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New York Times
Claire Cain Miller is a correspondent for The Upshot at the New York Times, covering gender, work and family.
PROFILE
Claire Cain Miller
Guest
FROM Claire Cain Miller
To the Point
Do women have it better than men in 2017? Photo by Rod Library On Saturday, more women are expected to march on Washington than ever have before in response to a Presidential inauguration and an election where gender and sexism became a partisan issue. But a new post-election survey finds Americans are deeply divided over the perception of gender inequality. Who has it better off in 2017, women or men? We hear from Claire Cain Miller, who writes about gender, families and work for The Upshot at the New York Times .
To the Point
Enforcing Gender Equality in America's Workplace Equal pay for equal work has been the law in the United States since 1963, but the gap between men and women just won't go away. This week, California enacted the toughest law in the nation, putting companies on notice that they have to erase the difference. But even some feminists argue that women bring the problem on themselves by not being aggressive enough and subscribing — unconsciously -- to gender bias. They insist California's new law will do more harm than good — while supporters hope for momentum toward equal pay nationwide.
To the Point
NSA Surveillance: Bad for Business and Personal Privacy Facebook, Microsoft, Google and other American tech giants are complaining to President Obama about threats to their bottom lines. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg took his complaint to the White House on Friday, saying the President's not doing enough to reassure foreign clients or guarantee civil liberties. Foreign clients, including governments, are afraid they're being spied on by the National Security Agency — fears costing the industry 25 percent of its revenue , or some $180 billion a year. Now the NSA's revealed that US companies knew what was happening even when they denied it. It takes draconian steps for individual Americans to protect their privacy. Is the value of NSA's intelligence gathering worth the economic and personal cost?
To the Point
Do Techies Live in a Bubble? Silicon Valley is the epicenter of tech innovation, creating the infrastructure for the virtual universe so much of the real world now lives in. It's also creating a real-world elite of millionaires and billionaires who can be hard to live with. Consider the transformation of San Francisco. High rents, private bus systems and exclusive clubs are crowding out artists, families and middle-class workers. Long-time residents say a place famous for tolerance and diversity is losing itself to self-centered nerds with too much money and not enough social conscience. When Twitter made its public offering last November, 150 demonstrators protested outside its office. Their signs had phrases including, "People Not Profit" and, "We're the Public, What Are You Offering?" Are other cities prepared for an influx of wealthy, young technocrats looking for action they can't find in the suburbs?
To the Point
Is NSA Monitoring You through Your Favorite Video Games? Classified documents leaked by fugitive Edward Snowden reveal that American and British intelligence agencies have created make-believe characters to take part in the computer games World of Warcraft and Second Life. Google, Microsoft and six other technology companies are calling for limits to government spying on their customers. Unrelated to today's revelations, eight high-tech companies printed an open letter to the President and Congress. AOL, Apple, Facebook Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo say its time to "reform government surveillance practices worldwide."
To the Point
Walmart's Dot-Com Division Plays Catch-Up with Amazon America's biggest retailer is going online , while the country's leader in e-commerce is constructing new buildings . Walmart, known for big box stores full of discounted everything, from tires to organic milk to tires, is increasing its presence on line. In Amazon it has finally found a competitor it's worried about. Claire Cain Miller, who covers technology from San Francisco for the New York Times , has more on the competition between Walmart and Amazon to sell you just about everything.
Which Way, L.A.?
Women Are Missing from the Top of Tech Firms According to Clair Cain Miller of the New York Times , “Twitter’s financial filing for its Wall Street debut was chock-full of juicy tidbits.” One revelation: there is only one woman among Twitter’s top officials. Marissa Gluck directs digital strategy for the LA office of Huge Inc ., a technology consulting firm.
To the Point
Do You Want Your Smartphone Telling You What to Do? Silicon Valley is developing smart phone apps that will send you information they think you need before you ask for it. It's called "predictive technology." After searching your email and your calendar, it will advise you what to pack for a trip to the country — even though you never told it you planned to go. Early users call it "seductive" and "creepy," both at the same time. Critics warn against letting computers take over the task of thinking. Will "predictive technology" change the human mind for better, or worse? Will it make dealing with other people a lost art?
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Left, Right & Center Live: Decisions, Decisions A special live broadcast of Left, Right & Center from INFORUM at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco
To the Point
Voter Suppression, Climate Change and the President As America prepares to vote again, a question remains from 2016: are the Russians still “meddling” with US elections? Meantime, are Republican election officials in Georgia and Kansas suppressing the vote to serve their own interests? Those updates and the latest on climate change: President Trump says, maybe it’s not a hoax after all.