This is an exceptionally direct and poignant talk about what’s at stake with regards to algorithmic discrimination and how big data can fuel it, as well as what needs to be done to remediate such discrimination and unfairness.
Videos
Solo (Official Trailer)
Really cannot wait until this movie comes out! It looks like it’ll be a lot of fun and with a very different tone and feel than the ones released over the past two years.
Collecting Objects vs Collecting Potential In Photography
I really appreciated this short but poignant interview of Joel Meyerowitz. He has an interesting assessment of the difference between a SLR and rangefinder-style camera (one blinds you to half the world whereas the other lets you see the frame and what is around the frame) and how photography has the potential to transform the unrelated into the real, the imagined, or the potential.
Oprah Winfrey’s 2018 Golden Globes Speech
I have no idea whether or not this speech might herald Oprah’s potential entry into politics as a candidate, or as an effort to leverage her reputation and power to equalize power imbalances in the media and entertainment space, or as part of another activity that she plans on undertaking. What I do know is that her speech is amazingly powerful and has parallels with some of the best speeches of Obama that launched him as a candidate: if this was her political ‘coming out’ speech then it’s remarkably impressive in its accessibility to the general public and depth of meaning and importance to the public writ large.
The Star Wars: Concept Trailer
It’s pretty amazing to see what Star Wars might have looked like if George Lucas’ initial script and the original designs had been adopted (and made with contemporary computer generated images!). Imagine how much more interesting it would have been had a young woman, instead of a male, protagonist been responsible for saving everything!
Develop Your Photographer’s Brain
A great, and as always helpful, reminder that what matters most isn’t the equipment you carry but your creativity and desire to use it on a regular basis.
Privacy and Policing in a Digital World
As the federal government holds public consultations on what changes should be made to Bill C-51, the controversial anti-terrorism legislation passed by the Conservative government, various police agencies such as the RCMP and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police have petitioned to gain new powers to access telephone and internet data. Meanwhile nearly half of Canadians believe they should have the right to complete digital privacy. The Agenda examines the question of how to balance privacy rights with effective policing in the digital realm.
I was part of a panel that discussed some of the powers that the Government of Canada is opening for discussion as part of its National Security consultation, which ends on December 15, 2016. If you want to provide comments to the government, see: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/defence/nationalsecurity/consultation-national-security.html
