The New Stack’s cultural coverage looks at how cloud native computing, DevOps and other modern information technology practices are influenced by larger cultural forces, both for good and ill.
For instance, there is much discussion underway about the increasing surveillance of people, through cameras and other technologies, using much of the technology we cover on a day-by-day basis. We look at how machine learning can be used to automatically generate ‘fake news’ and how the same technology can be used to detect such spurious reports.
Another topic we watch closely is institutional bias, where IT companies and development shops continue to hire and create products for, white males. They neglect the talents and purchasing power, of women, people of color and from different cultures, much to the loss of the industry. We are not here to point fingers but to point the way towards all more inclusive industry. If computing is meant for all people, then all people should be represented in its creation.
Open source, of course, is a pertinent topic for us, as independent developers spar with large cloud companies over the rights — and the responsibilities — that come with the use of free software. How open source communities self-organize is another ongoing topic of interest for us.
Naturally, we look for how good business and development practices can benefit the operation of cloud native systems. And, on some Sundays, we take a look back through time, to how computers and IT systems were managed in the past, from the very first computer ever built, to the spreadsheet software that changed the world. Although most of these technologies are but historic oddities, how they broke new ground can teach us valuable lessons in navigating the cutting edge of technology.
