukes to the past, the situation at San Onofre reminds us of our sins — of assuming the future would take care of the future. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission enabled this consensual hallucination. Did it take climate change into consideration?
Author: cia romano
Facing the Fragility of the Man-Made World
By cia romano on August 7th, 2021 in Articles, Blog Posts, Case Studies, Environment, Ethics, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
When we see a built world, we tend to take its permanence and stability for granted. For those who have chosen coastal homes, that built world goes back at least 50 years, with few residents ever realizing that oceans, lakes, and rivers are living entities constantly in motion. The average person relies upon experts such as architects and civil engineers, and supposed guardrails such as state building codes and homeowner associations, to assess safety when purchasing property. But the 21st-century assumption that the built world is stable is a risky bet. Especially in “business-friendly” states.
When Technology Drives Us Off the Climate-Change Cliff
By cia romano on June 22nd, 2021 in Blog Posts, Environment, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Arizona continues to build, build, build, and instead of requiring new residents to adapt to the climate, city governments and developers market the very bad idea that the desert can be made green, and thus more desirable.
Living downstream of the digital dam-break
By cia romano on April 20th, 2021 in Blog Posts, Ethics, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Unless we create real boundaries, enforced by legislation, the social media giants will also walk away from the chaos they have enabled.
Living in a Kludge*: Do We Want to Save the Future?
By cia romano on January 17th, 2021 in Blog Posts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Principles taught to STEM students state that “engineers must gain an understanding of all the issues surrounding a particular design challenge. These issues might include the need for the project, relevant social and economic conditions of the target population, and project constraints and requirements.” Engineers and problem-solvers are not the problem. Short-term thinking is the problem. Wishful thinking is the problem. “It will do for now” is the problem.
The Tragedy of the Martian Commons
By cia romano on November 18th, 2020 in Blog Posts, Ethics, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Why are all of these nations and their assorted consortia heading to Mars? Are they truly exploring to improve the human condition, to expand and share scientific knowledge?
Does the Truth Matter?
By cia romano on May 27th, 2020 in Blog Posts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
If only we knew more about the world that we live in. If only we understood that all things are interconnected. If only we could learn to value ethics above rank profiteering. We would make better decisions for ourselves and for our society. We would make good moral decisions. But we now know that access to factual knowledge does not necessarily improve the world. We are living that reality today.
Science Communication, Digital Media, and the Human Voice
By cia romano on August 17th, 2019 in Blog Posts, Communication Technology, Environment, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
Does access to science communication inevitably lead to greater public understanding of science, its discoveries, and their impact? Does access to online data sets inevitably lead to full comprehension of available information by scientists?
The Uber “unicorn” stock crash: Cheat-code culture hits the wall at last, maybe
By cia romano on May 16th, 2019 in Blog Posts, Ethics, Societal Impact
While “Ubering” was acquiring cachet as a verb and as a routine rite of passage for millennials (the heaviest users of the service), the company was besieged by problems. Some came squarely on the back of a general lack of ethics, or care for consequences.
Polling bias and American resistance to tech regulation
By cia romano on March 19th, 2019 in Blog Posts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The word “regulation” has been demonized by those who back an unfettered world of sink-or-swim markets. Yet the need for order – not to mention the defense of the defenseless – is essential to a free and functioning society.
What’s left after “move fast and break things”? A solid approach to order
By cia romano on December 28th, 2018 in Blog Posts, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
The assumption has been that consumers will jump at hype. Yet here at the end of 2018, it can be argued that the venality of tech giants has deflated the very hype cycle upon which those companies depend.
Thank You, But No: Facebook’s “Portal” Is A Wild Misjudgment
By cia romano on November 2nd, 2018 in Blog Posts, Privacy & Security, Societal Impact
Portal says that privacy is “built into every layer.” Despite the company’s reassurances about privacy, users are backing away.
The Not-So-Silent Scream: Speculative Film Goes Full Dark
By cia romano on September 7th, 2018 in Blog Posts, Human Impacts, Social Implications of Technology, Societal Impact
What are the potential consequences of mistrust, fear, or simple disinterest in technologies that have become an actual or perceived necessity to millions?