Campus Speech Codes

College campuses have been implementing speech codes which restrict “offensive” speech that they claim interferes with a learning environment. Studying a wide range of campuses, its determined that around 62% of universities implement these codes (Click Here).

With such a large number of schools enacting these speech restrictions, contraversy over the rights of the school to limit student speech has risen. Those who support the speech codes claim that it isn’t a direct limitation of free speech, as it only restricts where the speech can take place because “Free speech zones” still allow students to freely express their views (Click Here). More conservative critics claim that these codes describe the types of speech that can be limited too loosely, and that anything deemed offensive by another student can be restricted.

Do you think there should be speech codes on college campuses? If so, how would you regulate speech and what standards would it have to meet to be restricted?

The Two Sides of Artificial Intelligence

        New artificial intelligence softwares have been created to identify signs of depression by simply examining Facebook accounts using a complex data collection algorithm (Click Here). This technology could be greatly beneficial towards the diagnosis and understanding of the scale of mental illness.

        While A.I. tech such as this are revolutionizing the modern world for the better, this is only one side of the capabilities of this new tech. Machines created for military use are becoming more prevalent as well. “Deadly combat robots”  are raising questions on the ethical boundaries of A.I. application (Click Here). The Future of Computing Academy is suggesting that the A.I. research community explain the negative affects along with the positive affects of newly released technology (Click Here). They argue that the the fact that, “a self-flying drone could capture video at a football game — or kill on the battlefield” should be disclosed to the public so they understand the implications of putting controversial A.I. to use.

        What do you think the future holds for artificial intelligence? Where do you draw the boundaries of its controversial applications? 

Fortnite’s Extreme Popularity

Online video game Fortnite Battle Royal has seen unprecedented success since its release in July of 2017. With over 100 million users, it has created a cultural movement never seen before in the video game industry.

It’s free to play, easily downloadable, and cross compatible among all major video game consoles. This along with its simplistic “last man standing” gameplay has allowed Fortnite to reach the levels of extreme popularity it sees today. So popular in fact that people have begun making a living as professional Fortnite gamers, raking in serious views on live-streaming app “twitch” and loads of money along with it (Click Here). Parents have even taken to hiring professional Fortnite tutors to teach their children how to improve and level up in the game (Click Here). Although it may seem all fun in games, this massive attention is raising concerns from speculative adults and even reputable health agencies claiming  “gaming disorder” is a legitimate disease stemming from addiction (Click Here).

Do you think Fortnite is receiving an unhealthy amount of attention? Do you think it’s cultural affect could be seen in a positive light? Do you consider it to be more of a short lived trend or do you believe Fortnite will last long into the future?