Motherboard obtained a Palantir user manual through a public records request, and it gives unprecedented insight into how the company logs and tracks individuals – “Palantir is one of the most significant and secretive companies in big data analysis. The company acts as an information management service for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, corporations like JP… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2019
Google redesigning News tab with more emphasis on headlines and publisher names
The Verge – Making sources clearer by cramming less news on the page – “Google is rolling out an update to the News tab of its desktop search function, with a refreshed design that sacrifices information density for clarity. The new design, which the company announced in a tweet, brings the look of the News… Continue Reading
AP Exclusive: New Election Systems Use Vulnerable Software
AP via US News – “Pennsylvania’s message was clear: The state was taking a big step to keep its elections from being hacked in 2020. Last April, its top election official told counties they had to update their systems. So far, nearly 60% have taken action, with $14.15 million of mostly federal funds helping counties… Continue Reading
Weather and water quality for 7,000 Beaches around the world
“We collect samples once a week, and on the Sea Dog, our floating laboratory we test and analyze for E.Coli bacteria. The results are posted every Friday on SwimGuide, a downloadable app (get it!) so that the public can see where it’s safe to swim, paddle, or otherwise recreate on the water…” Continue Reading
New Report on the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence
“Everybody seems to be talking about artificial intelligence (AI). Some people laud its possibilities, whereas others envisage nightmare scenarios where robots take over. But what is AI exactly and how are countries dealing with it? The Oxford Dictionary defines AI as “the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human… Continue Reading
Compiling a Federal Legislative History: A Beginner’s Guide
Library of Congress research guide – A comprehensive research guide on finding federal legislative history documents, including congressional committee reports and hearings, presidential signing statements, and the debates of Congress Authors: Barbara Bavis, Bibliographic and Research Instruction Librarian, Law Library of Congress; Robert Brammer, Senior Legal Information Specialist, Law Library of Congress Continue Reading
The future of women at work: Transitions in the age of automation
McKinsey – Concerted and creative new solutions are needed to enable women to seize new opportunities in the automation age; without them, women may fall further behind in the world of work. “The age of automation, and on the near horizon, artificial intelligence (AI) technologies offer new job opportunities and avenues for economic advancement, but women… Continue Reading
The Underworld of Online Content Moderation
The New Yorker interview – The Underworld of Online Content Moderation: “More than a hundred thousand people work as online content moderators, viewing and evaluating the most violent, disturbing, and exploitative content on social media. In a new book, “Behind the Screen,” Sarah T. Roberts, a professor of information studies at U.C.L.A., describes how this work… Continue Reading
New on LLRX for May – June 2019
The are 10 new articles and 10 new columns on LLRX for May-June 2019 Five data lies that need to die … now streaming on Netflix – Using Netflix as an example and referencing a number of articles touting the company’s expert use of data analytics and algorithms, marketing savant Jason Voiovich argues that data… Continue Reading
Visit 28 of the Best Libraries in the World
Book Riot: “In his keynote speech for the American Library Association’s 2019 annual conference, Jason Reynolds spoke of libraries as “sacred” spaces. I’m inclined to agree. There are many of us for whom libraries are very close to sacred spaces of worship, and the architecture of many of them rivals some of the world’s most famous… Continue Reading
How librarians, pirates, and funders are liberating the world’s academic research from paywalls
Vox – The war to free science: “The 27,500 scientists who work for the University of California generate 10 percent of all the academic research papers published in the United States. Their university recently put them in a strange position: Starting July 10, these scientists will not be able to directly access much of the… Continue Reading
So, Gutenberg Didn’t Actually Invent the Printing Press
LitHub – On the Unsung Chinese and Korean History of Movable Type: “If you heard one book called “universally acknowledged as the most important of all printed books,” which do you expect it would be? If you were Margaret Leslie Davis, the answer would be obvious. Davis’s The Lost Gutenberg: The Astounding Story of One… Continue Reading
