The Register: “Thousands of websites around the world – from the UK’s NHS and ICO to the US government’s court system – were today secretly mining crypto-coins on netizens’ web browsers for miscreants unknown. The affected sites all use a fairly popular plugin called Browsealoud, made by Brit biz Texthelp, which reads out webpages for… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: February 2018
Dead zone conditions expanding rapidly throughout shallow coastal seas and lakes
Quartz: “On January 5, 2018, a paper published in the journal Science delivered a sobering message: The oxygenation of open oceans and coastal seas has been steadily declining during the past half century. The volume of ocean with no oxygen at all has quadrupled, and the volume where oxygen levels are falling dangerously low has… Continue Reading
GPO – Comments on Draft Legislation to Amend Title 44 USC
Follow-up to article by Peggy Garrett via LLRX – Legislation Alert: Worrisome Changes to Government Publications Are Possible – via GPO – Comments on Draft Legislation to Amend Title 44, U.S.C. (December 11, 2017 version; Comments submitted January 31, 2018) [h/t/ Aimée C. Quinn] Continue Reading
Free to Use and Reuse: Making Public Domain and Rights-Clear Content Easier to Find
The Library of Congress: “One of our biggest challenges is letting you know about all of the content available at loc.gov. Another challenge we have is letting you know what you can do with it (in a nice way). We are working on several fronts to improve the visibility of public domain and rights-clear content.… Continue Reading
Verge: Science’s pirate queen Alexandra Elbakyan is plundering the academic publishing establishment
The Verge: “The publisher Elsevier owns over 2,500 journals covering every conceivable facet of scientific inquiry to its name, and it wasn’t happy about either of the sites. Elsevier charges readers an average of $31.50 per paper for access; Sci-Hub and LibGen offered them for free. But even after receiving the “YOU HAVE BEEN SUED”… Continue Reading
University Futures, Library Futures: a multi-dimensional model of US higher education institutions
HangTogether.org: “Over the last several months, OCLC Research has been working to develop a framework for exploring emerging directions in US higher education, to better understand the institutional needs that academic libraries will need to support and advance in years to come. We undertook this work as part of an ongoing collaboration with Ithaka S+R… Continue Reading
2018 Edelman TRUST BAROMETER
The 2018 Edelman TRUST BAROMETER reveals a world of seemingly stagnant distrust. People’s trust in business, government, NGOs and media remained largely unchanged from 2017 — 20 of 28 markets surveyed now lie in distruster territory, up one from last year. Yet dramatic shifts are taking place at the market level and within the institution… Continue Reading
NYT – When You’re a ‘Digital Nomad,’ the World Is Your Office
When You’re a ‘Digital Nomad,’ the World Is Your Office – NY Times Magazine: “A global network of live-work spaces is springing up to serve this new breed of millennial wanderer.” “At the time of the inn’s construction, the surrounding area was known as Riverside; like the rest of the city, it became a hotbed… Continue Reading
Economist – Democracy Index 2016 – US downgraded to “flawed democracy”
The Economist Intelligence Unit: “According to the 2016 Democracy Index almost one-half of the world’s countries can be considered to be democracies of some sort, but the number of “full democracies” has declined from 20 in 2015 to 19 in 2016. The US has been downgraded from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy” because… Continue Reading
ABA resolution supporting work and funding of Library of Congress
“Urges Congress to approve appropriations necessary to enable the Library of Congress to adequately staff, maintain, modernize, and enhance its services, collections, facilities, digital projects and outreach efforts.” “The magnitude and maintenance of such a unique collection brings great challenges to the development and daily administration of the collection while maintaining it for the benefit… Continue Reading
In one DC TV station, a service dog helps bring disability stories into focus
Poynter: “Until early 2015, Channel 9 was a standard newsroom — and McCarren’s was a standard, if distinguished, broadcast career. Never mind those shelves of awards in her Maryland home — she’s anchored and reported regionally and nationally, winning three Edward R. Murrow Awards, 21 regional Emmys, and Kiplinger and Nieman fellowships — after a… Continue Reading
NYT – On Tour With Notorious R.B.G., Judicial Rock Star
Her fans call her Notorious R.B.G., a nod to the rapper Notorious B.I.G., and Justice Ginsburg embraces the connection: “They say that Bob Dylan, 76, is on a never-ending tour. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is eight years older and has a day job, seems to have acquired Mr. Dylan’s taste for the road. In… Continue Reading
