Amazon might have a Cambridge Analytica-size problem

Amazon could be the next big tech firm to find itself in the eye of a data privacy storm.

  • This year the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, implicating Facebook and creating mass data privacy concern.
  • Concerns have been raised of Amazon user information being leaked to third parties on a regular basis.
  • With the amount of sensitive information and huge number of users on the Amazon platform, this is no small concern.
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5 of the worst inventions in modern history

Be glad your name isn't attached to any of these bad ideas.

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  • Some inventions can be celebrated during their time, but are proven to be devastating in the long run.
  • The inventions doesn't have to be physical. Complex mathematical creations that create money for Wall Street can do as much damage, in theory, as a gas that destroys the ozone layer.
  • Inventors can even see their creations be used for purposes far different than they had intended.
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In one coal state, renewable energy is set to win by 2028

Indiana ranks 3rd in coal consumption, but a primary energy utility there just declared the end of coal by 2028

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  • Where politicians fail, economic realities mean renewables are far less expensive: A savings of $4 billion over the next 30 years
  • Indiana is 7th in coal production and 3rd in consumption; this is due to change rapidly
  • The big winners? Solar and wind energies
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Why the language of fear won’t help us stop climate change

Using terrifying language when talking about climate change may be scaring people into inaction.

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  • Climate change is a linguistic challenge, as well as a technical one. Rather than fearmongering, talking about saving the environment like it is a series of achievable goals is something that people tend to respond to better.
  • What's the biggest contributor to climate change? If you guess car exhaust, you're wrong. It's cooling chemicals, like the ones found in air conditioners and refrigerators.
  • Cheryl Heller also supports the techniques outlined in the new book Drawdown, which bills itself as "the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming."
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Being nice is not going to end racism

Robin DiAngelo explains how well-intentioned white people uphold systemic racism.

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  • All that racism needs to keep going is for white people to keep being nice, says Robin DiAngelo. Being nice is better than the alternative, of course—but ask: What else am I doing to end racial inequality?
  • "But I have friends of color" is a deflection device, not a real way to engage in productive dialogue about systemic racism.
  • It's difficult for white people hear and, in DiAngelo's experience, many people will reject the idea of systemic racism and how they may benefit from it simply because it is too uncomfortable.
  • For the white people who want to push through this issue, the biggest thing they can do is recognize internalized superiority.
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
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