Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici

Our World in Data

“Poverty, disease, hunger, climate change, war, existential risks, and inequality: The world faces many great and terrifying problems. It is these large problems that our work at Our World in Data focuses on. Thanks to the work of thousands of researchers around the world who dedicate their lives to it, we often have a good understanding of how it is possible to make progress against the large problems we are facing. The world has the resources to do much better and reduce the suffering in the world. We believe that a key reason why we fail to achieve the progress we are capable of is that we do not make enough use of this existing research and data: the important knowledge is often stored in inaccessible databases, locked away behind paywalls and buried under jargon in academic papers.  The goal of our work is to make the knowledge on the big problems accessible and understandable. As we say on our homepage, Our World in Data’s mission is to publish the “research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems”.

 

Public Trust in Scientists and Views on Their Role in Policymaking

“A majority of Americans say they have confidence in scientists to act in the public’s best interests. Confidence ratings have moved slightly higher in the last year, marking a shift away from the decline in trust seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new Pew Research Center survey of 9,593 U.S. adults conducted Oct. 21-27, 2024,… Continue Reading

What’s most useful about Perplexity

Wonder Tools – Jeremy Caplan – “Perplexity is this year’s best new search tool. It uses AI to answer your questions based on online sources. You get concise, relevant summaries with specific citations. These source links allow you to verify information and dig deeper. Read on for examples, limitations, and alternatives. What’s most useful about… Continue Reading

Some of Substack’s Biggest Newsletters Rely on AI Writing Tools

Wired – unpaywalled: “The most popular writers on Substack earn up to seven figures each year primarily by persuading readers to pay for their work. The newsletter platform’s subscription-driven business model offers creators different incentives than platforms like Facebook or YouTube, where traffic and engagement are king. In theory, that should help shield Substack from… Continue Reading

Mapped: How Much Americans Spend on Groceries in Each State

Visual Capitalist: “Since August 2020, prices for “food at home” (groceries) have increased by 20% according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the steepest inflation seen since the 1970s. On average, American households are paying about $270 per week ($1,080 a month) for groceries, according to Delish, which sourced their findings from the… Continue Reading

Google will let you search for products on Maps to help with holiday shopping

The Verge: “Google has added some new travel and shopping features to Maps that aim to make it easier to find local products and stay on time during busy periods. Starting today, Maps now allows users to search for items like home goods, clothing, and electronics, and find stores nearby that sell them — a… Continue Reading

Americans Are Using the Dumbest Possible Passwords

Gizmodo: “Just about everyone knows at this point that it’s important to use a strong password. But that hasn’t stopped a lot of people from using the dumbest passwords imaginable. NordPass just published its annual lists of the most popular easy-to-crack passwords, and there are quite a few bad ones, as well as some head-scratchers.… Continue Reading