DIGITAL KALEIDOSCOPE A. Michael Noll February 2, 2023 © A. M. Noll 2023 [The following commentary is authored by A. Michael Noll, and posted with the permission of the author. Michael experimented with many of the technologies of 3D, computational art, and tactile telecommunication in the 1960s and 1970s at Bell Labs. I always find … Continue reading Digital Kaleidoscope: A Commentary by A. Michael Noll
Arts and Humanities
Information Policy: An Unsettled Issue of the Digital Age
Information Policy: Broadening our Perspective on the Issue for the Digital Age There is widespread awareness that we are living in a post-industrial, information society, as we have learned from such seminal thinkers as Daniel Bell (1973). Given such an awareness, it is surprising to that the study of “information policy” is not more prominent. … Continue reading Information Policy: An Unsettled Issue of the Digital Age
Should Elites Get Off Twitter?
Should Elitists Get Off Twitter? An opinion piece in the Financial Times by Janan Ganesh (2022) argued that the real reason to get off Twitter was that it “reeks of low status”. Stay on it long enough and you can “catch” its tone of “domestic mediocrity”. Even elites who use this micro-blogging site should beware … Continue reading Should Elites Get Off Twitter?
Bad Prince Putin
Niccolo Machiavelli was not only one of the ancestorial-fathers of political science, but also remains incredibly relevant and insightful on so many topics of politics and power. In his discourses, advising the prince, he talks about a ‘bad prince’ in his reflections on republics, or popular governments, versus those governed by princes, who are hereditary … Continue reading Bad Prince Putin
Social Intelligence
Social Intelligence: Fascinating progress in a new approach to understanding public issues. In research on governmental and management use of computing in the 1970s, I found that some of the most consequential management information was gained by mining operational data (Dutton and Kraemer 1978; Kraemer, Dutton, and Northrop 1981). For example, there was a complaint … Continue reading Social Intelligence
A. Michael Noll’s Story of Harmon-Knowlton’s ‘The Nude’
HARMON-KNOWLTON’S “THE NUDE” OVERSHADOWS ALL A. Michael Noll August 28, 2022 Copyright © 2022 A. Michael Noll Mosaic Graphics Newspapers have been using a mosaic of dots with gray-scale values to reproduce photos. In 1967, Leon Harmon and Kenneth Knowlton did it, using a digital computer to assign gray-scale values to photos. Harmon and Knowlton … Continue reading A. Michael Noll’s Story of Harmon-Knowlton’s ‘The Nude’
Opinion Night: Both, One, or No Sides-ism
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Emily Maitlis’ MacTaggart Lecture online, which she delivered at the Edinburgh Television Festival. A gifted speaker, she was able to raise key editorial issues facing broadcast news for public service broadcasting in the UK, but arguably for news programming everywhere. Each of her general points, such as on avoiding self-censorship, were … Continue reading Opinion Night: Both, One, or No Sides-ism
The Attack on Salman Rushdie and Freedom of Expression
I can’t imagine what more could be said about the horrible attack 12 August 2022 on Salman Rushdie. So many brilliant writers and public intellectuals have spoken of the author’s bravery and support of freedom of expression. This was the topic Rushdie planned to speak about at the Chautauqua event. So, may I thank you, … Continue reading The Attack on Salman Rushdie and Freedom of Expression
Sad News for Comedy
As an American in Britain, I have found one of the most endearing traits of Britons, and people living in Britain generally, is their ability to laugh at themselves. They don’t take themselves so seriously that they can't see “what fools" we "mortals" can be. So how sad to learn in today’s paper that “Mock … Continue reading Sad News for Comedy
A. Michael Noll Reflects on Two Art Exhibitions
TWO EXHIBITIONS: THE PAST – THE FUTURE A. Michael Noll August 4, 2022 [The following commentary is authored by A. Michael Noll, and posted with the permission of the author. Michael was a pioneer in computer art in the 1960s, when the very idea of computer art might have been inexplicable.] In 1968, two exhibitions … Continue reading A. Michael Noll Reflects on Two Art Exhibitions