What the Entire Internet Looked Like in 1973: An Old Map Gets Found in a Pile of Research Papers – “Modern “maps” of the internet can indeed look like sprawling clusters of star systems, pulsing with light and color. But the “weird combination of physical and conceptual things,” Betsy Mason remarks at Wired, results in such an… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: December 2017
Dozens of Companies Using Facebook to Exclude Older Workers From Job Ads
Among the companies we found doing it: Amazon, Verizon, UPS and Facebook itself. “It’s blatantly unlawful,” said one employment law expert. by Julia Angwin, ProPublica, Noam Scheiber, The New York Times, and Ariana Tobin, ProPublica, Dec. 20, 2017. “A few weeks ago, Verizon placed an ad on Facebook to recruit applicants for a unit focused… Continue Reading
The Database on Nuclear Power Reactors
International Atomic Energy Commission: “The Power Reactor Information System (PRIS), developed and maintained by the IAEA for over four decades, is a comprehensive database focusing on nuclear power plants worldwide. PRIS contains information on power reactors in operation, under construction, or those being decommissioned. All information and data items are collected by the IAEA via… Continue Reading
Congress’ Impeachment Power and the Case of Presidential Obstruction
Bob Bauer – Lawfare: “Josh Blackman, in three successive postings for Lawfare, and co-commentators David Rivkin and Lee Casey in a separate piece for the Wall Street Journal, have been developing the case that a president firing an FBI director or other senior law enforcement official may not subject to impeachment for obstruction of justice.… Continue Reading
Bloomberg and Twitter Launch TicToc 24/7 Global Social News Network
PR Newswire: “Bloomberg Media and Twitter today launched TicToc by Bloomberg, the first-ever 24/7 global news network built for a social media platform that targets the next generation of on-the-go, mobile-first news consumers. TicToc by Bloomberg combines the global news gathering capabilities of Bloomberg’s 2,700 journalists and analysts across 120 countries, with the digital power… Continue Reading
Fundamentally Understanding the Usability and Realistic Evolution of Artificial Intelligence Act of 2017
“Cantwell, Young, Markey, Delaney & Olson Introduce Bill to Further Understand and Promote Development of Artificial Intelligence, Drive Economic Opportunity – Legislation creates federal advisory committee to examine and develop recommendations on: investment, workforce, privacy, and ethics, among others – [December 12, 2017] U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Todd Young (R-IN), and Ed Markey (D-MA),… Continue Reading
Historical Versions of the United States Code Now Online
Codified U.S. Laws from 1925 Now Available, Searchable on loc.gov – “More than 60 years of U.S. laws are now published online and accessible for free for the first time after being acquired by the Library of Congress. The Library has made available the main editions and supplements of the United States Code from 1925… Continue Reading
Open educational resources rise in visibility but still lag behind costly textbooks
Inside Higher Ed: “More and more instructors are choosing open educational resources over traditional textbooks, a survey of more than 2,700 faculty members reveals. The “Opening the Textbook” survey, published by the Babson Survey Research Group today, reports that the number of faculty members at two- and four-year institutions using OER as textbooks has nearly… Continue Reading
Court case documents more than decade long litigation over Texas property seized for border wall
United States of America v. 15.919 Acres of Land (More or Less) by Susie Cagle, Special to ProPublica. December 20, 2017. This story was co-published with the Texas Tribune. [A fine example of a graphic narrative – well done – succinct – direct – and understandable.] “In 2007, the Department of Homeland Security began building… Continue Reading
The Human Transportation System – Is Fundamental Change Coming?
Beyond the Automobile – The Human Transportation System: “…The auto-centric transportation system clearly stipulates the inferior place of people travelling on foot (“pedestrians”), but leaves those riding bicycles in an awkward and ambiguous position – is a person riding a bicycle a vehicle, or a pedestrian? Compared to motor vehicles, cyclists are vulnerable and slow,… Continue Reading
Digital Publishing: Three Futures (and How to Get There)
Maurer, Stephen M., Digital Publishing: Three Futures (and How to Get There) (December 3, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3081940 “The usual assumption that copyright rewards creativity is a fiction. In practice, most authors earn very little compared to their publishers. This article asks what services, if any, publishers supply to justify these payments. We argue… Continue Reading
Census – 2016 Annual Survey of Manufactures
2016 Annual Survey of Manufactures: General Statistics, Value of Products Shipments, Industry-Product Analysis and Geographic Area Statistics, December 15, 2017, Release Number: CB17-TPS.86 “The 2016 Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM) release includes general statistics, value of products shipments, industry-product analysis and geographic area statistics for 2015 and 2016. The ASM provides data about manufacturing that… Continue Reading
