by Erik Kain on February 16, 2012
Consumer watchdog group SumOfUs is calling into question remarks by the Fair Labor Association (FLA) that painted a rosy picture of FoxConn facilities in China that manufacture products like the iPhone and iPad. The FLA is the labor standards group partnered with to monitor its Chinese factory standards, though it’s unclear at this time how much [...]
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by Erik Kain on February 15, 2012
It turns out that conditions at FoxConn, the Chinese firm that helps manufacture iPads and other devices, are much better than at garment factories and other Chinese factories according to the Fair Labor Association which is conducting a review of the plants: Auret van Heerden, president of the FLA offered no immediate conclusions on the [...]
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by Erik Kain on January 28, 2012
Twitter is drawing some flack for its new censorship policies. In the past, the micro-blogging service has helped dissenters across the globe communicate quickly with one another, helping spread information quickly and in ways that are difficult for repressive governments to crack down on. That may all be changing. Jeff Bercovi has the scoop: Twitter’s [...]
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by Erik Kain on January 25, 2012
(AAPL) is reporting a record first quarter. As reports, this has propelled to new heights, with a market capitalization that tops Exxon by almost $5 billion. According to a press release from the Cupertino-based tech giant, the company posted record quarterly revenue of $46.33 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.06 billion, or $13.87 [...]
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by Erik Kain on January 24, 2012
Matt Yglesias makes a smart point: [I]f you take the long view of world history you’ll see that the question that needs explaining isn’t “why is so much stuff happening in Asia” but rather “why is so little stuff happening in Asia.” For most of human history, Asia is where all the action is since [...]
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by Erik Kain on January 12, 2012
Workers at Chinese electronics giant Foxconn, angry over the shuttering of an Xbox 360 production line in the Chinese city of Wuhan, climbed to the roof of a six story dormitory and threatened to jump en masse if their conditions weren’t met. The several dozen workers threatened mass suicide after Foxconn announced layoffs and transfers of [...]
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by Erik Kain on January 8, 2012
by Erik Kain on November 14, 2011
When you drive from the base of Mount Lemmon, just north of Tucson, AZ to its peak, just over nine thousand feet above sea level, you travel from cactus-strewn desert terrain into rich pine forest. The transformation is remarkable because it takes place in such a short space and such a short span of time. [...]
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by Erik Kain on November 13, 2011
I’m in lovely – and rainy – Tucson, AZ for this year’s Techonomy conference. Techonomy is an annual gathering of tech entrepreneurs, business leaders, and various other leading lights in the tech world. “It’s not a conference about tech,” the Techonomy website reads. “It’s a conference about how tech is changing everything else.” This year’s [...]
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by Erik Kain on October 12, 2011
This quotation from the Dalai Lama has been making the rounds. It’s one of those irksome sentiments that sounds really wise and profound and makes all of us sort of cringe in self-examination. Or worse, causes us to look outward at “humanity” and think to ourselves, “Yes, all these people are living for tomorrow. They [...]
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E.D. Kain is a blogger and freelance writer. Currently he serves as Editor-in-Chief of The League of Ordinary Gentlemen and writes a policy blog at Forbes. He can be found occasionally composing 140 character cultural analysis on Twitter. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The National Review, The Washington Examiner, and the now-defunct True/Slant.