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This publication will examine issues in tech and society in a way that (hopefully) leads to more secure and mindful use of technology. We welcome guest writers who include local technologists actively working the field, people who shape tech policy and other thought leaders in the tech space.Subscribe to the TEC Blog
TEC Newsletters
- AZ Tech Law & Policy will break from the traditional business-centered approach of covering tech and focus more on the tech news that directly impacts all Arizonans. That's not say we won't cover tech biz, just that it won't be our main focus.
- Good News in Tech will offer a reprieve from the valid concerns about tech's potential negative impacts on society (which will be covered in our blog). This newsletter serves to remind us of why tech is awesome and how it truly elevates humanity. Subscribe to this newsletter if you want updates on all the cool, awesome, straight-from-sci-fi tech that's being developed and deployed in real life.
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TEC Articles
January 2024 Good Tech News
Jan 2, 2024
15 min read
Phoenix using AI to clean wastewater | Implant helps man with Parkinson's walk | Dynabeads detect pathogens | 3D printed better prosthetic hands
Tech Law And Policy Year In Review
Nov 7, 2023
15 min read
We’ll use this issue to get you caught up on some of the biggest tech news from 2023. Some of it may be “old” news, but since the programs still exist we’re telling you about them anyway.
Five Healthy Alternatives To Elon Musk
Nov 6, 2023
15 min read
When it comes to celebrity worship of technologists, there are better options.
Opening The Door For Dictators
Jul 19, 2021
7 min read
How our willingness to give up privacy paves the way for self-suppression.
The Problem With Passwords
Apr 19, 2021
10 min read
We hear a lot about passwords these days. What we *don’t* get is an explanation of what passwords actually are and the underpinnings of how they work. The intended audience for this article is users that are tired of being told that it’s completely their fault that their account got hacked. Secondarily, it’s for executives and engineers responsible for implementing authentication for websites, services, and businesses. Passwords will **never** work well. It’s long past time to move on to better alternatives.
Geeks Bearing Grifts
Apr 13, 2021
11 min read
Why RFC3161 is superior to blockchain for digital notary in every regard.
An Abundance Of Scarcity
Mar 18, 2021
10 min read
How adding scarcity to digital and other post-scarcity environments creates problems and suffering.
Relinquishing Our Humanity
Mar 4, 2021
6 min read
The inadvertent consequence of well-intentioned technology.
Child Safety We Can Earn It But At What Cost
Feb 16, 2021
8 min read
How the EARN IT act weakens encryption protections under the pretense of child safety
Untangling The Web The Next Internet
Feb 1, 2021
10 min read
The internet is the most powerful communication system ever invented by humanity. Unfortunately, it was never completed. The missing parts have allowed the internet to become diseased with constant security threats and privacy invasions, with no way to stop or even slow the progression of these pervasive online ills.
On Teaching Technology Lessons Learned
Feb 1, 2021
4 min read
One of the benefits of 2020 was it gave us the opportunity to investigate how we do things in technology education (admittedly whether we wanted to or not). Social distancing requirements forced technology teachers to try new approaches and some definitely worked better than others.
De Platform The Internet
Jan 16, 2021
6 min read
While the internet is inarguably the greatest invention in human telecommunication to date, its early idealism and utopian promise has given way to a profit-driven, algorithmically manipulated echo chamber that is starting to cause harm in the real world. How did we get here? More importantly, how can we restore the internet’s promise?
The Way Forward
Jan 4, 2021
14 min read
This article is part three of the three-part series Computers: The Pitfalls, Perils and Promise published by TEC. The articles examine the societal challenges that stem from technology’s ever-pervasive role in our lives and how to confront those challenges in a way that allows technology and humanity to reach its full potential. There are solutions available but they can only be effective if we as a society radically change the way we think about computers, technology and ourselves.
The Cyber Pandemic
Dec 14, 2020
17 min read
This article is part two of the three-part series Computers: The Pitfalls, Perils and Promise published by TEC. The articles examine the societal challenges that stem from technology’s ever-pervasive role in our lives and how to confront those challenges in a way that allows technology and humanity to reach its full potential. There are solutions available but they can only be effective if we as a society radically change the way we think about computers, technology and ourselves.
The Computer Tax
Dec 7, 2020
8 min read
This article is part one of the three-part series Computers: The Pitfalls, Perils and Promise published by TEC. The articles examine the societal challenges that stem from technology’s ever-pervasive role in our lives and consider how to confront those challenges so technology and humanity can reach their full potential. Solutions do exist, but they require society to radically change the way it thinks about computers, technology and ourselves.