Dennis D. McDonald (ddmcd@ddmcd.com) consults from Alexandria Virginia. His services include writing & research, proposal development, and project management.
Towards Unified Governance of AI, Data, and Cybersecurity Initiatives The three are connected. How to manage them in a coordinated fashion?
Risk Management & AI Governance: Comments on the NIST GAI-PWG Concept Note How do you avoid problems when bringing a generative AI based application into your organization?
Tapping the Brakes on AI Use in Peer Review If AI can be used to generate research reports, can’t it also be used to evaluate the resulting reports?
Using ChatGPT to Accelerate Creation of Business Case and Project Definition Documents This stuff works.
Can research transparency & AI defend against fake science? How can you tell when reported analysis is real - and done by a human?
On the Declining Trustworthiness of Social and Legacy Media. It’s pretty bad when you can’t tell what’s real.
Stakeholders & Independent Film Festivals What does ChatGPT suggest for saving independent film festivals?
Time Travel Via DNA Sequencing “It is among the fastest examples of natural selection ever detected in humans.”
Implications of Research Data "Informed Re-Consent" Requirements How much “red tape” will managing transnational data analysis require?
Some Folks Just Don't Want to Pull Back the Identity Curtain. Fake and disguises identities online are two sides of the same coin.
Howard Markel's "The Secret of Life: Rosalind Franklin, James Watson, Francis Crick, and the Discovery of DNA's Double Helix" Reading about how research data were gathered and analyzed in the “old days” is a painful experience.
George Steiner’s “Language in Silence: essays on language, literature, and the inhuman” “We now know that a man can read Goethe or Rilke in the evening, that he can play Bach and Schubert, and go to his day’s work at Auschwitz in the morning.”
Joshua Frydman's "THE JAPANESE MYTHS: A GUIDE TO GODS, HEROES AND SPIRITS" A concise guide to the spirits and demons that pop up now and then in Japanese films.
Lisa See's "SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN" From the book: “Raising a girl and marrying her off as like building a fancy road for others to use.”
Rodrigo García’s “A FAREWELL TO GABO AND MERCEDES: A SON’S MEMOIR OF GABRIEL GARCíA MARQUEZ AND MERCEDES BARCHA” The author reflects some universal truths about mortality and parent child relationships.
Adam Higginbotham’s "MIDNIGHT AT CHERNOBYL." A deadly horror story about technology and bureaucratic incompetence.
Jim Baggott’s “THE FIRST WAR OF PHYSICS: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE ATOMIC BOMB, 1939-1949.” An impressive and terrifying depiction of the marshalling of “big science” as a tool of war.
Bernd Heinrich's “THE SNORING BIRD: MY FAMILY'S JOURNEY THROUGH A CENTURY OF BIOLOGY.” A consistently entertaining and detailed story of a father and son and their differing approaches to scientific research.
Takashi Yamazaki's "GODZILLA MINUS ONE". Definitely one of the best movies I saw in 2023.
Christopher Nolan's "OPPENHEIMER" Holy cow! You get to see Lawrence’s cyclotron under construction!
Makoto Shinkai’s “SUZUME” This Japanese film is exceptional and deserves to be seen on a big screen.
Gitanjali Rao's "BOMBAY ROSE" This animated film combines strong characters and an engaging story with spectacularly rendered artwork.
Rodrigo García’s “RAYMOND AND RAY” Definitely not your typical “going to dad’s funeral” comedy.
Tom Moore and Ross Stewart’s "WOLFWALKERS" My granddaughter and I love this animated film. Also recommended: the illustrated novel.
Paolo Sorrentino’s "THE HAND OF GOD" One of the best “coming of age” films I’ve ever seen.
Isao Takahata's "THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA" One of the most gorgeous animated films ever. Joe Hisaishi’s music is sublime.
Apple TV+’s “SILO” Life underground reimagined.
“THE PERIPHERAL" (Season One) This dystopian SF series thrillingly combines crime, cyberpunk, time travel, robots, and mystery.
Keisuke Shinohara's "MY DRESS-UP DARLING” Breaks the mold of fan-service-obsessed harem anime comedies.
Matt Shakman's "WANDAVISION" I wish Marvel would break their mold more often like this.
Alex Garland's "DEVS" Unsettlingly well made warning about cyberspace manipulation.
Mike Flanagan's "MIDNIGHT MASS" An isolated small town falls under the sway of demonic forces masquerading as good.
Masaaki Yuasa's “KEEP YOU HANDS OFF EINZOUKEN!” The intersection between iconoclastic adolescence and movie animation.
Hisko Hulsing's "UNDONE" (seasons 1 and 2) Time travel tale uniquely produced and presented.
“SEVERANCE” (Series, Season 1, Apple TV+) Mindbending tale plays on suspicion and anxiety related to memories.
Lenore Zion & Nick Antosca’s "BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR" “Watch out for the girl with the eye patch.”