What if knowledge of Star Trek, including the original series and at least one spinoff, was a requirement for voting?

Yes, of course I’m serious. What if a deep working knowledge of Star Trek, including the original series and at least one of the spinoffs, was a requirement for voting? This might seem like a far-fetched idea, but bear with me. Voting is a serious matter. It’s the essence of participatory democracy. We should hold the act of voting to a very high standard, and we should hold voters to that same standard. Imagine if, in order to vote in any election, you had to demonstrate a basic knowledge of Star Trek. This would include being able to answer questions …

How Ghosts Could Be Real

Let me ask you a serious question. Do you believe in ghosts? Before I continue, let me put my proverbial cards on the table and say that I do not believe in ghosts, certainly not in the sense that they are the wandering souls of the departed. Last night, however, I found myself thinking that perhaps there is a logical explanation, other than “it’s your imagination,” for the existence of ghosts, spirits, and other supernatural entities. We’re all familiar with the concept of “bugs” in the computer programs we use, glitches that crop up from time to time with unexpected …

No Net Neutrality? How About The Open Internet Instead?

In the middle of yet another Net Neutrality crisis, I find myself wondering yet again if there isn't a way to just take our ball and go home. So to speak. We, in the open source community, have been great at spinning off new tech in order to build doors in the walls that others erect to keep us out. Why, I wonder, can't we do that with the Internet. There is a network of hundreds of millions of wireless routers out there, all of which could be used to launch the next generation Internet. Without cables. Without the big …

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