It was March 16, 2020, a beautiful day with marshmallow clouds and blue skies; the buds on the dogwood trees were struggling to bloom, and the grass was cut. The people of the town were gathering provisions — paper towels, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, Lysol spray, Clorox wipes, ground beef, chicken wings — and rushing […]
“Do you agree to the Terms of Service?” I took a cursory look at the Terms of Service:1.) Use respectful language.2.) Be respectful of others.3.) No profanity. Blah, blah, blah. I quickly clicked, Accept. I wanted to be part of a social community during a period of isolation (quarantine, shelter-in-place, and stay-at-home). I wanted to […]
When Governor Murphy issued his stay-at-home order on March 21, 2020, I decided to join a local community WhatsApp group. I am not sure why I joined this group, especially when my teacher-friends questioned my decision. None of them have Twitter accounts. They could not fathom why I have Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. I am […]
“Do you know why they are tracking you? They want to replace you with robots.” – Rupa, “The Model Employee” Are you a model employee? If Jeff Bezos had the technology, he would replace his Amazon workers with robots, smart robots. Think about: These robots do not get sick; they can work 24/7; they can […]
“Social Distancing is a Privilege” – Charles Blow In his April 5, 2020 op-ed, Charles Blow reports on the inequality of the COVID-19 is that “less than one in five black workers and roughly one in six Hispanic workers can work from home” (Economica Policy Institute). Many African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans do not have the option […]
Before COVID -19, I walked briskly, focused, listening to music. I wanted to finish my walk quickly, so I could return home to prepare dinner. I was busy, and walking was a chore. During the quarantine, my life slowed down. Now, I look forward to taking my daily walks. I walk when it is cold; […]
At 2 PM on Tuesday, March 25, 2020, I ventured out of my house to go to Whole Foods. I was tired of working on my laptop for such a long period. Since I needed a break, I was willing to take the risk. I took my purse, keys, hand sanitizer, and wipes. As I […]
Reaction to: Shosanna Zuboff’s The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight For a Human Future at the Frontier of Power (Introduction, Chp. 1: “Home in Exile” & Chapter 2: August 9, 2011 “Setting the Stage for Surveillance Capitalism”). Definition of “Surveillance Capitalism: A new economic order that claims human experience as free raw material for hidden commercial […]
Blog 5 Reaction to: Safiya Noble on algorithms of oppression Podcast and article “Engine Failure” TED talk: Joy Buolamwini “How I am Fighting Bias in Algorithms“ Joy Buolamwini on The Open Mind: Algorithmic Justice I want to start with an anecdote. Recently, I, along with 240 concerned parents, was invited to join a private, closed Whatsapp […]
I do not like oatmeal, but I like The Oatmeal Comic, especially the comic titled “You’re not going to believe what I’m about to tell you.” Here is the YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_aTN3yKOkY. (It caught my attention.) First, the cartoonist presents scientific information in a non-threatening, nonscientific way by using the form of a comic. The cartoonist starts by […]