Blog Archives

Body cameras: coming to a school near you soon

Body cameras: coming to a school near you soon

The use of body cameras by front line police and other uniformed enforcement agencies is increasing at an unstoppable rate both in the US and UK. In the UK, video cameras have been seen primarily as a way of supporting police officers to better enforce order or collect evidence. Whereas in the US, their use […] … learn more→

2017 isn’t ‘1984’ – it’s stranger than Orwell imagined

2017 isn’t ‘1984’ – it’s stranger than Orwell imagined

A week after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, George Orwell’s “1984” is the best-selling book on Amazon.com. The hearts of a thousand English teachers must be warmed as people flock to a novel published in 1949 for ways to think about their present moment. Orwell set his story in Oceania, one of three blocs or mega-states […] … learn more→

Far beyond crime-ridden depravity, darknets are key strongholds of freedom of expression online

Far beyond crime-ridden depravity, darknets are key strongholds of freedom of expression online

The internet is much more than just the publicly available, Google-able web services most online users frequent – and that’s good for free expression. Companies frequently create private networks to enable employees to use secure corporate servers, for example. And free software allows individuals to create what are called “peer-to-peer” networks, connecting directly from one […] … learn more→

Seven academic books that helped to shape modern Britain

Seven academic books that helped to shape modern Britain

To celebrate the diversity, innovation and influence of academic books over the course of modern history, seven specialists share the book they believe has been most influential on modern British culture and society, as part of Academic Book Week. 1. The Law of the Constitution, by A.V Dicey Veronika Fikfak, lecturer and fellow in law, […] … learn more→

What’s missing in the teaching of Islam

What’s missing in the teaching of Islam

There has been much misinformation about Islam. Reports in Western media tend to perpetuate stereotypes that Islam is a violent religion and Muslim women are oppressed. Popular films like “American Sniper” reduce places like Iraq to dusty war zones, devoid of any culture or history. Fears and anxiety manifest themselves in Islamophobic actions such as […] … learn more→

The challenge facing libraries in an era of fake news

The challenge facing libraries in an era of fake news

Imagine, for a moment, the technology of 2017 had existed on Jan. 11, 1964 – the day Luther Terry, surgeon general of the United States, released “Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States.” What would be some likely scenarios? The social media noise machine explodes; conservative […] … learn more→

A Liberal academic teaches Liberals..or tries

A Liberal academic teaches Liberals..or tries

Hey, how about that last election? It’s so funny how many people are still puzzling over how the polls could all be so wrong, for so long, so consistently. I mean, Hillary was presented as way ahead, and after every debate, the mainstream media was only too happy to tell us that Hillary’s lead extended […] … learn more→