Think of this not as a story about Apple, but about a commentary on Western culture and globalism.
kopoint:
Mike Daisey was a self-described “worshipper in the cult of Mac.” Then he saw some photos from a new iPhone, taken by workers at the factory where it was made. Mike wondered: Who makes all my crap? He traveled to China to find out.
Listen to the Episode -»
In the last decade, Apple has become one of the mightiest, richest and most successful companies in the world, in part by mastering global manufacturing. Apple and its high-technology peers — as well as dozens of other American industries — have achieved a pace of innovation nearly unmatched in modern history. However, the workers assembling iPhones, iPads and other devices often labor in harsh conditions, according to employees inside those plants, worker advocates and documents published by companies themselves. Problems are as varied as onerous work environments and serious — sometimes deadly — safety problems. Employees work excessive overtime, in some cases seven days a week, and live in crowded dorms. Some say they stand so long that their legs swell until they can hardly walk. Under-age workers have helped build Apple’s products, and the company’s suppliers have improperly disposed of hazardous waste and falsified records, according to company reports and advocacy groups that, within China, are often considered reliable, independent monitors.
Full Story on the New York Times -»
“Our Internet intellectuals lack the intellectual ambition, and the basic erudition, to connect their thinking with earlier traditions of social and technological criticism. They desperately need to believe that their every thought is unprecedented. Sometimes it seems as if intellectual life doesn’t really thrill them at all. They never stoop to the lowly task of producing expansive and expository essays, where they could develop their ideas at length, by means of argument and learning, and fully engage with their critics. Instead they blog, and tweet, and consult, and give conference talks—modes of discourse that are mostly impervious to serious critique.”
The Internet Intellectual | The New Republic
By Evgeny Morozov on October 12, 2011
This Week in Tech - Episode 321 - When Jesus was a Sophomore
In which we discuss Amazon’s Fire tablet, iPhone rumors, and the #OccupyWallStreet movement.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
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Track: How to Disappear with Frank Ahearn
Artist: Dan Patterson
Album: Interview
Plays: 250
Interview: How to Disappear with Frank Ahearn | danpatterson
How to disappear completely and never be found: an interview with Skiptracer Frank Ahearn.
Frank Ahearn is a Skiptracer: he helps locate ‘lost’ individuals. Perhaps more importantly, Frank helps people disappear. In this interview with Dan Patterson from ABC News Radio, Frank details common information mistakes, subtle privacy slips, and how best to erase your footprints, online and off.
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Track: On Google
Artist: On the Media
Album: WNYC
Plays: 21
Podcast - On the Media for WNYC - 12 Aug, 2011
On Google

This week, we look into the monolithic impact Google has on our lives for better and for worse.