When Innovation and Technology Fail Us Joshua Spodek October 10, 2018 We see technology, innovation, and the efficiency they bring as relief to our burdens, potential solutions to some of our greatest problems, such as the climate and pollution. Could they, while solving immediate problems, create bigger, long-term ones? I write the following as the holder of six patents, as well as a PhD in astrophysics, having helped build an[…] Keep reading →

My response to a popular social media post is below. I don’t pretend it’s the final word, but it expresses something missing. The post I responded to Guys ask why women are so pissed off. Even guys with wives and daughters. Jackson Katz, a prominent social researcher, illustrates why. He’s done it with hundreds of audiences: “I draw a line down the middle of a chalkboard, sketching a male symbol[…] Keep reading →

American cuisine has two simple rules governing it, I found. You often have to step outside a system to see it with fresh eyes. First, I’ll describe that process. Stepping outside the system We’ve seen pictures of plastic choking once-pristine beaches and wilderness. One day three years ago I looked down at my kitchen’s garbage and saw that most of my garbage came from food packaging. I decided to try[…] Keep reading →

We look at technology, culture, cities, and so on and consider ourselves advanced relative to past people and cultures. They thought the Earth was flat. The couldn’t draw with perspective. They didn’t know that germs caused many diseases. If we’re so smart, imagine this: if you could magically go back in time knowing everything about today’s world, could you make the world a better place? If so, how? Sure, if[…] Keep reading →

Here’s what I mean by yummy: Here’s what I mean by delicious (a delivery from my CSA): What’s the difference? “Yummy” food tends to have qualities such as: Little fiber Fried Sugar, fat, and salt provide the dominant flavors and textures Little raw ingredients Mostly yellow, orange, or brown Other colors often come from food coloring and don’t represent the raw foods Sauces Packaged Corporate processing Many ingredients “Delicious” food[…] Keep reading →

Do American Restaurants Only Serve Comfort Food? Can you eat delicious and healthy away from home? You probably want to eat healthy. It’s hard in American restaurants and markets, which may devote over 90% of their space to packaged and fiberless industrial food products. Maybe you put the effort in to avoid industrial food products in favor of fresh, whole vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds. If you’re like me, you learned to love the subtle, complex, nuanced flavors[…] Keep reading →

The Green Revolution saved over a billion people from starvation, according to many. I don’t think that’s the only way to see it. Before describing other ways, first, what is the Green Revolution? According to Wikipedia, The Green Revolution, or Third Agricultural Revolution, refers to a set of research and the development of technology transfer initiatives occurring between the 1930s and the late 1960s (with prequels in the work of[…] Keep reading →