Tim Berners-Lee – It’s dangerous having a handful of companies control how ideas and opinions are shared. A regulator may be needed. “Today [March 12, 2018], the world wide web turns 29. This year marks a milestone in the web’s history: for the first time, we will cross the tipping point when more than half… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2018
Get more useful information with captions on Google Images
Google Blog: “People around the world use Google Images to find visual information online. Whether you’re searching for ideas for your next baking project, how to tie shoelaces so they stay put, or tips on the proper form for doing a plank, scanning image results can be much more helpful than scanning text. Today, we’re… Continue Reading
EFF – Recognizing the Year’s Worst in Government Transparency
“Government transparency laws like the Freedom of Information Act exist to enforce the public’s right to inspect records so we can all figure out what the heck is being done in our name and with our tax dollars. But when a public agency ignores, breaks or twists the law, your recourse varies by jurisdiction. In… Continue Reading
Federal Work-Life Survey Results
OPM Memo – “I am pleased to present the key findings of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) Federal Work-Life Survey administered January 25 to March 10, 2017. This memorandum highlights the Federal workforce’s use and impact of work-life programs and provides guidance for agencies. OPM’s analysis indicates a significant relationship between participation in… Continue Reading
Look for scholarships with Free Graduate School Scholarship Search
Sallie Mae- “Learn why scholarships—free money that you don’t have to pay back—are important and how to search for them to help you pay for graduate school….Getting started is easy; students register free of charge, fill out a profile that can be updated at any time, and start searching. The tool responds with matches that… Continue Reading
Status of the Russia Investigation – House Intelligence Committee Democrats
Status of the Russia Investigation, March 13, 2018. See also: Nunes Statement on Russia Investigation “One year ago, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) initiated its investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election and pledged to follow the facts wherever they would lead. With yesterday’s announcement that the Majority will be prematurely… Continue Reading
Capitol Lawn Covered in 7000 Pairs of Shoes, One For Every Child Killed Since Sandy Hook
“Today [March 13, 2018], Avaaz members are laying 7,000 empty pairs of shoes on the Capitol lawn to memorialize the 7000 children who have been killed by gun violence since the Sandy Hook school shooting. The event intends to bring Congress face-to-face with the enormous heartbreak of gun violence, and demand they protect America’s children… Continue Reading
The Quest for a Universal Translator for Old, Obsolete Computer Files
Atlas Obscura – To save bygone software, files, and more, researchers are working to emulate decades-old technology in the cloud. “…The digital world continues to expand and mutate in all sorts of ways that will orphan and otherwise impair file formats and programs—from ones long forgotten to ones that work just fine today but carry… Continue Reading
Some Federal Judges Handle An Inordinate Criminal Caseload
“During the past five years, through December 2017, forty-nine federal district court judges each sentenced more than one thousand defendants who appeared before them. All but two of these judges were located in courthouses along the southwest border with Mexico. In contrast, typically judges sentenced several hundred, not several thousand defendants over this five year… Continue Reading
Ambrogi – In New Ethics Ruling On Blogging, ABA Opines Like It’s 1999
Robert Ambrogi – Above the Law – Having now decided to weigh in on this untimely topic, what does the ABA tell us? [This is a must read] “In the classic short story “Rip Van Winkle,” a man fell asleep in 1769 and awoke 20 years later, having slept through the Revolution. One wonders whether… Continue Reading
This is the Truth – Most Gun Owners Support Policies Aimed at Reducing Gun Violence
BuzzFeed: “Gun owners who are members of the National Rifle Association and those who are not are sharply divided over support for new gun control proposals, according to a new Ipsos/BuzzFeed News poll. A slew of new proposals have come out of Congress and the White House in the weeks since 17 people were killed… Continue Reading
Commentary – how do we fix life online without limiting free speech
New Yorker – Reddit and the Struggle to Detoxify the Internet How do we fix life online without limiting free speech? “Which Web sites get the most traffic? According to the ranking service Alexa, the top three sites in the United States, as of this writing, are Google, YouTube, and Facebook. (Porn, somewhat hearteningly, doesn’t… Continue Reading
