Cloud computing is a great euphemism for centralization of computer services under one server.

In short, Google prefers a world where we consistently go to three restaurants to a world where our choices are impossible to predict.

As befits Silicon Valley, 'big data' is mostly big hype, but there is one possibility with genuine potential: that it might one day bring loans - and credit histories - to millions of people who currently lack access to them.

Contrary to the utopian rhetoric of social media enthusiasts, the Internet often makes the jump from deliberation to participation even more difficult, thwarting collective action under the heavy pressure of never-ending internal debate.

Why does crime happen? Well, you might say that it's because youths don't have jobs. Or you might say that's because the doors of our buildings are not fortified enough. Given some limited funds to spend, you can either create yet another national employment program or you can equip houses with even better cameras, sensors, and locks.

While free software was meant to force developers to lose sleep over ethical dilemmas, open source software was meant to end their insomnia.

Making loans accessible to millions of the previously unbankable customers is a noble goal. Getting them hooked to such loans isn't.