Mashable: “When you delete a text message, is it truly gone forever? Given America’s willingness to spy on its citizens, simple common sense would suggest that no they’re not gone forever, and law enforcement agencies can use inexpensive consumer-grade software to recover at least some of your deleted text messages if they can get into… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2022
Texas House report – “Systemic failures” in Uvalde shooting went far beyond local police
Texas Tribune: “The 18-year-old who massacred 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde on May 24 had no experience with firearms before his rampage began. He targeted an elementary school with an active shooter policy that had been deemed adequate but also had a long history of doors propped open. No one was able to… Continue Reading
Is your smartphone ruining your memory?
UK Guardian – A special report on the rise of ‘digital amnesia’: “…While smartphones can obviously open up whole new vistas of knowledge, they can also drag us away from the present moment, like a beautiful day, unexperienced because you’re head down, WhatsApping. When we’re not attending to an experience, we are less likely to… Continue Reading
Light pollution is disrupting the seasonal rhythms of plants and trees, lengthening pollen season in US cities
Via LLRX – Light pollution is disrupting the seasonal rhythms of plants and trees, lengthening pollen season in US cities – City lights that blaze all night are profoundly disrupting urban plants’ phenology – shifting when their buds open in the spring and when their leaves change colors and drop in the fall. New research… Continue Reading
Meta launches Sphere, an AI knowledge tool based on open web content, used initially to verify citations on Wikipedia
TechCrunch: “Facebook may be infamous for helping to usher in the era of “fake news”, but it’s also tried to find a place for itself in the follow-up: the never-ending battle to combat it. In the latest development on that front, Facebook parent Meta today announced a new tool called Sphere, AI built around the… Continue Reading
Cryptomining Capacity in U.S. Rivals Energy Use of Houston, Findings Show
The New York Times: “…Earlier this year, a group of congressional Democrats launched an investigation into energy use at the country’s largest cryptomining companies. They asked seven cryptomining companies for data on their operations, and the group’s findings, issued Friday, are based on the companies’ responses. That data showed that the seven companies alone had… Continue Reading
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
NPR – “People experiencing a mental health crisis have a new way to reach out for help in the U.S. Starting Saturday, they can simply call or text the numbers 9-8-8. Modeled after 911, the new three-digit 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is designed to be a memorable and quick number that connects people who… Continue Reading
Edelman Trust Barometer – The Power of Gen Z
“This isn’t the influencer generation. This isn’t the cancel generation. This isn’t even the TikTok generation. This is the generation of sensibility. Preceding generations have idolized the unrealistic, prioritizing aspirational objectives, and often overlooking basic elements like humanity, our planet, and at times the truth for the sake of self, innovation, wealth, and immediacy. In… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, July 16, 2022
Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, July 16, 2022 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weisshighlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading
Young women shifting how they live and love in the post-Roe era
The Generation Lab Report – “Young women will likely change their sexual behavior, their pregnancy prevention protocol and even where they live: “In the era when Roe reigned, a map of abortion access in the United States might have looked like a bird’s eye view of the Atlantic Ocean — some parts dark blue, some… Continue Reading
The Private Suppression of Constitutional Rights
Huq, Aziz Z., The Private Suppression of Constitutional Rights (April 1, 2022). Texas Law Review, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4072800 “On September 1. 2021, Texas’s abortion ban S.B.8 went into effect, not only prohibiting almost all abortions after six weeks but also allowing any private party to sue those who, knowingly or unwittingly, aid or… Continue Reading
It’s been a hard time for librarians. Enter an epic sleepover of stuffed toys.
Washington Post: “With book bans, heated political debates and a pandemic to deal with, it isn’t an easy time to be a librarian. In cities and small towns across the country, librarians have become increasingly maligned for simply keeping the shelves stocked and doing their jobs, which includes everything from organizing yoga classes and book… Continue Reading
