All Research

All Research

How the Vetocracy Paralyzes Progress 
Article
The Dispatch

How the Vetocracy Paralyzes Progress 

Political scientist Francis Fukuyama is right, at least about one thing. The American political system is a vetocracy, a system ruled by vetoes. And in recent decades, this excessive power…

California’s SB 1047 Moves Closer to Changing the AI Landscape
Article
The Dispatch

California’s SB 1047 Moves Closer to Changing the AI Landscape

Last week, the California State Assembly passed SB 1047, a controversial AI safety bill that supporters contend would regulate advanced AI models to reduce the possibility of AI going haywire and…

Your Autonomous Vehicle Ride Might Take a While
Article
The Dispatch

Your Autonomous Vehicle Ride Might Take a While

For a time, when I wanted to make a point that AI hype was overblown, I would just cite Elon Musk’s various predictions about autonomous vehicles (AV).  In 2013, Musk predicted…

VIPER’s Failure and the Future of Space Exploration
Article
The Dispatch

VIPER’s Failure and the Future of Space Exploration

Earlier this year, NASA’s most advanced lunar rover—the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover or VIPER—seemed to be on track to the moon. Engineers integrated the VIPER’s final instrument of four in February.…

The Promise of Geoengineering 
Article
The Dispatch

The Promise of Geoengineering 

It is memory-holed now, but acid rain was the largest environmental threat in the 1980s. Grisly pictures emerged, prompting research and then action by the government to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen…

What’s Behind the Antitrust Ruling Against Google?
Article
The Dispatch

What’s Behind the Antitrust Ruling Against Google?

In the groundbreaking case U.S. v. Google, Judge Amit Mehta of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled Monday that the tech giant has been using its…

James C. Scott, Legibility, and the Omnipresence of Tech
Article
The Dispatch

James C. Scott, Legibility, and the Omnipresence of Tech

Last week, political scientist James C. Scott passed away. Scott’s 1998 book, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, easily ranks near the top of…

The Power of Tumblr
Article
The Dispatch

The Power of Tumblr

The social networking website Tumblr is a shadow of its former self now, but from about 2010 to 2016 something new was arising in it. It was generally referred to…

Unpacking the Data Dilemma
Article
AEIdeas

Unpacking the Data Dilemma

Systems of categorization and classification have played important roles throughout history, from ancient religious texts organizing moral codes to modern scientific frameworks. Among these is the modern digital data system,…

The Supreme Court Term in Review
Article
The Dispatch

The Supreme Court Term in Review

“A film is born three times,” French filmmaker Robert Bresson once famously remarked. “First in the writing of the script, once again in the shooting, and finally in the editing.” …

Busting Tech Myths
Article
AEIdeas

Busting Tech Myths

Myths about technology are constantly in flux, from companies claiming to have made the next great thing to rumors about the latest smartphone. These myths often seep into social discourse,…

The Challenges of Age-Prediction: Where Current Technology Falls Short
Article
AEIdeas

The Challenges of Age-Prediction: Where Current Technology Falls Short

In an era where digital identity verification is becoming increasingly important, age-prediction software has emerged as a potential solution for age-gating and access control. However, recent evaluations by the National Institute of…

Reversing Course: The Need to Renew American Antitrust
Article
National Review

Reversing Course: The Need to Renew American Antitrust

America’s system of government is founded on the protection of freedom in all aspects of life, including business. This freedom has fueled the nation’s prosperity, transforming it into a beacon of…

The Haphazard Road to Rural Broadband 
Article
The Dispatch

The Haphazard Road to Rural Broadband 

I recently got a message asking me what I thought about this Washington Times article by Susan Ferrechio on the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. As part of the Infrastructure Investment and…

Securing the Web with Route Origin Authorizations
Article
AEIdeas

Securing the Web with Route Origin Authorizations

As part of the initiative to bolster cybersecurity defenses, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is championing the widespread adoption of Route Origin Authorizations (ROAs), a security mechanism to…