Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: May 19, 2020

Thinking of buying a bike? Get ready for a very long wait.

The New York Times – The United States is facing a shortage of bikes as anxiety over public transportation and a desire to exercise has sent the demand surging: “Some bicycle shops in Brooklyn are selling twice as many bikes as usual and drawing blocklong lines of customers. A chain of shops in Phoenix is selling three times the number of bikes it typically does. A retailer in Washington, D.C., sold all its entry-level bikes by the end of April and has fielded more preorders than ever in its 50-year history. As the coronavirus pandemic shrinks life in major American cities — limiting pastimes and discouraging use of buses and subways — hundreds of thousands of Americans are flocking to one of the most basic forms of mobility: the bicycle. In March, nationwide sales of bicycles, equipment and repair services nearly doubled compared with the same period last year, according to the N.P.D. Group, a market research company. Sales of commuter and fitness bikes in the same month increased 66 percent, leisure bikes jumped 121 percent, children’s bikes went up 59 percent and electric bikes rose 85 percent. By the end of April, many stores and distributors had sold out of low-end consumer bikes. Now, the United States is facing a severe bicycle shortage as global supply chains, disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak, scramble to meet the surge in demand…

CDC guidance on reopening America from coronavirus stay-at-home orders

Washington Post – “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week laid out its detailed, delayed road map for reopening schools, child-care facilities, restaurants and mass transit, weeks after covid-weary states began opening on their own terms. The CDC cautioned that some institutions should stay closed for now and said reopening should be guided… Continue Reading

German intelligence can no longer freely spy on the world’s Internet traffic, top court rules

Fortune – “In the world of online spying, great power lies with those who can get their hands on the data flowing through the world’s Internet infrastructure. So the fact that Germany is home to one of the world’s biggest Internet exchange points—where data crosses between the networks that make up the Internet—has given a… Continue Reading

iFixit Launches Massive Repair Database For Ventilators and Other Medical Devices

The Verge – To help hospitals maintain and fix crucial equipment during COVID-19 and beyond – “Teardown and repair website iFixit has just posted what its CEO Kyle Wiens says is “the most comprehensive online resource for medical repair professionals.” The new database contains dedicated sections for clinical, laboratory, and medical support equipment, in addition… Continue Reading

How We Reopen Safely Tracking states as they make progress towards gating criteria

COVID Exit Strategy – “We are a group of public health and crisis experts. With former experience working at the White House, Department of Health and Human Services, and on the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. We are a non-partisan group, having worked across multiple administrations. We built this site to track each state’s progress… Continue Reading

Don’t Leave Workers Out of the Library Narrative

Library Journal Opinion by Callan Bignoli: “There’s been a trend in articles coming out in major publications about how excited people are to get back to their libraries and how resilient libraries are—something EveryLibrary’s Patrick Sweeney called “happy-go-lucky library stories” at the recent #LIBREV conference. While they pay important attention to the needs libraries are… Continue Reading

Federal Circuit Ends In-Person Oral Arguments Indefinitely

Law360 (May 18, 2020) – “The Federal Circuit on Monday suspended in-person arguments “until further notice” because of the COVID-19 pandemic, abandoning its month-by-month approach to extending remote oral arguments. Chief Circuit Judge Sharon Prost’s new administrative order removes the expiration date from a March order limiting access to the courthouse and calling for hearings… Continue Reading

Why COVID-19 Could Shrink Your Lavish BigLaw Office

Law360 (May 18, 2020) – “Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP’s offices soar over Manhattan’s Central Park like a 600,000-square-foot palace within a skyscraper, replete with marble floors, mahogany-paneled walls, paintings and other such stately furnishings. The storied law firm pays $54 million a year for the space. Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s New York office spans… Continue Reading