Review: ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’

“Just exist?” laments the title character in the Coen brothers’ latest treatise on American society. Yet existing is the most appropriate — perhaps the only appropriate — description of the character of Llewyn Davis. Pervasive ennui is not, of course, anything new for a Coen…

The new ‘power of now’ and the perils of the hyper-present

With modern technology, living life ‘in the moment’ has never been easier. But this new nowness is far from what earlier advocates had in mind, and might only be distracting us from the planet’s ever more pressing challenges.

Big Data: the New Water or the New Oil?

In definitional terms, big data is, as we are repeatedly told, a matter of volume, velocity, variety and sometimes veracity. But perhaps as a result of a fifth v, the vagueness of this definition, those discussing the present and future impact of big data on…

Why social data isn’t always a reliable indicator

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“Twitter says…” — Can big social data tell us about public opinion?

“Like Noah’s ark, (there was) every kind of…

Preserving the present: the unique challenges of archiving the web

In March 2012, as Mitt Romney was seeking to win over conservative voters in his bid to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, his adviser Eric Fehrnstrom discussed concerns over his appeal to moderate…