The Atlantic – Downdetector is a simple, ugly utility, which becomes a weird little life raft for displaced communities when their websites crash. “It can happen at any moment, yet we’re never prepared. When Twitter crashes, how do we tweet about it? We try and try. When Instagram is down, no one can see what… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: February 2020
These 26 words ‘created the internet’
CNN – The US government is coming for them – ” For decades, many of the biggest names in tech have leaned on a little-known law to avoid being held responsible for some of the most controversial content on their platforms. The companies have invoked this federal law, known as Section 230 of the Communications… Continue Reading
AI Comes to the Tax Code
WSJ.com: “Governments are increasingly relying on machine learning and data analytics to analyze troves of data as they seek to detect tax evasion, respond to taxpayers’ questions and make themselves more efficient…The Internal Revenue Service is designing machine-built graphs to plot the relationships among participants in business deals, giving auditors a new tool to analyze… Continue Reading
How Lifesaving Organs For Transplant Go Missing In Transit
Kaiser Health News: “Scores of organs — mostly kidneys — are trashed each year and many more become critically delayed while being shipped on commercial airliners, a new investigation finds….In a nation where nearly 113,000 people are waiting for transplants, scores of organs — mostly kidneys — are discarded after they don’t reach their destination… Continue Reading
The 10 most overpaid CEOs in the US
Fast Company – “The median employee at Align Technologies, the company that makes Invisalign, makes $13,180 a year. The CEO makes $41,758,338. That’s a pay ratio of 3,168:1. And if you look at how the company performed over the long term, he was only worth about about $14 million dollars, meaning he was overpaid by… Continue Reading
The problem with digital skills
Medium – Kati Price: “I say ‘problem’, of course I mean problems. Lots of them. (And not just in the cultural sector either.) So it’s interesting that last week saw the launch of number of initiatives that might just help improve digital skills and literacy within the UK cultural sector. (In case you missed it,… Continue Reading
Chief FOIA Officers Council’s Technology Committee Releases Best Practices and Recommendations
National Archives FOIA Ombudsman: “Looking for ways to bolster the use of technology within the FOIA process? Check out a report from the Technology Committee (Committee) of the Chief FOIA Officers Council (Council) to the Council Co-Chairs that discusses FOIA Information Technology (IT) best practices and recommendations. In response to a recommendation by the 2016-2018… Continue Reading
How Google Is Stopping Malicious Office Docs From Targeting Gmail Users
PC Magazine: “At the RSA security conference today, Google offered a rare look into the kinds of malicious attachments hackers will send to Gmail users. It turns out Microsoft Office documents secretly rigged to download malware are in vogue. In recent weeks, about 56 percent of the malicious attachments detected and blocked by Gmail’s filters… Continue Reading
Smithsonian Releases 2.8 Million Images Into Public Domain
Smithsonian Magazine – “Culture connoisseurs, rejoice: The Smithsonian Institution is inviting the world to engage with its vast repository of resources like never before. For the first time in its 174-year history, the Smithsonian has released 2.8 million high-resolution two- and three-dimensional images from across its collections onto an open access online platform for patrons… Continue Reading
These Devices Can Prevent Major Home Damage and Save You Money
The New York Times – Smart-home sensors can detect leaks, frozen pipes, and open doors so that small problems don’t turn into big expenses – “Smart-home sensors can be discreetly placed all around your house, don’t require any expertise to use, and leave you with some peace of mind knowing that if mayhem strikes, you’ll… Continue Reading
Coronavirus Live Updates: Disruptions, Rising Cases, Market Tremors,Warnings
The New York Times Coronavirus Live Updates: “For the U.S., it’s not if but when, federal officials say. Americans should brace for the likelihood that the coronavirus will spread to communities in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday. “It’s not so much of a question of if this will… Continue Reading
Artificial intelligence What Think Tanks are thinking
European Parliamentary Research Service Blog: “Artificial intelligence (AI) is usually understood as the ability for a machine to display human-like capabilities such as reasoning, learning, planning and creativity. The ‘Holy Grail’ for many governments and companies seeking to benefit from the digital revolution, the first to invent and apply true AI could achieve an enormous… Continue Reading
