PinMe: Tracking a Smartphone User around the World. Arsalan Mosenia, Xiaoliang Dai, Prateek Mittal, Niraj Jha (Submitted on 5 Feb 2018). arXiv:1802.01468 [cs.CR] “With the pervasive use of smartphones that sense, collect, and process valuable information about the environment, ensuring location privacy has become one of the most important concerns in the modern age. A… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: February 2018
Descriptive Metadata for Web Archiving
“OCLC Research established the Web Archiving Metadata Working Group (WAM) to develop recommendations for descriptive metadata. Their approach is tailored to the unique characteristics of archived websites, with an eye to helping institutions improve the consistency and efficiency of their metadata practices in this emerging area. The result of this collaboration is three publications that… Continue Reading
Decoding DNA of California’s giant redwoods to Redwoods
Washington Post – As threats to California’s giant redwoods grow, the key to their salvation might be in their complex genetic code. “As California’s climate changes to one of extremes and humans continue to harvest, the only coast redwoods on the planet are in peril. The challenge to preserving them is here, in forests like… Continue Reading
The Internet of Things – When your home spies on your every move
Gizmodo – The House That Spied on Me: “Thanks to the Internet of Things, I could live in my very own tech-mediated Downton Abbey. That’s the appeal of smart homes for most people, and why they are supposed to be a $27 billion market by 2021. But that wasn’t my primary motivation. The reason I… Continue Reading
36 indicted in global cybercrime ring that stole $530M
DOJ: “A federal indictment was unsealed today charging 36 individuals for their alleged roles in the Infraud Organization, an Internet-based cybercriminal enterprise engaged in the large-scale acquisition, sale, and dissemination of stolen identities, compromised debit and credit cards, personally identifiable information, financial and banking information, computer malware, and other contraband. Following the return of a… Continue Reading
The Cyberlaw Guide to Protest Art
The Cyberlaw Guide to Protest Art, January 22, 2018: “In the wake of Trump’s election and the resurgence of political art inspired by movements like the Women’s March, the Cyberlaw Clinic was approached by artists seeking clarification of their rights and responsibilities as creators and activists online. In response, a team of Berkman Klein staff,… Continue Reading
Federal Employees’ Retirement System: Summary of Recent Trends
CRS Report – Federal Employees’ Retirement System: Summary of Recent Trends. January 23, 2004 – February 2, 2018 This report describes recent trends in the characteristics of annuitants and current employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) as well as the financial status of the Civil… Continue Reading
CRS – What Causes a Recession?
What Causes a Recession? February 2, 2018 IN10853 “At 104 months, the current economic expansion is already the third longest on record, and it will equal the second longest if it persists until April. This expansion, like all previous ones, will eventually end and be followed by a recession. Few economists are forecasting a recession… Continue Reading
Falcon Heavy now holds title for the world’s most powerful rocket
The Verge: “SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, this afternoon and soared to space, carrying its payload — CEO Elon Musk’s red Tesla Roadster — into orbit. The Falcon Heavy’s flight still isn’t quite over yet, but the rocket has shown its prowess and is likely ready to begin missions for… Continue Reading
Mayors & CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment
Curbed: “Why isn’t homelessness seen as a national crisis? Cities call on the federal government to confront the growing numbers of homeless residents…The group, called Mayors & CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment, intends to work with HUD to make sure cities don’t lose federal dollars, and come up with new and innovative ways to fund… Continue Reading
Polarization, Partisanship and Junk News Consumption over Social Media in the US
“What kinds of social media users read junk news? We examine the distribution of the most significant sources of junk news in the three months before President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union Address. Drawing on a list of sources that consistently publish political news and information that is extremist, sensationalist, conspiratorial, masked commentary,… Continue Reading
Study – Permafrost Stores a Globally Significant Amount of Mercury
“Researchers estimate the amount of natural mercury stored in perennially frozen soils (permafrost) in the Northern Hemisphere. Permafrost regions contain twice as much mercury as the rest of all soils, the atmosphere, and ocean combined.” [full text link to the study] Washington Post: “We already knew that thawing Arctic permafrost would release powerful greenhouse gases. On… Continue Reading
