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Monthly Archives: August 2019

Book publishers sue Audible to stop new speech-to-text feature

ars technica – Publishers say Audible’s new captions feature is illegal. Is it? – “Seven of the nation’s top book publishers sued Amazon subsidiary Audible on Friday, asking federal courts to block the company from releasing a new feature called Audible Captions that’s due out next month. The technology does exactly what it sounds like: display… Continue Reading

Travel your first and last mile with Google Maps

Google Blog: “Google Maps has always helped you get from place to place, whether you’re driving, walking, biking or taking public transit. And we know that transit journeys can be complex–often involving multiple modes of transportation to help you get around town. Today, we’re making it easy to pair transit directions with biking and ridesharing… Continue Reading

Verizon’s anti-robocall service will be automatically enabled on Android phones

c/net – The change comes after the FCC gave carriers greater power to “aggressively block” unwanted robocalls: “Verizon on Tuesday said it’ll begin automatically enrolling eligible Android phones in its free Call Filter service. The company said it’s making the move after the Federal Communications Commission in June voted to give wireless carriers greater power… Continue Reading

Green Files 2019 – 2020

Via LLRX – Green Files 2019 – 2020 – This guide by Marcus Zillman includes a range of links to green and eco sources that are sponsored by technical, government, small businesses, the products and services sectors, advocacy groups, and also includes topical journals, search engines and aggregated reference resources. Continue Reading

New laws give victims more time to report rape or sexual assault – even Jeffrey Epstein’s

Via LLRX – New laws give victims more time to report rape or sexual assault – even Jeffrey Epstein’s – Jane E. Palmer is a scholar of gender-based violence currently studying the legal needs of survivors of sexual assault. In this article Palmer examines why someone might wait decades to report a sexual assault, why… Continue Reading

What to Do with All This Broken Stuff? Cities Aim to Help People Fix It

Route Fifty – “…Across the country, municipalities are helping residents repair mendable belongings, keep material out of landfills and save money… Also known as repair cafés, fix-it clinics have gained popularity in recent years as a way for local governments to encourage residents to reduce, reuse and recycle. It can also help them save money,… Continue Reading

Security 101: A Physical and Cybersecurity Primer for Transportation Agencies

National Academies: “Since 2009, when NCHRP’s last Security 101 report was released, there have been significant advances in transportation security approaches, including new strategies, programs, and ways of doing business that have increased the security of transportation systems as well as ensured their resiliency. Hazards and threats to the system have also continued to evolve… Continue Reading

Washington, D.C. has the highest rate of hate crimes per capita of any major city in U.S

Washington Post: “…The Post examined all 204 incidents investigated by police as hate crimes [in 2018], interviewing two dozen victims and a handful of suspects. What emerged was a portrait of pervasive bigotry and violence: gay men and women assaulted on the street, transgender people threatened by strangers, African Americans taunted with slurs, Muslims harassed… Continue Reading

Bird Twitter Is My Oasis in Internet Hell

Gizmodo: “Browsing the internet generally feels exhausting for me. Mostly, it’s because everything is bad. The websites I once visited for “fun” are now saturated with reminders of society’s collapse, brands making painful jokes, lies, outrage, and actual Nazis. I only visit these websites out of habit and poor impulse control. But I’ve recently joined… Continue Reading