It is easy to be seen as either a genius or a crank. If you have a Ph.D., at least you somewhat lower the chances that you will be seen as a crank.

Creative experimentation propels our culture forward. That our stories of innovation tend to glorify the breakthroughs and edit out all the experimental mistakes doesn't mean that mistakes play a trivial role. As any artist or scientist knows, without some protected, even sacred space for mistakes, innovation would cease.

WikiLeaks is what happens when the entire US government is forced to go through a full-body scanner.

I'm active on Twitter, and I love my iPad and my Kindle.

Much of the real computer talent today is concentrated in the private sector.

Mobile phones are one of the most insecure devices that were ever available, so they're very easy to trace; they're very easy to tap.

For many oppositional movements, the Internet, while providing the opportunity to distribute information more quickly and cheaper, may have actually made their struggle more difficult in the long run.