Washington Post [free link]: “Uncontrollable flames are ravaging swaths of Canadian forest in what authorities have described as a “devastating” wildfire season that could become the worst the country has ever seen. The United States’ northern neighbor is home to some of the world’s densest forests, and it experiences wildfires every year. But this year,… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: June 2023
How to Connect Any Phone or Tablet to Your TV Using USB
Make Use Of: “Connecting a phone to your TV isn’t as simple as you might think. Whether you want to enjoy Netflix, share photos, or use it for home working, hooking up a cable between your phone and TV can be tricky. But it’s not impossible—it’s all a matter of selecting the right cable. Here’s… Continue Reading
Here’s what your boss might be able to see while you’re at work
Washington Post [free link] – “Workplace software like Microsoft, Google Workspace, Slack and Zoom log certain activities that could be accessed by your employer…The software tools you use to do tasks like collaborate with your colleagues, host meetings or create digital files often track certain activities for various purposes, in many cases for safety, security… Continue Reading
How do you read the EPA’s Air Quality Index?
MarketWatch: “The EPA says to think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality for essentially all the population. A… Continue Reading
Pesticide use data
Jeremy Singer-Vine, Data is Plural: “As part of its National Water-Quality Assessment Project, the US Geological Survey publishes maps and datasets that estimate local pesticide usage, based on “proprietary surveys of farm operations.” The datasets provide high/low estimates (measured in kilograms) by county, chemical, and year, as well as by crop group for each state.… Continue Reading
Some blogging myths
Julia Evans – “A few years ago I gave a short talk (slides) about myths that discourage people from blogging. I was chatting with a friend about blogging the other day and it made me want to write up that talk as a blog post. Here are the myths: myth: you need to be original… Continue Reading
How to Leave a Platform When the Party’s Over
Wired, Jameson Rich: “…Elon Musk’s degradation of Twitter may seem like a loss, but social platforms aren’t built to last forever. My time on a 2000s illness blog taught me that…Veteran posters of any site, but especially Twitter, will recognize this pattern: While flailing to keep your audience interested, you transgress a boundary casually enforced… Continue Reading
NYT launches a free, geo-targeted extreme weather newsletter
NiemanLab: “As the warming climate causes extreme weather events to become more frequent and severe, your everyday concern about weather risks may be growing. And you might not only be preoccupied with the chances of extreme weather where you live, but also in places you’re traveling, or where your friends and loved ones reside. What… Continue Reading
How AI could take over elections and undermine democracy
Archon Fung, Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government, Harvard Kennedy School and Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard University – The Conversation: “…Imagine that soon, political technologists develop a machine called Clogger – a political campaign in a black box. Clogger relentlessly pursues just one objective: to maximize the chances that its candidate –… Continue Reading
Teachers’ Views on School Safety
Rand Corporation – Consensus on Many Security Measures, But Stark Division About Arming Teachers: “Shooting incidents at kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) schools in the United States, including mass attacks like the one that killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, have sparked calls to increase security or adopt… Continue Reading
Library strategy and Artificial Intelligence
“On April 20th 2023 the Information School, University of Sheffield invited five guest speakers from across the library sectors to debate “Artificial Intelligence: Where does it fit into your library strategy?” The speakers were: Nick Poole, CEO of CILIP Neil Fitzgerald, Head of Digital Research, British Library Sue Lacey-Bryant, Chief Knowledge Officer; Workforce, Training and… Continue Reading
Struggles With Air Quality in Federal Offices Put Occupants At Risk of COVID Exposure
Office of Audits, Office of Inspector General, U.S. General Services Administration A201018/P/4/R2308. Audit of GSA’s Response to COVID-19: PBS Faces Challenges to Meet the Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality Standard in GSA-Owned Buildings. GovExec: “The federal government’s landlord has struggled to maintain air quality standards in its buildings thus putting occupants at risk for… Continue Reading
