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

Monthly Archives: November 2020

Firefox 83 arrives with HTTPS-Only Mode and faster performance

VentureBeat: “Mozilla today launched Firefox 83 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Firefox 83 includes an HTTPS-Only Mode, performance improvements, and a handful of new developer features. You can download Firefox 83 for desktop now from Firefox.com, and all existing users should be able to upgrade to it automatically. According to Mozilla, Firefox has about 225… Continue Reading

Faculty Perceptions of Online Law Journals

Conklin, Michael, Faculty Perceptions of Online Law Journals (October 2020). Michael Conklin, Faculty Perceptions of Online Law Journals, ___ Midwest L. J. ___ (Forthcoming 2020)., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3716416 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3716416 – “Online-only law journals (OLJs) are sometimes referred to as “companions” or “supplements.” They are law journals that are only distributed in a digital… Continue Reading

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution will be a “logistical nightmare”

CBS News: “The long wait for a vaccine that could eventually spell the end of the coronavirus pandemic appears to be on the horizon. Last week, Pfizer said its vaccine in a trial has been 90% effective in preventing COVID-19, while Moderna on Monday announced similarly encouraging results. The companies could get emergency federal approval within… Continue Reading

Here’s how to ‘fleet’ with Twitter’s new disappearing tweet feature

Fast Company – “Twitter is now catering to the commitment phobic. This morning, the company launched Fleets—a portmanteau of “fleeting” and “tweets”—which exit only for 24 hours. The feature is an effort to engage more people on the social media platform, because Fleets feel less public and less permanent, especially for those new to Twitter.… Continue Reading

Federal Regulators Increase Focus on Patient Risks From Electronic Health Records

Pew -“As part of a federal program to routinely publish data on the capabilities of electronic health record (EHR) systems, the government recently finalized a component that will help collect information from doctors, nurses, and other clinicians about the effects of these technologies on patient safety. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information… Continue Reading

Employee surveillance software demand increased as workers transitioned to home working

ZDNet – “What does the rise of intrusive tools such as employee surveillance software mean for workers at home? A new study shows that the demand for employee surveillance software was up 55% in June 2020 compared to the pre-pandemic average. From webcam access to random screenshot monitoring, these surveillance software products can record almost… Continue Reading

Proposal to install spyware in university libraries to protect copyrights shocks academics

Coda Story – “A recent proposal recommending the deployment of surveillance software in order to monitor those accessing academic material has drawn fire from digital rights advocates and scientists. The plan was outlined on October 22 during a virtual webinar hosted by a consortium of the world’s leading publishers of scientific journals, featuring security experts discussing the threats posed… Continue Reading

Free software to create full copies of sites to archive

“HTTrack is a free (GPL, libre/free software) and easy-to-use offline browser utility. It allows you to download a World Wide Web site from the Internet to a local directory, building recursively all directories, getting HTML, images, and other files from the server to your computer. HTTrack arranges the original site’s relative link-structure. Simply open a… Continue Reading

How Do Presidential Transitions Normally Work?

LifeHacker: “The White House has seen a peaceful transitions of power between outgoing and incoming presidential administrations throughout history, regardless of any volatility gripping the nation. Passing the baton of executive power to a new presidential administration has been a hallmark of this country’s democracy; the White House is where presidential tenants temporarily reside, not… Continue Reading

Confronting the ‘Climate Lehman Moment’: The Case for Macroprudential Climate Regulation

Steele, Graham, Confronting the ‘Climate Lehman Moment’: The Case for Macroprudential Climate Regulation Vol. 30 Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy 109 – forthcoming. “U.S. financial regulators have argued that the risks that climate change poses for large financial institutions are outside of their core regulatory mandate. This article argues that oversight of the… Continue Reading

Mehlman Castagnetti – America Decided – America’s Divided

PowerPoint – America Decided – America’s Divided – MAIN TAKEAWAYS “Voters wanted more competent but also more moderate leadership:  Trump lost for failing to manage COVID competently & excessive chaos / division  • House Democrats lost where voters feared overly-aggressive Progressivism Our nation remains narrowly & deeply divided: • Senate & House nearly tied, key… Continue Reading

Experts say the CDC’s Thanksgiving guidelines are too lenient

Fast Company: “American Thanksgiving is fast approaching, but Canada celebrated its Thanksgiving in early October. Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s calls to cancel in-person gatherings to curb the spread of the coronavirus, celebrations went on, and led to now-documented outbreaks. The experience of our northern neighbor, which has significantly lower COVID-19 cases, could serve as… Continue Reading