Reflections on 15 Years of Blogging
I don’t have any fantasies of writing the 21st century Moby Dick, but I do aim to be more disciplined about writing 500 words every day.
The Distasteful Paternalism of Civic Tech
We’d prefer civic pride over civic tech. But, in the meantime, surveilling our public service providers may be worth the tradeoff.
The Inherent Offensiveness of Being a Straight, White, Male in San Francisco
A straight, white male has no legitimate claim to the strong bonds of shared indignation — at least not in San Francisco.
What is Philanthropy For?
Though imperfect and not without risks, we are better off with philanthropy than without it. Philanthropy is not undemocratic; extreme inequality is undemocratic.
When Journalists Write Theories of Change
It’s extremely gratifying to see a so-called “theory of change” come alive in concrete language, narrated by a reporter and with videos that feature the voices and opinions of the people who are actually affected and do the affecting.
11-year-old Dads and Autonomous Drones
That we no longer live in the world portrayed in Game of Thrones is, through the lens of history, very strange.
Something is Happening in Mexico
Political commentator Mario Campos makes a plea for activists to think in trendlines rather than headlines, to lengthen their time horizons of social change, to become involved with civil society organizations that are increasingly unified and strategic in their efforts to advance social change when the political opportunities do emerge.
Women, Cars, Sports and Computers
A couple of weeks ago I was asked to give a talk to the inaugural class of Mexico City’s Citizen Programmer Fellowship. The six programmer fellows will each spend nine months embedded in a city agency where they will develop a technology project and promote more...![[Review] Why Nations Fail & What Can Be Done](https://i0.wp.com/davidsasaki.name/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tijuana-mexico.jpg?resize=650%2C502&ssl=1)
[Review] Why Nations Fail & What Can Be Done
I first began to think seriously about economic development and political institutions as a student at UCSD in 2001. I had spent the previous year visiting over thirty different countries thanks to a ridiculously cheap round-the-world ticket. ($1,800 to travel just...
How I Spend $20 a Month on Unlimited Data, Text and (Int’l) Calls
There are two commonly held assumptions about cell phone service in Mexico: 1) it’s expensive and 2) pay-as-you-go plans are more expensive than annual contracts, thus causing the poor (who don’t have credit cards for yearly contracts) to pay more. On the...Latest Photos
