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Daily Archives: August 22, 2019

How to Turn an iPhone Into a Work-Only Tool

The New York Times – To prevent distractions, Conor Dougherty, an economics writer, dumped social media and anything fun — even his browser — from his smartphone. “…I cover California and the economy and have to read news for work, so the mental bargain I’ve made with myself is that I can use my phone as much or as long as I want — so long as I’m reading books or news. Aside from news, Audible, and service-type things like maps and airline apps, I have nothing on my phone. I even disabled the browser. I find this keeps me mostly sane and mostly productive…Technology is a hard balance for everyone these days, but it’s especially hard for reporters, who in the pursuit of readers and stories can convince themselves that Twitter wars (“being part of the conversation”) and YouTube holes (“cultural research”) are productive uses of time. My biggest problem with social media is that sometimes I used it for work and sometimes I used it to goof off, and somewhere along the way I lost track of which was which…”

2019 Urban Mobility Report

Published by The Texas A&M Transportation Institute with cooperation from INRIX: “The ‘2019 Urban Mobility Report’ highlights the reality of how motorists in the largest urban areas across the U.S. are experiencing the negative effects of congestion levels in their daily lives. In 2017, the average commuter wasted nearly 7 full working days in extra… Continue Reading

Climate change has increased humidity in D.C., making it feel even hotter

Washington Post – Humidity has increased 5 to 10 percent since 1970, turning hot summer days even more unbearable: “It’s no secret the world is warming, but thanks in part to climate change, humidity is also beginning to surge. Here in Washington, that means the punishing combination of heat and humidity is becoming more oppressive.… Continue Reading

Major Telecom Companies Partner With Attorneys General to Implement New Principles to Combat Robocalls

Mass.gov: “…The principles, announced today by a group attorneys general in partnership with AT&T, Bandwidth, CenturyLink, Charter, Comcast, Consolidated, Frontier, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, and Windstream, will help service providers incorporate call-blocking technology, monitor their networks for robocall traffic, and cooperate with investigations that trace illegal robocalls…The principles announced today include: Offering free call… Continue Reading

Google adding autocorrect to Gmail

Google GSuite Blog: “We’re introducing new spelling and grammar correction capabilities for Gmail to help you compose emails quickly with confidence. As you type your message, Gmail will use artificial intelligence to make smarter spell-check suggestions while also detecting potential grammar issues. For some common spelling mistakes, we’ve also added as-you-type autocorrection for improved accuracy.… Continue Reading

Just Security Launches the Russia Investigation Congressional Clearinghouse

“Today we launch the Russia Investigation Congressional Clearinghouse – a resource tool that seeks to provide, in one place, all congressional investigations materials related to Russia’s efforts to interfere in U.S. elections. We trust it will be a great resource for journalists, academics, and the broader Just Security readership. Bookmark the clearinghouse page to find… Continue Reading

See a different endangered animal in every U.S. state

National Geographic – This interactive map highlights lesser-known endangered species across America. “The Wyoming toad may be North America’s most endangered amphibian. Disease and habitat loss drove the lumpy, spotted toad into such rapid decline in the 20th century that by 1984, there were only about 16 wild toads left, all in a single county… Continue Reading