Science Alert – “It may sound strange at first, but a team of researchers in Australia has come up with a method to predict your personality traits using just the accelerometer in your phone. Well, that and your call and messaging activity logs. Also, the system works for some traits better than others. But it’s… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2019
These portraits of insects aren’t actually insects at all
National Geographic – Using flowers, leaves, twigs, and seeds, Canadian artist Raku Inoue creates intricate portraits of insects. “Tropical plants aren’t abundant in the northern latitudes of Montreal, Canada. Nor are the planet’s most diverse animals, insects. Even so, Montreal-based artist and photographer Raku Inoue finds a way to showcase both with his colorful portraits… Continue Reading
The relationship between your age and your chance of success
TED Talk – “Backed by mathematical analysis, network theorist Albert-László Barabási explores the hidden mechanisms that drive success — no matter your field — and uncovers an intriguing connection between your age and your chance of making it big.”… creative and scientific accomplishment do not depend on youth. [Rock my friends on!] Continue Reading
Facebook is funding brain experiments to create a device that reads your mind
MIT Technology review: Big tech firms are trying to read people’s thoughts, and no one’s ready for the consequences. “In 2017, Facebook announced that it wanted to create a headband that would let people type at a speed of 100 words per minute, just by thinking. Now, a little over two years later, the social-media giant… Continue Reading
FTC Announces New Public Web Page with Interactive Do Not Call and Robocall Data
“As part of its continued efforts to help make the Do Not Call (DNC) data it collects more transparent and easier for consumers to use, the Federal Trade Commission today announced the debut of a new interactive public web page containing a wealth of information about the National DNC Registry and unwanted telemarketing robocalls. The… Continue Reading
The Mueller Report’s Fundamental Dodge
The National Review: It misinterprets the rule against indicting a sitting president. “Robert Mueller’s congressional testimony was such a bumbling fiasco that it was easy for a viewer to be confused — and stay that way — about the main bone of Democratic contention regarding his report: the “OLC guidance” that prevents the Justice Department… Continue Reading
Visualizing Political Polarization in U.S. Cities
Center for Data Innovation: “FiveThirtyEight has created data visualizations illustrating where Democrats and Republicans live in the 153 largest metro areas in the United States, highlighting distinct political polarization based on geography in many cities. The visualizations combines data about each voting precinct’s two-party margin in the 2016 presidential election with mapping data from OpenStreetMap.… Continue Reading
The FOIA Charade: A Brief Case Study
Kelley Green Law Blog , Joseph Green, July 20, 2019: “With the release last month of proposed new EPA regulations on how the agency intends to handle responses to requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), critics have raised concerns about provisions that would give authority to senior management officials (i.e., political appointees) to… Continue Reading
What Americans Know About Religion
Pew Report – U.S. adults generally can answer basic questions about the Bible and Christianity, but are less familiar with other world religions – “Most Americans are familiar with some of the basics of Christianity and the Bible, and even a few facts about Islam. But far fewer U.S. adults are able to correctly answer… Continue Reading
LC Report – Initiatives to Counter Fake News
“This report examines the legal approaches of 15 countries, representing all regions of the world, to the emerging problem of manipulation with “fake news” using mass and social media, especially the impact of fake news on ongoing political processes and elections, and the legislative measures undertaken to counteract the dissemination of false information. With the… Continue Reading
New York Review of Books – Real Americans
Joseph O’Neil – August 15, 2019 Issue – Reviewing: This America: The Case for the Nation by Jill Lepore Liveright, 150 pp., and This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto by Suketu Mehta Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 306 pp. “A poignant quality of anachronism threatens these exigent, idealistic books by the writer-professors Jill Lepore… Continue Reading
LC Report – Limits on Freedom of Expression
“This report examines the scope of protection extended to freedom of speech in 13 selected countries. In particular, the report focuses on the limits of protection that may apply to the right to interrupt or affect in any other way public speech. The report also addresses the availability of mechanisms to control foreign broadcasters working… Continue Reading
