University of Amsterdam – With Google Streetview and Deep Learning, researchers at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Twente identified how the urban environment is linked to the vitality of social organisations and neighbourhoods. They conclude that, if an environment provides more space to pedestrians, this will be conducive to neighbourhood-based social organisations’… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: November 2020
Refusing to concede, Trump blocks cooperation on transition
AP: “The Trump administration threw the presidential transition into tumult on Monday, Attorney General William Barr authorizing the Justice Department to probe allegations of voter fraud and President Donald Trump firing the Pentagon chief and blocking government officials from cooperating with President-elect Joe Biden’s team. Despite little evidence of fraud, Barr signed off on investigations… Continue Reading
Day and night, under historic scrutiny, the nation’s vote counters carried on
Washington Post – ‘We will not allow anyone to stop us’: Day and night, under historic scrutiny, the nation’s vote counters carried on -“…Long before the fall, elections officials were quietly preparing for what was to come. “We knew we would be under a microscope from day one,” said Peter Antonacci, the election supervisor in… Continue Reading
‘They Might Be Giants’ rock out about the role electors play in US presidential elections
CNN – “Indie rock legends They Might Be Giants explain the Electoral College in their music video. Watch the video and follow along with the lyrics…” Continue Reading
Am I wasting my time organizing email?
Am I wasting my time organizing email? A study of email refinding. Steve Whittaker, Tara Matthews, Julian Cerruti, Hernan Badenes, John Tang IBM Research – Almaden San Jose, California, USA – “We all spend time every day looking for information in our email, yet we know little about this refinding process. Some users expend considerable… Continue Reading
Out of sight and out of mind: Bookmarks are created but not used
Bergman, O., Whittaker, S., Schooler, J. (2020). Out of Sight and Out of Mind: Bookmarks are Created but not Used. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, DOI: 10.1177/0961000620949652/ [paywall] – “Users commonly report problems in refinding important websites. To address this, some create Bookmarks (also called web Favorites) to improve the refinding of these websites.… Continue Reading
Coronavirus won’t disappear, even with a vaccine
Axios – “Pfizer yesterday took a giant step toward a COVID-19 vaccine, reporting that its vaccine candidate was effective in over 90% of uninfected clinical trial patients. Reality check: It’s a giant and welcome development, but the pandemic will be with us long after vaccine distribution begins. The Pfizer vaccine is not a silver bullet.… Continue Reading
The intriguing maps that reveal alternate histories
BBC Future – “In these times of turbulence and upheaval, I have often found myself turning to fiction – and particularly to alternate history. These are the “what if” stories that ask us to imagine our world on a different path: what if a battle, election or assassination had gone the other way, or a… Continue Reading
2020’s record voter turnout in the US is still lower than many other countries
Quartz: “At least 158.8 million people voted in this year’s US presidential election. That’s some 20 million more than the 137.5 million Americans who voted in 2016, and 25 million more than the 132.9 million who voted in 2012. The big difference in this election was that close to 102 million people voted early—either in person… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, November 7, 2020
Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, November 7, 2020 . Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading
How to Handle Post-Election Misinformation, Even With a Presidential Winner Declared
Consumer Reports – “Court battles and possible recounts create fertile ground for false statements. Here’s how you can wade through the claims..” Continue Reading
National Archives Launches Voting Rights Records Portal
NARA – “A new resource on Archives.gov highlights National Archives records related to voting rights and the African American vote. The portal, which launched last week, allows users to more easily access the documents that trace the country’s voting history, with a focus on several searchable sections: Laws and Court Cases, Organizations, People and Icons,… Continue Reading
