Book Review: The World After Capital, by Albert Wenger In this book Albert Wenger colors outside of the lines with convincing arguments and research. The author portrays the practical possibility of a near ideal world with compelling empirical evidence from today’s state of technology. Imagine an environment in which everyone is able to pursue their …
Author Archives: marwalk
Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics
Book Review: Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else), by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò This book is rich espresso, well worthwhile in keeping up with its rapid pace of concentrated thought. Táíwò takes the reader through the unintentional mistakes of well meaning (white) people who (understandably) feel that deference is the …
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HF Radio to Mitigate Loss of Satellites (2 of 4)
This is the second of four articles to suggest solutions to the problems that would be caused on Earth from the loss of satellite services. I briefly describe the situation in a previous posting at Impending Space Junk Disaster. This article discusses the use of High Frequency (HF) radio to provide connectivity to replace that …
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Mesh Networks to Mitigate Loss of Satellites (1 of 4)
This is the first of four articles to suggest solutions to the problems that would be caused on Earth from the loss of satellite services. I briefly describe the situation in a previous posting at Impending Space Junk Disaster. This article discusses the use of mesh networks to provide connectivity to replace that which is …
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The Man Who Broke Capitalism
Book Review: The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America—and How to Undo His Legacy, by David Gelles If this book doesn’t boil your blood you’re part of the problem. In this account of the late GE CEO Jack Welch, David Gelles illuminates the essence …
SSH Keys Demystified
Using SSH (Secure Shell) with crypto keys can be a pull your hair out exercise in frustration—not only is the discussion on the Internet sometimes more snooty than helpful, some of the advice is outright wrong and in following it you can disable your system. The points below should get you to workable SSH connections …
The WEIRDest People in the World
Book Review: The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous, by: Joseph Henrich If you’ve ever wondered how Western culture, language, and technology came to have the prominent role it has worldwide, the answer may be literally WEIRD from a reading of Joseph Henrich’s book. WEIRD in this case …
Impending Space Junk Disaster
Houston (and the rest of the world), we have a problem with space junk. This is beyond the issue of the orbital space around Earth looking increasingly like the proverbial teenager’s closet—the growing manifestation of the Kessler Syndrome is a recognized risk to operational space platforms, in addition to a serious threat to human life …
Will Issue Definitions Ever Stabilize?
This is a quick question with a probable quick answer. I started with a title of this post that was about battle lines, and those appear to be in flux. Upon further consideration, it appears to me that what’s altering the battle lines is the often fuzziness of issue definitions. Statements one would make today …
After the Apocalypse: America’s Role in a World Transformed
Book Review: After the Apocalypse: America’s Role in a World Transformed by Andrew J. Bacevich The Apocalypse this book refers to is the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which upended several previously sacrosanct presuppositions about economics, society, and diplomacy. Andrew Bacevich addresses the history and condition of the United States and the role the US is …
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