Why do you choose one news source over another? Does its quality of judgment, tone, taste, and character play a part in your decision? “As audiences we are guided by the decisions journalists make about what to report and how it is reported, and we are guided in our choice of news packages by a … Read more
“Technology catalyzes changes not only in what we do but in how we think. It changes people’s awareness of themselves, of one another, of their relationship with the world,” writes Sherry Turkle in her book The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit. “The new machine that stands behind the flashing digital signal, unlike the … Read more
What is good writing? “The Elements of Style,” hailed by many as one of the most important books on writing ever published, tries to answer this question. But does it succeed? I believe that the answer will vary depending on your stand in the most heated debate among wordsmiths — whether brevity and succinctness are … Read more
In one of the episodes of “On Being” podcast, the climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe told a story that may resonate with many of us who feel helpless in the face of the environmental crisis facing our shared home. “I was talking with a pastor [in Texas] just recently,” Hayhoe said to the podcast host, “and … Read more