Links to Browse

On this page, I periodically add some links to other projects or websites that I think are thought provoking and relate to topics I enjoy discussing. I am in no way affiliated with any of this projects unless I specifically say so. My commentary does not reflect the views of those on the page I link to. Please visit their pages for their commentary.

The Algorithmic Justice League

The AJL is fighting back against “Coded Bias” and the threats of biased AI and machine learning algorithims.

All opinions below are my own and do not reflect on those who contribute to the project I posted above.

Put simply, people are biased and they create biased algorithms. Racism and other prejudices are systemic in our world, but for some reason many believe technology is unbiased. In reality, racism and bigotry are routinely coded into programs and algorithms that have great influence on how we live our lives. The AJL does a great job of exposing these realities and how they manifest. I recommend browsing their website and watching the film “Coded Bias” as a starting point. They are driving a lot of the conversation in this field and their work and involvement in a recent episode of 60 minutes went uncredidted.

One of the underlying conditions that propagates these issues is a lack of diversity in tech. A lot of technology and AI is so flawed because they are guided by standards created and reinforced by primarily white men. This is just one of many reasons why diversity in tech is crucial. There are a lot of barriers and myths keeping people of color as well as women and non-binary people out of tech. We need to demystify fields like computer science and data science and strive for more inclusive hiring practices. Aside from combatting and reimagining our biased systems, diversity in tech can also start to ameliorate inequality and the gentrification and displacement it creates.

I hope those of us in technology more critically reflect on our biases as well as the biases built into the systems we are contributing to. And for those of us white people in tech in particular, I hope we critically question our impacts on the world around us both in the tools we create and the impact of the unequal salaries that the technology industry generates in the communities where we live. These reflections must lead to us working to change the problematic systems and structures we are a part of.

Written June 6 2021

Native-Land.CA

This website offers a map of where Indigenous peoples lived in the Americas (as well as select other parts of the world).

The following is NOT a review of the site. All opinions below are my own and do not reflect on those who contribute to the project I posted above.

The modern United States of America has been built on (among other things) the forced dispossession and ethnic cleansing of many Indigenous Americans. Contrary to what many of us are taught, Native Americans still live in this country, and I do not mean to distract from that with a discussion of where their ancestors lived.

But I do think this map is an important starting place for those of us living in the Americas to more deeply interact with the history of the land on which we live. The history of the land beneath our feet did not begin with colonization. I hope the reader follows this link, searches their address, and then researches the tribes that lived there to find out more about them. I hope they focus not only on their history but also their present.

Many us who grow up in the United States are given a very slanted version of American history, and I think it’s our responsibility to take the time to remedy this by pursuing a more accurate collection of narratives.

It is also imperative to remember that colonization, ethnic cleansing, racism, and forced dispossession of land are human issues that sadly permeate across national borders and the space of time. Not only is there an extensive international history of these abhorrent practices, but they are also happening today in places such as Palestine. The effects of these acts of violence and persecution have and will ripple through generations. We must critically and self-reflectively engage with these stories and patterns, and attempt to determine what we can do to end them.

Written May 29 2021