“The global information environment is under significant pressure from the development of new technologies and shifting public policies. How do experts around the world perceive the varied features of, and threats to, the information environment in their countries of expertise? In June 2024, the International Panel on the Information Environment (IPIE) surveyed 412 researchers from… Continue Reading
Washington Post: “…The Post’s voter file is compiled by L2, a data firm founded by its two eponymous L’s, Lourene and Lindy Criddle, in the mid-1970s. Within L2, dozens of engineers hammer away on secure servers to update, clean and standardize public voter records bought from the states. Such voter rolls, constructed under the auspices… Continue Reading
Theda Skocpol (Harvard University; A..D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell), Rising Threats to U.S. Democracy — Roots and Responses Abstract: Why is US democracy facing an existential crisis this year? While some focus on the persona and rhetoric of Donald Trump, or stress underlying institutional distortions and polarizing social divisions, Skocpol highlights and explains the recent… Continue Reading
PRNewswire via Zillow Newroom: “The monthly cost of home ownership may be more attainable than people think. But, it depends on where they live. According to a new Zillow Home Loans analysis, a monthly mortgage payment is actually less expensive than rent in 22 of the 50 largest U.S. metros. Recent dips in mortgage rates,… Continue Reading
Washingtonian: “Do you regularly check Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform? Unless you’re a faithful Trump supporter or a journalist who covers the former president, Chris Herbert would bet that you probably don’t. That’s why Herbert—a web developer based in DC—and his team at the conservative, anti-Trump nonprofit Defending Democracy Together created Trump’s Truth, a database… Continue Reading
PCMag: “As wonderful as the internet can be, it also lies to us every day. Fake reviews—seemingly legitimate assessments created by a seller or someone paid by them—are becoming harder to spot. The online shopping boom has made them a big business, but they can end up costing you serious money. In 2021, it was… Continue Reading
“The 2024 Fall Foliage Map is the ultimate visual planning guide to the annual progressive changing of the leaves. While no tool can be 100% accurate, this tool is meant to help travelers better time their trips to have the best opportunity of catching peak color each year.” Continue Reading
MakeseOf: “Sending texts to your cell phone no longer requires a carrier plan. With these ten free [and/or low fee]SMS sites, you can send unlimited texts to any mobile device without relying on your network provider.” Continue Reading
When pandemic stay-at-home orders caused a dramatic decline in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), many hoped the rise of remote work would reverse the trend of rising congestion, making way for cleaner, quieter, and more open streets. But VMT quickly bounced back from pandemic lows. Now 2024 sees new record highs in metros across the U.S.… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, September 21, 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 the increasingly complex… Continue Reading
AP: “Starting this month, Americans will be able to order free COVID-19 test kits that will be mailed to their homes. U.S. households will be able to order as many as four nasal swab tests at COVIDTests.gov when the federal program reopens. The U.S. Health and Human Services agency overseeing the program has not yet… Continue Reading
CBS 60 Minutes: “The National Archives has been in the news lately, not so much for what is in its collection, but for what was missing. After former President Donald Trump and then-Vice President Biden held on to records when they left office that should have been sent to the Archives… we wanted to know… Continue Reading