The terror attacks in Paris, just like other terror attacks before them including 9/11, are a challenge to core democratic values of tolerance and freedom of speech. Turning against Muslims or against refugees is a terrible response as it only confirms the apocalyptic ideology of the attackers. Insisting on a primacy of individual privacy and government secrecy and continuing down a path of moral relativism is, however, equally doomed as a response. Let me start with moral relativism. Now wou...

The terror attacks in Paris, just like other terror attacks before them including 9/11, are a challenge to core democratic values of tolerance and freedom of speech. Turning against Muslims or against refugees is a terrible response as it only confirms the apocalyptic ideology of the attackers. Insisting on a primacy of individual privacy and government secrecy and continuing down a path of moral relativism is, however, equally doomed as a response. Let me start with moral relativism. Now wou...

I think it is super important in the current debate about government surveillance to separate two different arguments. First, I have stated and continue to believe that large scale secret programs without supervision and without checks and balances are unacceptable for a democracy. The potential for abuse and the cost in terms of a loss of rights (eg having a fair trial) are simply too large. Second, we should, however, not make the mistake of applying what Taleb would call a turkey argument ...

I think it is super important in the current debate about government surveillance to separate two different arguments. First, I have stated and continue to believe that large scale secret programs without supervision and without checks and balances are unacceptable for a democracy. The potential for abuse and the cost in terms of a loss of rights (eg having a fair trial) are simply too large. Second, we should, however, not make the mistake of applying what Taleb would call a turkey argument ...

Unlike many other people, I have not been disappointed with Barack Obama’s presidency. There have been many moments of frustration, but it is a damn tough job, especially when so many representatives from both sides seem to have lost all sense of what their responsibilities are. But I do find the idea of assassinations targeting US citizens without due process deeply disturbing. Due process is one of the key breakthroughs of the modern state and is at the foundation of what sets us apart from...

Unlike many other people, I have not been disappointed with Barack Obama’s presidency. There have been many moments of frustration, but it is a damn tough job, especially when so many representatives from both sides seem to have lost all sense of what their responsibilities are. But I do find the idea of assassinations targeting US citizens without due process deeply disturbing. Due process is one of the key breakthroughs of the modern state and is at the foundation of what sets us apart from...

What you call things matters. There is a reason why “nomen est omen” goes back as far as ancient Rome. They of course believed that a person’s name determines (or at least reveals) fate, but more recently we have seen plenty of evidence of company or product names making a meaningful difference. And anyone who has done user testing will know that what label you put on a button can significantly impact how often it will be clicked. I was therefore happy to see that the Obama administration is ...

What you call things matters. There is a reason why “nomen est omen” goes back as far as ancient Rome. They of course believed that a person’s name determines (or at least reveals) fate, but more recently we have seen plenty of evidence of company or product names making a meaningful difference. And anyone who has done user testing will know that what label you put on a button can significantly impact how often it will be clicked. I was therefore happy to see that the Obama administration is ...

No Tech Tuesday today, I will resume next week. I have many friends in Boston and knew several people who were in the Marathon. Whatever the police may call the investigation, as far as I am concerned this bombing was an act of terrorism. It was designed to kill randomly and instill fear and anger in the population. Our first thoughts and attention should be on victims and their families as well as the traumatized bystanders and first responders. The Boston tech community is fundraising and y...

No Tech Tuesday today, I will resume next week. I have many friends in Boston and knew several people who were in the Marathon. Whatever the police may call the investigation, as far as I am concerned this bombing was an act of terrorism. It was designed to kill randomly and instill fear and anger in the population. Our first thoughts and attention should be on victims and their families as well as the traumatized bystanders and first responders. The Boston tech community is fundraising and y...