Against Technology

Against Technology

Author: Steven E. Jones

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-01-11

Total Pages: 271

ISBN-13: 1135522391

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This book addresses the question of what it might mean today to be a Luddite--that is, to take a stand against technology. Steven Jones here explains the history of the Luddites, British textile works who, from around 1811, proclaimed themselves followers of "Ned Ludd" and smashed machinery they saw as threatening their trade. Against Technology is not a history of the Luddites, but a history of an idea: how the activities of a group of British workers in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire came to stand for a global anti-technology philosophy, and how an anonymous collective movement came to be identified with an individualistic personal conviction. Angry textile workers in the early nineteenth century became romantic symbols of a desire for a simple life--certainly not the original goal of the actions for which they became famous. Against Technology is, in other words, a book about representations, about the image and the myth of the Luddites and how that myth was transformed over time into modern neo-Luddism.


Book Synopsis Against Technology by : Steven E. Jones

Download or read book Against Technology written by Steven E. Jones and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-01-11 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book addresses the question of what it might mean today to be a Luddite--that is, to take a stand against technology. Steven Jones here explains the history of the Luddites, British textile works who, from around 1811, proclaimed themselves followers of "Ned Ludd" and smashed machinery they saw as threatening their trade. Against Technology is not a history of the Luddites, but a history of an idea: how the activities of a group of British workers in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire came to stand for a global anti-technology philosophy, and how an anonymous collective movement came to be identified with an individualistic personal conviction. Angry textile workers in the early nineteenth century became romantic symbols of a desire for a simple life--certainly not the original goal of the actions for which they became famous. Against Technology is, in other words, a book about representations, about the image and the myth of the Luddites and how that myth was transformed over time into modern neo-Luddism.

Race After Technology

Race After Technology

Author: Ruha Benjamin

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2019-07-09

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 1509526439

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From everyday apps to complex algorithms, Ruha Benjamin cuts through tech-industry hype to understand how emerging technologies can reinforce White supremacy and deepen social inequity. Benjamin argues that automation, far from being a sinister story of racist programmers scheming on the dark web, has the potential to hide, speed up, and deepen discrimination while appearing neutral and even benevolent when compared to the racism of a previous era. Presenting the concept of the “New Jim Code,” she shows how a range of discriminatory designs encode inequity by explicitly amplifying racial hierarchies; by ignoring but thereby replicating social divisions; or by aiming to fix racial bias but ultimately doing quite the opposite. Moreover, she makes a compelling case for race itself as a kind of technology, designed to stratify and sanctify social injustice in the architecture of everyday life. This illuminating guide provides conceptual tools for decoding tech promises with sociologically informed skepticism. In doing so, it challenges us to question not only the technologies we are sold but also the ones we ourselves manufacture. Visit the book's free Discussion Guide here.


Book Synopsis Race After Technology by : Ruha Benjamin

Download or read book Race After Technology written by Ruha Benjamin and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-07-09 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From everyday apps to complex algorithms, Ruha Benjamin cuts through tech-industry hype to understand how emerging technologies can reinforce White supremacy and deepen social inequity. Benjamin argues that automation, far from being a sinister story of racist programmers scheming on the dark web, has the potential to hide, speed up, and deepen discrimination while appearing neutral and even benevolent when compared to the racism of a previous era. Presenting the concept of the “New Jim Code,” she shows how a range of discriminatory designs encode inequity by explicitly amplifying racial hierarchies; by ignoring but thereby replicating social divisions; or by aiming to fix racial bias but ultimately doing quite the opposite. Moreover, she makes a compelling case for race itself as a kind of technology, designed to stratify and sanctify social injustice in the architecture of everyday life. This illuminating guide provides conceptual tools for decoding tech promises with sociologically informed skepticism. In doing so, it challenges us to question not only the technologies we are sold but also the ones we ourselves manufacture. Visit the book's free Discussion Guide here.

Science and Technology Against Microbial Pathogens

Science and Technology Against Microbial Pathogens

Author: A. Méndez-Vilas

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 447

ISBN-13: 9814354864

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Antimicrobial susceptibility profile and effect of stem bark extracts of Curtisia dentata on multi-drug resistant verotoxic Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter spp. isolates obtained from water and wastewater samples / Hamuel James Doughari [und weitere]. Antimicrobial utilization in intensive care units of a private tertiary care hospital / Pramil Tiwari, Vani Yadav and Shilpi Singh. Bacterial clearance from blood in mice infected by S. pneumoniae (penicillin MIC = 16 ug/ml) presenting specific IgG (non-protective levels) and treated with sub-therapeutic regimens of cefditoren (a highly bound cephalosporin) / Fabio Cafini [und weitere]. Characterisation of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from hospitalised patients / Vladimir Kmet, Daniela Ohlasova and Milan Niks. Characterization of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci isolates from blood cultures in a Brazilian University Hospital / Valeria Cataneli Pereira and Maria de Lourdes Ribeiro de Souza da Cunha. Control of bacterial contamination in boar semen doses / J.M. Morrell and Margareta Wallgren. Diffusion of extended-spectrum B-lactamase producing Enterobacter cloacae in a kidney transplantation unit / S. Hammami [und weitere]. Effect of antifungal agents on non-Candida albicans Candida species enzymatic activity / M. Negri [und weitere]. Effect of chitosan, nisin and storage time on the growth of Listeria innocua and Shewanella putrefaciens in fish homogenates / L.I. Schelegueda, M.F. Gliemmo and C.A. Campos. ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the northern Portugal - antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular epidemiology / R. Fernandes and C. Prudencio. Observations on the antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius following the introduction of cefovecin for clinical use in Europe / Y. Chaudhry, A. Robinson and K.S. Godinho. Oxacillin resistance among Staphylococcus aureus isolated from peritoneal dialysis related peritonitis / C.H. Camargo [und weitere]. Resistance detection and susceptibility profile in Staphylococcus spp. isolated from patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) / Adriano Martison Ferreira [und weitere]. Resistance distribution profile of MBL, ESBL and multidrug resistant Gram negatives isolated at a tertiary care hospital in India / K.H. Bhutada and V.R. Shende


Book Synopsis Science and Technology Against Microbial Pathogens by : A. Méndez-Vilas

Download or read book Science and Technology Against Microbial Pathogens written by A. Méndez-Vilas and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2011 with total page 447 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Antimicrobial susceptibility profile and effect of stem bark extracts of Curtisia dentata on multi-drug resistant verotoxic Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter spp. isolates obtained from water and wastewater samples / Hamuel James Doughari [und weitere]. Antimicrobial utilization in intensive care units of a private tertiary care hospital / Pramil Tiwari, Vani Yadav and Shilpi Singh. Bacterial clearance from blood in mice infected by S. pneumoniae (penicillin MIC = 16 ug/ml) presenting specific IgG (non-protective levels) and treated with sub-therapeutic regimens of cefditoren (a highly bound cephalosporin) / Fabio Cafini [und weitere]. Characterisation of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from hospitalised patients / Vladimir Kmet, Daniela Ohlasova and Milan Niks. Characterization of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci isolates from blood cultures in a Brazilian University Hospital / Valeria Cataneli Pereira and Maria de Lourdes Ribeiro de Souza da Cunha. Control of bacterial contamination in boar semen doses / J.M. Morrell and Margareta Wallgren. Diffusion of extended-spectrum B-lactamase producing Enterobacter cloacae in a kidney transplantation unit / S. Hammami [und weitere]. Effect of antifungal agents on non-Candida albicans Candida species enzymatic activity / M. Negri [und weitere]. Effect of chitosan, nisin and storage time on the growth of Listeria innocua and Shewanella putrefaciens in fish homogenates / L.I. Schelegueda, M.F. Gliemmo and C.A. Campos. ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the northern Portugal - antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular epidemiology / R. Fernandes and C. Prudencio. Observations on the antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius following the introduction of cefovecin for clinical use in Europe / Y. Chaudhry, A. Robinson and K.S. Godinho. Oxacillin resistance among Staphylococcus aureus isolated from peritoneal dialysis related peritonitis / C.H. Camargo [und weitere]. Resistance detection and susceptibility profile in Staphylococcus spp. isolated from patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) / Adriano Martison Ferreira [und weitere]. Resistance distribution profile of MBL, ESBL and multidrug resistant Gram negatives isolated at a tertiary care hospital in India / K.H. Bhutada and V.R. Shende

Philosophy and Technology

Philosophy and Technology

Author: P.T. Durbin

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 9400971249

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Only recently has the phenomenon of technology become an object of in terest for philosophers. The first attempts at a philosophy of technology date back scarcely a hundred years - a span of time extremely short when com pared with the antiquity of philosophical reflections on nature, science, and society. Over that hundred-year span, speculative, critical, and empiricist approaches of various sorts have been put forward. Nevertheless, even now there remains a broad gap between the importance of technology in the real world and the sparse number of philosophical works dedicated to the under standing of modern technology. As a result of the complex structure of modern technology, it can be dealt with in very different ways. These range from metaphysical exposition to efforts aimed at political consensus. Quite naturally, within such a broad range, certain national accents can be discovered-; they are shaped by a com mon language, accepted philosophical traditions, and concrete problems requiring consideration. Even so, the worldwide impact of technology, its penetration into all spheres of individual, social, and cultural life, together with the urgency of the problems raised in this context - all these demand a joint philosophical discussion that transcends the barriers of language and cultural differences. The papers printed here are intended to exemplify such an effort at culture-transcending philosophical discussion.


Book Synopsis Philosophy and Technology by : P.T. Durbin

Download or read book Philosophy and Technology written by P.T. Durbin and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Only recently has the phenomenon of technology become an object of in terest for philosophers. The first attempts at a philosophy of technology date back scarcely a hundred years - a span of time extremely short when com pared with the antiquity of philosophical reflections on nature, science, and society. Over that hundred-year span, speculative, critical, and empiricist approaches of various sorts have been put forward. Nevertheless, even now there remains a broad gap between the importance of technology in the real world and the sparse number of philosophical works dedicated to the under standing of modern technology. As a result of the complex structure of modern technology, it can be dealt with in very different ways. These range from metaphysical exposition to efforts aimed at political consensus. Quite naturally, within such a broad range, certain national accents can be discovered-; they are shaped by a com mon language, accepted philosophical traditions, and concrete problems requiring consideration. Even so, the worldwide impact of technology, its penetration into all spheres of individual, social, and cultural life, together with the urgency of the problems raised in this context - all these demand a joint philosophical discussion that transcends the barriers of language and cultural differences. The papers printed here are intended to exemplify such an effort at culture-transcending philosophical discussion.

Artificial Unintelligence

Artificial Unintelligence

Author: Meredith Broussard

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2019-01-29

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 026253701X

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A guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology and why we should never assume that computers always get it right. In Artificial Unintelligence, Meredith Broussard argues that our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a tremendous amount of poorly designed systems. We are so eager to do everything digitally—hiring, driving, paying bills, even choosing romantic partners—that we have stopped demanding that our technology actually work. Broussard, a software developer and journalist, reminds us that there are fundamental limits to what we can (and should) do with technology. With this book, she offers a guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology—and issues a warning that we should never assume that computers always get things right. Making a case against technochauvinism—the belief that technology is always the solution—Broussard argues that it's just not true that social problems would inevitably retreat before a digitally enabled Utopia. To prove her point, she undertakes a series of adventures in computer programming. She goes for an alarming ride in a driverless car, concluding “the cyborg future is not coming any time soon”; uses artificial intelligence to investigate why students can't pass standardized tests; deploys machine learning to predict which passengers survived the Titanic disaster; and attempts to repair the U.S. campaign finance system by building AI software. If we understand the limits of what we can do with technology, Broussard tells us, we can make better choices about what we should do with it to make the world better for everyone.


Book Synopsis Artificial Unintelligence by : Meredith Broussard

Download or read book Artificial Unintelligence written by Meredith Broussard and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2019-01-29 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology and why we should never assume that computers always get it right. In Artificial Unintelligence, Meredith Broussard argues that our collective enthusiasm for applying computer technology to every aspect of life has resulted in a tremendous amount of poorly designed systems. We are so eager to do everything digitally—hiring, driving, paying bills, even choosing romantic partners—that we have stopped demanding that our technology actually work. Broussard, a software developer and journalist, reminds us that there are fundamental limits to what we can (and should) do with technology. With this book, she offers a guide to understanding the inner workings and outer limits of technology—and issues a warning that we should never assume that computers always get things right. Making a case against technochauvinism—the belief that technology is always the solution—Broussard argues that it's just not true that social problems would inevitably retreat before a digitally enabled Utopia. To prove her point, she undertakes a series of adventures in computer programming. She goes for an alarming ride in a driverless car, concluding “the cyborg future is not coming any time soon”; uses artificial intelligence to investigate why students can't pass standardized tests; deploys machine learning to predict which passengers survived the Titanic disaster; and attempts to repair the U.S. campaign finance system by building AI software. If we understand the limits of what we can do with technology, Broussard tells us, we can make better choices about what we should do with it to make the world better for everyone.

The Technology Fallacy

The Technology Fallacy

Author: Gerald C. Kane

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2022-08-23

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 026254511X

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Why an organization's response to digital disruption should focus on people and processes and not necessarily on technology. Digital technologies are disrupting organizations of every size and shape, leaving managers scrambling to find a technology fix that will help their organizations compete. This book offers managers and business leaders a guide for surviving digital disruptions—but it is not a book about technology. It is about the organizational changes required to harness the power of technology. The authors argue that digital disruption is primarily about people and that effective digital transformation involves changes to organizational dynamics and how work gets done. A focus only on selecting and implementing the right digital technologies is not likely to lead to success. The best way to respond to digital disruption is by changing the company culture to be more agile, risk tolerant, and experimental. The authors draw on four years of research, conducted in partnership with MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte, surveying more than 16,000 people and conducting interviews with managers at such companies as Walmart, Google, and Salesforce. They introduce the concept of digital maturity—the ability to take advantage of opportunities offered by the new technology—and address the specifics of digital transformation, including cultivating a digital environment, enabling intentional collaboration, and fostering an experimental mindset. Every organization needs to understand its “digital DNA” in order to stop “doing digital” and start “being digital.” Digital disruption won't end anytime soon; the average worker will probably experience numerous waves of disruption during the course of a career. The insights offered by The Technology Fallacy will hold true through them all. A book in the Management on the Cutting Edge series, published in cooperation with MIT Sloan Management Review.


Book Synopsis The Technology Fallacy by : Gerald C. Kane

Download or read book The Technology Fallacy written by Gerald C. Kane and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2022-08-23 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why an organization's response to digital disruption should focus on people and processes and not necessarily on technology. Digital technologies are disrupting organizations of every size and shape, leaving managers scrambling to find a technology fix that will help their organizations compete. This book offers managers and business leaders a guide for surviving digital disruptions—but it is not a book about technology. It is about the organizational changes required to harness the power of technology. The authors argue that digital disruption is primarily about people and that effective digital transformation involves changes to organizational dynamics and how work gets done. A focus only on selecting and implementing the right digital technologies is not likely to lead to success. The best way to respond to digital disruption is by changing the company culture to be more agile, risk tolerant, and experimental. The authors draw on four years of research, conducted in partnership with MIT Sloan Management Review and Deloitte, surveying more than 16,000 people and conducting interviews with managers at such companies as Walmart, Google, and Salesforce. They introduce the concept of digital maturity—the ability to take advantage of opportunities offered by the new technology—and address the specifics of digital transformation, including cultivating a digital environment, enabling intentional collaboration, and fostering an experimental mindset. Every organization needs to understand its “digital DNA” in order to stop “doing digital” and start “being digital.” Digital disruption won't end anytime soon; the average worker will probably experience numerous waves of disruption during the course of a career. The insights offered by The Technology Fallacy will hold true through them all. A book in the Management on the Cutting Edge series, published in cooperation with MIT Sloan Management Review.

Technology and the Politics of University Reform

Technology and the Politics of University Reform

Author: E. Hamilton

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-04-08

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 1137503513

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Do new technologies mean the end of the university as we know it? Or can they be shaped in a way that balances innovation and tradition? This volume explores these questions through a critical history of online education.


Book Synopsis Technology and the Politics of University Reform by : E. Hamilton

Download or read book Technology and the Politics of University Reform written by E. Hamilton and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-08 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do new technologies mean the end of the university as we know it? Or can they be shaped in a way that balances innovation and tradition? This volume explores these questions through a critical history of online education.

To Save Everything, Click Here

To Save Everything, Click Here

Author: Evgeny Morozov

Publisher:

Published: 2013-03-05

Total Pages: 434

ISBN-13: 1610391381

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The award-winning author of The Net Delusion shows how the radical transparency we've become accustomed to online may threaten the spirit of real-life democracy


Book Synopsis To Save Everything, Click Here by : Evgeny Morozov

Download or read book To Save Everything, Click Here written by Evgeny Morozov and published by . This book was released on 2013-03-05 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The award-winning author of The Net Delusion shows how the radical transparency we've become accustomed to online may threaten the spirit of real-life democracy

The Salmon of Doubt

The Salmon of Doubt

Author: Douglas Adams

Publisher: Del Rey

Published: 2005-04-26

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 0345484495

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“A fitting eulogy to the master of wacky words and even wackier tales . . . Salmon leaves no doubt as to Adams’s lasting legacy.”—Entertainment Weekly With an introduction to the introduction by Terry Jones Douglas Adams changed the face of science fiction with his cosmically comic novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and its classic sequels. Sadly for his countless admirers, he hitched his own ride to the great beyond much too soon. Culled posthumously from Adams’s fleet of beloved Macintosh computers, this selection of essays, articles, anecdotes, and stories offers a fascinating and intimate portrait of the multifaceted artist and absurdist wordsmith. Join Adams on an excursion to climb Kilimanjaro . . . dressed in a rhino costume; peek into the private life of Genghis Khan—warrior and world-class neurotic; root for the harried author’s efforts to get a Hitchhiker movie off the ground in Hollywood; thrill to the further exploits of private eye Dirk Gently and two-headed alien Zaphod Beeblebrox. Though Douglas Adams is gone, he’s left us something very special to remember him by. Without a doubt. “Worth reading and even cherishing, if only because it’s the last we’ll hear from the master of comic science fiction.”—The Star-Ledger


Book Synopsis The Salmon of Doubt by : Douglas Adams

Download or read book The Salmon of Doubt written by Douglas Adams and published by Del Rey. This book was released on 2005-04-26 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A fitting eulogy to the master of wacky words and even wackier tales . . . Salmon leaves no doubt as to Adams’s lasting legacy.”—Entertainment Weekly With an introduction to the introduction by Terry Jones Douglas Adams changed the face of science fiction with his cosmically comic novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and its classic sequels. Sadly for his countless admirers, he hitched his own ride to the great beyond much too soon. Culled posthumously from Adams’s fleet of beloved Macintosh computers, this selection of essays, articles, anecdotes, and stories offers a fascinating and intimate portrait of the multifaceted artist and absurdist wordsmith. Join Adams on an excursion to climb Kilimanjaro . . . dressed in a rhino costume; peek into the private life of Genghis Khan—warrior and world-class neurotic; root for the harried author’s efforts to get a Hitchhiker movie off the ground in Hollywood; thrill to the further exploits of private eye Dirk Gently and two-headed alien Zaphod Beeblebrox. Though Douglas Adams is gone, he’s left us something very special to remember him by. Without a doubt. “Worth reading and even cherishing, if only because it’s the last we’ll hear from the master of comic science fiction.”—The Star-Ledger

Against Reduction

Against Reduction

Author: Noelani Arista

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2021-10-05

Total Pages: 183

ISBN-13: 0262367327

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Provocative, hopeful essays imagine a future that is not reduced to algorithms. What is human flourishing in an age of machine intelligence, when many claim that the world’s most complex problems can be reduced to narrow technical questions? Does more computing make us more intelligent, or simply more computationally powerful? We need not always resist reduction; our ability to simplify helps us interpret complicated situations. The trick is to know when and how to do so. Against Reduction offers a collection of provocative and illuminating essays that consider different ways of recognizing and addressing the reduction in our approach to artificial intelligence, and ultimately to ourselves. Inspired by a widely read manifesto by Joi Ito that called for embracing the diversity and irreducibility of the world, these essays offer persuasive and compelling variations on resisting reduction. Among other things, the writers draw on indigenous epistemology to argue for an extended “circle of relationships” that includes the nonhuman and robotic; cast “Snow White” as a tale of AI featuring a smart mirror; point out the cisnormativity of security protocol algorithms; map the interconnecting networks of so-called noncommunicable disease; and consider the limits of moral mathematics. Taken together, they show that we should push back against some of the reduction around us and do whatever is in our power to work toward broader solutions.


Book Synopsis Against Reduction by : Noelani Arista

Download or read book Against Reduction written by Noelani Arista and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provocative, hopeful essays imagine a future that is not reduced to algorithms. What is human flourishing in an age of machine intelligence, when many claim that the world’s most complex problems can be reduced to narrow technical questions? Does more computing make us more intelligent, or simply more computationally powerful? We need not always resist reduction; our ability to simplify helps us interpret complicated situations. The trick is to know when and how to do so. Against Reduction offers a collection of provocative and illuminating essays that consider different ways of recognizing and addressing the reduction in our approach to artificial intelligence, and ultimately to ourselves. Inspired by a widely read manifesto by Joi Ito that called for embracing the diversity and irreducibility of the world, these essays offer persuasive and compelling variations on resisting reduction. Among other things, the writers draw on indigenous epistemology to argue for an extended “circle of relationships” that includes the nonhuman and robotic; cast “Snow White” as a tale of AI featuring a smart mirror; point out the cisnormativity of security protocol algorithms; map the interconnecting networks of so-called noncommunicable disease; and consider the limits of moral mathematics. Taken together, they show that we should push back against some of the reduction around us and do whatever is in our power to work toward broader solutions.