by Ruth Shillair and Bill Dutton There has been much discussion of how reliance on digital media might undermine skills in reading and writing, as with pen and paper, and, in American education, with a copy of The Elements of Style by W. Strunk Jr.& E.B. White. But the loss of traditional skills goes far … Continue reading Reading and Writing Skills: Flipping the Digital Divide?
Digital Policy
Meetings!
Bill Dutton with Dr. Ruth Shillair After reading one more litany of complaints about ‘meetings’, I must come to their defense. Harry Wallop’s article ‘Are meetings pointless?’ in The Sunday Times (12 August 2026) stirred me to answer his question. While balanced, his article basically calls into question the value of meetings. So let me … Continue reading Meetings!
Drama in the Zoom Room
A Short Scenario by Ruth Shillair* I have been followed to many online meetings by AI Assistants like Otter, which want to record or summarise my conversations and meetings. The Assistant – let’s called s/him IT - asks to be admitted to the meeting as if IT was one of the invited participants, but I … Continue reading Drama in the Zoom Room
Do I Worry about AI?
DO I WORRY ABOUT AI? by A. Michael Noll [This blog written by A. Michael Noll is distributed with his permission.] It seems within the past year or so, AI (artificial intelligence) became the “in” development – todays “big thing.” It is the next “innovation” destined to change the world, in a string from the … Continue reading Do I Worry about AI?
The AI Speed-Up: Expectations and Realities
Dr Ruth Shillair[1] and Bill Dutton Discussion about the potential implications of AI has often focused on the loss of jobs. However, a key impact of AI and AI agents is more around the speed of completing tasks. For instance, before AI, a market analysis of a business idea might take days to a week … Continue reading The AI Speed-Up: Expectations and Realities
CITI MEMORIES by A. Michael Noll
[Colleagues are celebrating Professor Eli Noam's illustrious career as he retires from directing the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI) and his professorship at the Columbia Business School. I am delighted to post A. Michael Noll's personal reflections on Eli's career with the permission of the author.] CITI MEMORIES A. Michael Noll January 5, 2026 Introduction … Continue reading CITI MEMORIES by A. Michael Noll
A Hippocratic Oath for Asking D. Trump Questions
Journalists should consider a Hippocratic Oath before asking Donald Trump anything! I do not own a newspaper or media outlet, nor am I an editor of one. However, as a concerned reader and viewer, may I advise journalists not to ask Donald Trump questions that could have important implications? People or nations could be at … Continue reading A Hippocratic Oath for Asking D. Trump Questions
Telegram: A Valuable Platform to the People of Ukraine
William H. Dutton and Lisa Chernenko The arrest of Telegram’s founder, Pavel Durov, has generated a raft of commentaries, generally attacking Durov, Telegram’s moderation policies and its role in Russia. It has been characterized as a ‘platform for the Kremlin to convey its narrative of the war to ordinary Russians’ (Murphy & Klasa 2024; Foy … Continue reading Telegram: A Valuable Platform to the People of Ukraine
Portulans’ New Team of Fellows
I had the pleasure of attending an introduction – an ‘onboarding’ – of this year’s new Fellows of The Portulans Institute. There is nothing like meeting a group of talented early career academics and professionals to reinforce my optimism about the future. Our fellows are a clear example of this promise. Screen shot from the … Continue reading Portulans’ New Team of Fellows
A New Way to Video Conference – Badly
Initially I thought I was witnessing an unusual practice. Individuals with whom I was speaking were simultaneously involved in other conversations. Then, when I was part of a team planning and organising an event online – a video conferenced workshop, the organisers set up a social media account for us to communicate with each other … Continue reading A New Way to Video Conference – Badly