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

Category Archives: Economy

The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars

Vox – Dangerous, polluting SUVs and pickups took over America. Lawmakers are partly to blame. Cars, you might have noticed, have grown enormous. Low-slung station wagons are all but extinct on American roads, and even sedans have become an endangered species. (Ford, producer of the iconic Model T a century ago, no longer sells any… Continue Reading

Ai and Moderna

Noting this press release as it shines light into the foothold AI is gaining in major sectors, in this case, pharmaceuticals: “For over a decade, Moderna has been at the intersection of science, technology and health. Since our beginnings, we’ve leveraged the power of machine learning to support our mission to develop transformative mRNA medicines.… Continue Reading

Chatbot answers are all made up

MIT Technology Review: “This new tool helps you figure out which ones to trust. In many high-stakes situations, large language models are not worth the risk. Knowing which outputs to throw out might fix that. Large language models are famous for their ability to make things up—in fact, it’s what they’re best at. But their… Continue Reading

Spring 2024 Harvard Youth Poll

The Spring 2024 Harvard Youth Poll surveyed 2,010 young Americans between 18- and 29 years old nationwide, and was conducted between March 14-21, 2024. Top Issues – Inflation; Healthcare; Housing; Gun Violence – “A national poll released today by the Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School indicates that among 18-to-29-year-olds nationwide, more than… Continue Reading

Global study revealed world’s biggest known plastic polluters

Washington Post: “Every year, companies produce more than 400 million metric tons of plastic. Some of that plastic spills onto waterways or beaches, clogging streams or floating in huge gyres in the ocean. Some of it breaks down into tiny microplastics or nanoplastics that float in the air and enter human lungs, blood and organs.… Continue Reading

The Man Who Killed Google Search

Where’s Your Ed Act via Metafilter – “Edward Zitron has been reading all of google’s internal emails that have been released as evidence in the DOJ’s antitrust case against google.  Zitron concludes that Google Search died on February 5th, 2019. It was on that date at Google’s HQ evil lair an emergency meeting, aka a… Continue Reading

Global Public Procurement Dataset

Data is Plural: “The Global Public Procurement Dataset provides standardized data on 72 million government contracts in 42 countries. The dataset, constructed from official sources by the Budapest-based Government Transparency Institute, represents $17 trillion in total procurement. It begins in the 2000s for most of the countries and concludes in 2021. For each contract, it… Continue Reading

FTC’s Noncompete Rule: What You Should Know

Under the final Noncompete Rule, the FTC adopts a comprehensive ban on new noncompetes with all workers, including senior executives. The final rule provides that it is an unfair method of competition—and therefore a violation of Section 5—for employers to enter into noncompetes with workers. Note: The regulation’s effective date is 120 days after Federal… Continue Reading

It’s the End of the Web as We Know It

The Atlantic [unpaywalled] – A great public resource is at risk of being destroyed. By Judith Donath and Bruce Schneier: “The web has become so interwoven with everyday life that it is easy to forget what an extraordinary accomplishment and treasure it is. In just a few decades, much of human knowledge has been collectively written… Continue Reading

What Really Happens When You Trade In an iPhone at the Apple Store

Bloomberg [unpaywalled]: Apple touts its network of shredding robots and contractors as a greener way to reuse old gadgets. A lengthy court battle and a Businessweek investigation have cast some light on the recycling industry’s dirty secrets. Few workers at the recycling plant had access to the secure room that some called the “Apple cage.”… Continue Reading

America’s Highest Value International Exports, by State

OnDeck: “The U.S. trade deficit hit nearly $1 trillion in 2022, as America imported some $948.1 billion more than it exported. This $103 billion increase on the previous year’s deficit came as the U.S. and its partners sought to restructure and redefine global supply chains following pandemic disruption and trade barriers with China — with… Continue Reading