Columnists – Page 2 of 6

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From AIDS to Ebola: In rumor control, only the tech changes

As a species, we don’t seem to get any smarter about rumors and misinformation – even if our technology evolves.… Read More

Alaska Airlines’ biometric boarding pass: Lifting, or giving, a finger?

How much perceived privacy are you willing to give up to reduce pain? That’s one of the questions Alaska Airlines… Read More

This time-travel documentary wants your help to trace a sci-fi obsession

Time travel is nothing but talk. But there sure has been a lot of it. “We as human beings are… Read More

Why I’m hooked on Waze, and what it says about the future of humans and machines

It was going to be a quick trip to the Eastside on a weekend. Then traffic stopped, my husband scowled,… Read More

Stealth escalators, driverless subways and more Scandinavian technologies that we need now

At times, the coolest technology isn’t the bright-shiny object that glares at you demanding recognition of its awesomeness. It’s the… Read More

With hack of anonymous app Secret, Seattle hackers prove no one can hide

You haven’t shared anything really secret on Secret, right? Good. Because a Seattle hacker has outed the popular anonymous social… Read More

We are the Keepers: Time Capsule makes 1st stop on 400-year journey

It was like witnessing the creation of a “generation ship” — a vessel that requires multiple human lifespans to reach… Read More

Crowdsourced curation: Frye Art Museum wants you to remix its collection with a ‘like’

The people have spoken, and the people love the ducks. “It’s a pleasing painting, but it’s just a group of… Read More

Digitally clueless: Why I finally canceled the Seattle Times

Dear Seattle Times executives, I’m writing you in the traditional letter-to-the-editor format because it’s one with which I’m certain you’re… Read More

How the Seattle Public Library is helping authors overcome the Internet’s big lie

An early and persistent myth of the web is that the Internet levels the playing field for commerce and content.… Read More

More than a great view: How Seattle’s iconic Space Needle is going digital

Take the elevator to the top and enjoy the view. That’s been the main attraction at Seattle’s iconic Space Needle for pretty much all… Read More

Get it done already: 15 tips to beat online writing distractions

Everyone can write and no one can stay focused on writing. It’s a quirk of our connected universe that drives… Read More

3 ways Glenn Greenwald changed how I look at privacy

Glenn Greenwald doesn’t mince words. The government is “truly devoted to the elimination of privacy in the digital age,” the… Read More

I see dead words: Terminology that technology has left behind

There are words that are dead. They just don’t know it yet. The advance of technology has left, in its wake,… Read More

Lies my Fitbit tells me

It started at that stage in a relationship where the exhilaration and newness wears off. After eight months, I could no longer… Read More

4 cultural traps to avoid, courtesy of this leaked New York Times report

The New York Times ran a fantastic story last week about the struggles companies face in a digital world. Its… Read More

Smart or paranoid? Why I don’t want my toddler to watch TV

In three months, my son turns 2. That’s going to bring some fun new parenting challenges. Potty training. Those “terrible… Read More

Bummed in ‘Silicon Valley’: Why I can’t stand these new shows about startups

Last week I did something I rarely do. I posted an angry tweet: “Everyone,” huh? Again, TV people, would it… Read More

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First, we kill all the ‘futurists’

This is a tale of two keynotes. One, by a working scientist explaining the work being done in her field.… Read More

House of Cars: Lessons in politics from Seattle’s ridesharing saga

In this corner: We have a young, innovative company that says it’s changing the playing field, and making life better for… Read More

Generational blindness: Is sexism in tech forever?

There are many things that seem stubbornly cyclical in their refusal to be resolved in the tech industry. Password management.… Read More

‘Relax until you learn to relax:’ Advice from a startup CEO who stepped down and traveled the world

March 7, 2013, was a tough day for Kushal Chakrabarti. That was the day he announced he was stepping down… Read More

Challenge accepted: My attempt to take an entire business trip without touching paper

It began as a dare: Take an entire business trip without touching a piece of paper. I nearly choked on… Read More

Enough with the nonsense: Ride-sharing, Tesla and laws that can’t keep up

Sometimes I just want to tell lawmakers to shut up and host a hackathon. You can almost see it: Legislators,… Read More

Learn to code? No: Learn a real language

The “learn to code” movement may be about to run afoul of the Law of Unintended Consequences. Few (least of… Read More

The weakest link in data privacy is, well, you

Happy Data Privacy Day! The first round of credit card numbers is on me! Yes, this Tuesday, Jan. 28 really… Read More

Washington state’s Obamacare site better than most — but that’s still not saying much

Three-and-a-half months after the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, Washington’s Healthplanfinder website remains one of the better-performing health care… Read More

Pin pros: Insights from Seattle’s top 10 Pinterest pinners

Nearly four years after it launched in private beta in March 2010, Pinterest is a powerhouse. Twenty-one percent of online… Read More

Four tech terms to forget in ’14

It’s 2014, and time to ring in the new and throw out the old. Old tech terms, that is: those… Read More

Kissing a computer: Technology and relationships in Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’

It’s a double date in a park, or so we’re told. A man, a woman, another man, and his operating… Read More