EPA Guidance Documents – “On October 9, 2019, President Trump signed Executive Order 13891, “Promoting the Rule of Law Through Improved Agency Guidance Documents.” Among other things, the Executive Order directs federal agencies to make active guidance documents available via an online guidance document portal. On October 31, 2019, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued implementing… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2020
TIME 100 Women of the Year
“For 72 years, TIME named a Man of the Year. With a few exceptions, it was almost always a man, usually a President or a Prime Minister or perhaps a titan of industry. Throughout history, these are the kinds of men who have wielded influence over the world. In 1999, Man of the Year gave… Continue Reading
Power Through apps, not warrants, ‘Locate X’ allows federal law enforcement to track phones
protocol: “U.S. law enforcement agencies signed millions of dollars worth of contracts with a Virginia company after it rolled out a powerful tool that uses data from popular mobile apps to track the movement of people’s cell phones, according to federal contracting records and six people familiar with the software. The product, called Locate X… Continue Reading
Robo lawyer will sue organizations that will not delete your personal info
Fortune: “In January, a new law gave consumers the power to stop companies collecting their personal information. The law, known as the California Consumer Privacy Act (or the CCPA), can be a powerful tool for privacy, but it comes with a catch: Consumers who want to exercise their CCPA rights must contact every data broker… Continue Reading
Google Assistant can now read webpages aloud in 42 different languages
The Verge: “Google is beginning to roll out its article-reading feature on Google Assistant that will read webpages aloud. This was previewed back at CES in January and is becoming available globally starting today. To use the feature, users can simply say, “Hey Google, read it” or “Hey Google, read this page” for Assistant to… Continue Reading
Coronavirus Misinformation Tracking Center
“As the Wuhan coronavirus and the disease it causes — also known as COVID-19 — spread across the globe, so does disinformation and misinformation. Follow the spread of this dangerous information with NewsGuard’s new Coronavirus Misinformation Tracking Center. Listed below are all the news and information sites in the U.S., the U.K., France, Italy, and… Continue Reading
Emoji etiquette in the workplace
Human Resources – The good, the bad and the downright inappropriate – “Emojis are everywhere nowadays. When words fail us or we want to lighten the mood, very often we turn to emojis. In fact even in a professional work setting, 71% of respondents in Perkbox’s latest survey feel emojis should be encouraged. Polling 1000 UK workers,… Continue Reading
Freedom in the World 2020
Freedom House – A Leaderless Struggle for Democracy – “Democracy and pluralism are under assault. Dictators are toiling to stamp out the last vestiges of domestic dissent and spread their harmful influence to new corners of the world. At the same time, many freely elected leaders are dramatically narrowing their concerns to a blinkered interpretation… Continue Reading
Moving Away From ‘Peak Car’
Overview: How a changing relationship with cars may shape the future of transportation – “Automobiles make up 70% of the emissions from all forms of transportation. There are an estimated 1 billion cars on the planet, with around 80 million new cars sold each year. Despite continually strong sales, experts suggest we have reached ‘Peak Car’… Continue Reading
Peak Bloom With Ten Fun Facts About Cherry Blossoms
Smithsonian Magazine – The National Park Service predicts the pink-and-white blossoms will reach peak bloom between March 27 and 30 – “very spring, the 3,800 cherry trees along Washington, D.C.’s Tidal Basin burst into a symphony of pink-and-white blossoms. Because this picturesque period lasts, on average, just four to seven days, the spectacle is a… Continue Reading
Get the Most Out of Your Fancy Smartphone Camera
The New York Times – The latest Apple and Google models have software that automatically enhances your photos, but you can also take control to get your perfect shot: “It’s getting harder to take a truly bad photo on a good smartphone. Thanks to better lenses, robust processors and integrated computational photography software to process… Continue Reading
How Information on the Coronavirus is Managed on Chinese Social Media
Citizen Lab – Censored Contagion – “Key Findings: YY, a live-streaming platform in China, began to censor keywords related to the coronavirus outbreak on December 31, 2019, a day after doctors (including the late Dr. Li Wenliang) tried to warn the public about the then unknown virus. WeChat broadly censored coronavirus-related content (including critical and… Continue Reading
