Mark Fischer on Copyright in the Digital Age

BLANK Jan 30, 2009 A new book by Lawrence Lessig asks what constitutes copyright infringement in the era of "sampling" and point-and-click downloading. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

Getting the Story on Gaza

Staff / Truthdig Jan 16, 2009 In this installment of BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen's diary about the Israeli-Palestinian war, Bowen describes how, thanks in part to technology, the word on Gaza is getting out despite the Israeli ban on foreign journalists. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Can You Hear Me Now?: Terrorist Edition

Staff / Truthdig Jan 10, 2009 In a reactionary move against technology and the beasts who wield it, the NYPD has announced it wants to jam cell phone frequencies in case of a terrorist attack, citing Mumbai as an example of how mobile phones allowed attackers in that Indian city to micromanage their assault in real time. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Believe It or Not, 2008 Was Relatively Nonviolent

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Jan 2, 2009 Peace is not at hand, at least not as Americans define it. Yet peace has been breaking out all over. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Man Is a Cruel Animal

Chris Hedges / Truthdig Dec 22, 2008 We fool ourselves into believing we are immune to the savagery and chaos of failed states. Take away the rigid social structure, let society continue to break down, and we become, like anyone else, brutes. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

The Peril and Promise of Interesting Times

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Nov 27, 2008 If things get much more "interesting," we might have a collective nervous breakdown. But along with the anxiety, there's also a sense of rare opportunity -- a chance to emerge better than we were economically, politically and socially. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Bailout or Bust: How to Save the Big Three From Themselves

Titus Levi / Truthdig Nov 20, 2008 There's no guarantee that a bailout would save the incompetently managed American automobile industry. However, doing nothing may be worse, especially for the state of Michigan. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Obama’s E-Mail Dilemma

Staff / Truthdig Nov 17, 2008 The president-elect is a notorious gadget hound who has been known to carry multiple cell phones, but he faces a looming downgrade. Because the public has a right to presidential records, Barack Obama will probably give up his precious Blackberry -- and quit e-mailing altogether. However, he is likely to be the first president with a laptop on his desk. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

YouTube Goes to the White House

Staff / Truthdig Nov 15, 2008 President-elect Barack Obama is bringing the fireside chat to the Web, using the technology at his disposal to address Americans online in a new twist on the check-in pioneered by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Turning Trash Into Electricity

Staff / Truthdig Nov 13, 2008 Here's a solution to the energy crisis Americans are sure to love: A company called Geoplasma is building a plant in Florida that will vaporize garbage with a plasma torch, turning 1,500 tons of waste into 60 megawatts of the good stuff. It may not be as clean as solar, but hey, America is the Saudi Arabia of trash. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Obama Standard

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Nov 3, 2008 A good politician triumphs by adapting to the times and taking advantage of opportunities as they come. A great politician anticipates openings others don't see and creates possibilities that were not there before. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Software Scans for Spin in Speeches

Staff / Truthdig Sep 18, 2008 Humans may be susceptible to methods of persuasion that play on the emotions and circumvent logic, but computers are another story. Enter a software program that purports to detect "spin" in politicians' speeches by using a complex (albeit man-made) algorithm to hunt for truth-stretching words and phrases. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )