Paralyzed Tech: Global IT outage highlights major vulnerabilities in the digital ecosystem
By Richard Forno, Principal Lecturer in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County The global information technology outage on July 19, 2024, that paralyzed organizations ranging from airlines to hospitals and even the...
Joe Biden’s withdrawal from presidential race revives a party convention process not used since 1968
By Philip Klinkner, James S. Sherman Professor of Government, Hamilton College Now that Joe Biden has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the nominee, it will ultimately be up to Democratic National Convention...
A duel to save America: Why Wisconsin is the unpredictable swing state in this year’s election
By Jonathan J. Kasparek, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Voters in Wisconsin, now considered a critical swing state ahead of the 2024 presidential election, may be among the most unpredictable in the nation. Although former President Barack...
Emotion tracking: Workers fear being misunderstood by AI evaluations of their facial expressions
By Nazanin Andalibi, Assistant Professor of Information, University of Michigan Emotion artificial intelligence uses biological signals such as vocal tone, facial expressions and data from wearable devices as well as text and how people use their computers, promising...
AI interference: Chatbots are invading online groups where people try to make human connections
By Casey Fiesler, Associate Professor of Information Science, University of Colorado Boulder A parent asked a question in a private Facebook group in April 2024: Does anyone with a child who is both gifted and disabled have any experience with New York City public...
Keeping the republic: Why the Founding Fathers were unsure if the experiment of democracy could survive
By Thomas Coens, Research Associate Professor of History, University of Tennessee From the time of the founding era to the present day, one of the more common things said about American democracy is that it is an “experiment.” Most people can readily intuit what the...
Transgressive jokes: How Trump promotes the use of abusive humor to make hate acceptable
By Nick Butler, Associate Professor, Stockholm University Fox News anchor Sean Hannity interviewed Donald Trump in front of a studio audience in Iowa in December 2023. Hannity asked Trump to guarantee he would not abuse his power or seek retribution if he was...
The little people: Preying on White fears worked for Lester Maddox in the 1960s and for Trump today
By David Cason, Associate Professor in Honors, University of North Dakota In January 1967, after a gubernatorial election that saw neither candidate gain enough votes to win, the Georgia Legislature was faced with a vital decision: the selection of the state’s 75th...
Lost faith: Why supporting democracy is hard for some Americans who feel the economy fails them
By Matthew Wilson, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of South Carolina Americans, it seems, can both value the idea of democracy and not support it in practice. Since 2016, academics and journalists have expressed concerns that formerly secure...
Boots on the ground: What international law says about British troops operating in Ukraine
By Christoph Bluth, Professor of International Relations and Security, University of Bradford Leaked communications involving high-level German government and military figures appear to confirm that British army personnel are engaged on the ground in Ukraine. An...
Cost of not investing: Why rebuilding Ukraine becomes more expensive each day of Russia’s occupation
By Jeffrey Kucik, Associate Professor at the University of Arizona, University of Arizona U.S. military assistance is finally on its way to Ukraine after months of being held up in Congress. Reactions to the US$61 billion spending package, signed into law by President...
Emancipation Memorial: What the statue of a kneeling enslaved man from 1876 says about U.S. history
By Virginia Raguin, Distinguished Professor of Humanities Emerita, Visual Arts, College of the Holy Cross The striking Emancipation Memorial statue in Washington DC, shows Abraham Lincoln standing, while a man wearing only a loincloth is appearing to rise from a...
