Democracy Docket on YouTube: “With reports of pro-Trump election officials gearing up to refuse to certify results should Trump lose, the certification process has become a major concern among voters as we heard toward the upcoming election. Sophie Feldman explains how the certification process works and what happens if election officials refuse to certify.” Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Scientists Made a List of Lost Birds and Now They Want Us to Find Them
The New York Times [unpaywalled]: “Some 144 bird species had not been seen in at least a decade, but a project by conservation organizations proposes they all may still be hidden somewhere in the wild…A major goal of the list is to persuade bird watchers and others to look for these birds as they go… Continue Reading
Library of Congress Geospatial Applications Hub site
“The Geography and Map Division is excited to support the newly launched “Library of Congress Geospatial Applications” Hub site! Hosted in ArcGIS Online, a web-based platform created by Esri, “the Hub” provides online users with a new way to explore the Library’s wide range of StoryMaps and web map applications in one site. Conveniently located… Continue Reading
Best new books for kids this fall, recommended by librarians
Washington Post: “When children are very young, they will — even if they’re wiggling — listen when a book is read to them. As they get older, this becomes more difficult, given the distraction of screens and other activities. What can parents and caregivers do? Keep trying. Also, give kids the chance to pick the… Continue Reading
Meet the man archiving Biden’s presidency
Politico Tech Podcast: “The transition from one presidential administration to the next is generally thought to start around Election Day and end with the inauguration. But for the Internet Archive, it’s already underway. The nonprofit leads a coalition of libraries and universities that works to preserve the government’s digital history and to protect it from… Continue Reading
Generative AI is sliding into the ‘trough of disillusionment’
ComputerWorld: “Market research firm Gartner [requires fee but this article sums up the report well] yesterday published its 2024 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, and the study revealed that generative AI (genAI) has passed the “peak of inflated expectations” and is now sliding down into the “trough of disillusionment.”Along with genAI, AI-augmented software engineering is… Continue Reading
ChatGPT is bullshit
ChatGPT is bullshit – Recently, there has been considerable interest in large language models: machine learning systems which produce human-like text and dialogue. Applications of these systems have been plagued by persistent inaccuracies in their output; these are often called “AI hallucinations”. Dr. Michael Townsen Hicks, Dr. James Humphries and Dr. Joe Slater argue that… Continue Reading
Face Search Engine Reverse Image Search
“PimEyes is an online face search engine that goes through the Internet to find pictures containing given faces. PimEyes uses face recognition search technologies to perform a reverse image search. Find a face and check where the image appears online. Our face finder helps you find a face and protect your privacy. Facial recognition online… Continue Reading
New web crawler launched by Meta last month is quietly scraping the internet for AI training data
Fortune [no paywall]: “Meta has quietly unleashed a new web crawler to scour the internet and collect data en masse to feed its AI model. The crawler, named the Meta External Agent, was launched last month according to three firms that track web scrapers and bots across the web. The automated bot essentially copies, or… Continue Reading
Invisible Rulers – What Really Drives Online Content
Mark Scott, Digital Bridge, Politico: “After years of tracking online disinformation, propaganda and other digital nastiness, Renée diResta sees patterns where others see chaos. In her new book, “Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality,” the former Stanford University researcher tries to parse together a theory about why, seemingly out of the blue,… Continue Reading
EU Proposal for an ePrivacy Regulation
“The European Commission’s proposal for a Regulation on ePrivacy aims at reinforcing trust and security in the digital world. Why a reform of ePrivacy legislation? European legislation needs to keep up with the fast pace at which IT-based services are developing and evolving. The Commission has started a major modernisation process of the data protection… Continue Reading
Survey of Americans’ Online Security Top Concerns & Problematic Habits
US News – Data Privacy Paradox: “Americans are increasingly aware of the dangers lurking online and worry about the risks of data breaches, cyber attacks, ransomware, and more. The fears are well-founded. Already in the first months of 2024, a rash of data breaches has exposed potentially sensitive information of millions of people. One report… Continue Reading
