Technology fascinates me; at the same time, technology has brought humanity to the brink of collapse. This is not because of the technology itself, but because of the revenue model of the big companies that control it. Governments have little influence over these companies and how they invest their gargantuan profits. When, around 2010, several corporations started to take the government for their ride as well, spawning mayors and aldermen with the lure of the smart city, I started fulminating against it in my posts.
Most of these post have been compiled in the e-book ‘Smart city tales’, which you can download here. After that, I focused on how technology can be used in a socially responsible way. Many examples are in the e-book ‘Cities of the future: Always humane, smart if helpful’. You can download it here. The principles of a more human-centered approach can be found in the third e-book ‘Better cities and digitalisation’, which can be downloaded here. This includes ethical principles, rules relating to the administrative handling of technology, meaningful uses of, data, artificial intelligence and several application areas, such as technology and governance, healthcare and traffic.
The number of blog posts left to be included in this archive has been limited due to the glut of comprehensive articles in the e-books. Two topics are involved: ‘My objections to the use of the smart city as a revenue model and some principles for a human-centered approach’ and some applications of these.
1. ‘Smart city’ as a revenue model
Ten years of smart city technology marketing
December 11, 2021
This post deals with the rise of the smart city movement, the different forms it has taken and what its future can be.
Scare off the monster behind the curtain: Big Tech’s monopoly
November 20, 2021
This post is about the omnipotence of Big Tech. So far, resistance mainly results in regulation of its effects. The core of the problem, the monopoly position of the technology giants, is only marginally touched. What is needed is a strict antitrust policy and a government that once again takes a leading role in setting the…
Big Tech’s monopoly
June 2, 2022
The problem with Big Tech is not in the first place its activities like retailing, taxi services, and delivery of everything. It is their power to spy on us 24/7 and rob us of the opportunity to making choices.
Digital technology eats politics for breakfast.
March 1, 2019
This short essay is looking for an answer to the question “Does technology develop autonomously, or can society be in control?
2. Digital social innovation
If ‘smart’ is the solution, what exactly is the problem?
July 8, 2022
Digital technology might be helpful for solving of urban problems. But in that case these problems must be defined in advance and prioritized. That is where Big Tech failed and what this post is about.
Beyond smart cities: Digital innovation for the good of citizens
October 4, 2021
Public servants need to be aware. Becoming ‘smart’ comes with the inherent risk of dependency from technological companies. This post is about mitigating this risk
Digital social innovation: For the social good
December 20, 2021
This post includes ample examples of how people are finding new ways to use digital means to help society thrive and save the environment.
Collect meaningful data and stay away from dataism.
January 11, 2022
This post is about the sense and nonsense of big data. ‘Data is the new oil’ is the worst cliché of the big data hype yet. Worse than data-driven policy. In this article, I investigate – with digital twins as a thread – what the contribution of data can be…
Forget the ***city
May 20, 2022
In 2009, IMB launched a global marketing campaign around the previously little-known concept of ‘smart city’ with the aim of making city governments receptive to ICT applications in the public sector. The initial emphasis was on process control. Emerging countries were interested in the first place: Many made plans to build smart cities ‘from scratch’,…
Music: Listen, Look and Enjoy 