Author Archives: Ethan

What happens when mistrust wins – my speech at the Colombian national journalism prize

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Ethan

I spent yesterday in Bogota, Colombia, as the invited guest of the Premio Nacional de Periodismo Simón Bolívar, offering a speech on the future of civics and the future of journalism. It’s a wonderful event – roughly 1100 people came … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas | 5 Comments

This crazy election: Denial of Service attacks on Democracy

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Ethan

Reading Facebook before bed last night, amidst the Halloween costumes and candy haul photos, I saw this headline: “How to choose between the most corrupt, least popular candidates of all time”. Given that I’m researching a book on mistrust and … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas, Media | 1 Comment

Dumpsterfire 2016: What To Do When You Have No Idea What To Do

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Ethan

After the last presidential debate, I wrote on Twitter that the whole experience had left me wanting to take a shower… in sulfuric acid. Looking for an anger beyond fear, anger and despair, I made four donations – to a … Continue reading →

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Going Solo – On hating and accepting change

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Ethan

I have not been writing much about my divorce on this blog – I’ve kept most of that discussion on Facebook. I thought this post, wrestling not only with the divorce, but unwanted change more generally, might be helpful for … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas | 3 Comments

Massive National Prison Strike! Maybe. We don’t know. That’s a problem.

Posted on September 10, 2016 by Ethan

Yesterday, prisoners around the US began a strike protesting unpaid, underpaid and forced labor. Maybe. We think. Led by prisoners in Alabama and Texas, incarcerated activists planned a nationwide labor strike yesterday, with prisoners refusing to report for jobs essential … Continue reading →

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Supporting Feyisa Lilesa, a remarkable athlete and protester

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Ethan

At the end of the Rio Olympic men’s marathon, silver medalist Feyisa Lilesa did something extraordinary, important and dangerous. As he crossed the finish line, he crossed his wrists in front of his forehead in a gesture that’s halfway between … Continue reading →

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When attention matters: Ethiopia crushes dissent in Oromia

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Ethan

As an advocate for Americans to pay more attention to international news, I often get the question, “Why bother? What can I do?” It’s a good question. Most of the time, there’s very little actionable in international news. Understanding the … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Global Voices, Human Rights, Media | 1 Comment

Protected: The village of peace… and of coca leaves

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Ethan

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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The worst thing I read this year, and what it taught me… or Can we design sociotechnical systems that don’t suck?

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Ethan

Note: Shane Snow wrote a long and thoughtful email to me about this post. While we agree to disagree on some substantive issues, primarily our thoughts about the future of VR, we also found quite a bit of common ground. … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas, Media Lab | 37 Comments

From disastrous decisions to decentralization: a mostly spontaneous talk for Data & Society

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Ethan

My friends at Data and Society ran an excellent conference today in NYC. A speaker dropped out at the last minute and I got asked less than 48 hours ago to give a talk… a very specific talk. Here’s what … Continue reading →

Posted in ideas | 4 Comments