MIT Technology Review – “Two books explore the price we’ve paid in handing over unprecedented power to Big Tech—and explain why it’s imperative we start taking it back. The internet loves a good neologism, especially if it can capture a purported vibe shift or explain a new trend. In 2013, the columnist Adrian Wooldridge coined… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Inescapable AI
A Report from TechTonic Justice – Inescapable AI The Ways AI Decides How Low-Income People Work, Live, Learn, and Survive – “The use of artificial intelligence, or AI, by governments, landlords, employers, and other powerful private interests restricts the opportunities of low-income people in every basic aspect of life: at home, at work, in school,… Continue Reading
Beyond Fairness in Computer Vision: A Holistic Approach to Mitigating Harms and Fostering Community-Rooted Computer Vision Research
Timnit Gebru and Remi Denton (2024), “Beyond Fairness in Computer Vision: A Holistic Approach to Mitigating Harms and Fostering Community-Rooted Computer Vision Research”, Foundations and Trends® in Computer Graphics and Vision: Vol. 16, No. 3, pp 215–321. DOI: 10.1561/0600000102. “The field of computer vision is now a multi-billion dollar enterprise, with its use in surveillance… Continue Reading
Hackers Can Jailbreak Digital License Plates to Make Others Pay Their Tolls and Tickets
Wired: “Digital license plates sold by Reviver, already legal to buy in some states and drive with nationwide, can be hacked by their owners to evade traffic regulations or even law enforcement surveillance. Digital license plates, already legal to buy in a growing number of states and to drive with nationwide, offer a few perks… Continue Reading
New US Elections Web Archive Data Resources Available
Library of Congress Blogs: “For nearly twenty-five years, the Library of Congress has been archiving campaign websites for Presidential, Congressional, and gubernatorial elections. Back in 2022, we released a dataset of index files for the United States Elections Web Archive, and we are happy to announce that this dataset is being relaunched as data package… Continue Reading
AirNow.gov – Home of the U.S. Air Quality Index
Get air quality data where you live. Search by zip code, city, or state. “The Air Quality System (AQS), formerly the Aerometric Information Retrieval System (AIRS), is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) repository of ambient air quality data. AQS stores data from over 10,000 monitors, 5,000 of which are currently active. The system contains… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 14, 2024
Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 14, 2024 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on… Continue Reading
Old Maps Online
TimeMap.org presents a world map with a slider bar that starts at 4000 BC and ends at the present day. As you slide through time, you watch empires rise and fall. Any interesting civilization or event you spot can be instantly researched — just click on it and the relevant Wikipedia article appears in a… Continue Reading
The best science images of 2024 – Nature’s picks
A breathtaking total eclipse, courageous penguins, volcanic smoke rings and more. A spectacular total eclipse of the Sun delighted viewers in North America in 2024. The year also brought surreal developments in robotics, stunning auroras and feats that pushed the limits of biology. These are Nature’s picks of the year’s best science images. Continue Reading
25 enchanting images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice awards
PopSci – A lounging seal, a bloodied-but-undeterred honey badger, and a cheetah cub given a second chance at life: the finalists for the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice awards absolutely captivate. After selecting 100 Wildlife Photographer of the Year finalists from 60,000 entries, the judges picked out an additional 25 images to… Continue Reading
Social media needs (dumpster) fire exits
Pluralistic: “Of course you should do everything you can to prevent fires – and also, you should build fire exits, because no matter how hard to you try, stuff burns. That includes social media sites. Social media has its own special form of lock-in: we use social media sites to connect with friends, family members,… Continue Reading
The Best Dark Web Browser for Your Device
MakeUseOf: “When you want to access the dark web, you need a special browser. Popular browsers, like Chrome and Safari, are unsuitable; You need a special dark web browser to open the encrypted dark web while preserving your anonymity. Whether exploring the hidden internet for curiosity or privacy, these are the best dark browsers. Tor… Continue Reading
