BBC Future: “Our modern world is dependent upon natural resources extracted from the ground, but there could be another source of rare and valuable metals by giving our houses a spring clean. With so many of us now stuck in our homes during the pandemic, long-postponed jobs such as clearing out the loft or attic… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: December 2020
Gifts From Cyberspace
The New York Times -“Searching for a last-minute gift … that may take months to arrive? Here’s an alternative gift guide, to delight and surprise.” There are some odd items here – but who cares – it has been an odd year! Continue Reading
Watch Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band reunite for ‘SNL’ performance
Just because – they have played together for decades – they are alive…and they still…rock live, like no other band that is still making music that moves people in quite this way. They played two new songs from the latest album – and they truly love what they do. And this Springsteen collaboration with the… Continue Reading
A year like no other: 2020 in pictures
The UK Times – A remarkable range of photos from around the world capture many facets of this tumultuous, challenging year full of unexpected sights – sad, painful, remarkable and uplifting. Continue Reading
How can I find out which company makes my generic drug?
Katherine Eban – investigative journalist, Vanity Fair contributor and Andrew Carnegie fellow (also see her TEDMED Talk here). “A: Typically, the manufacturer name will be listed on the pill bottle’s dispensing label. However, this isn’t always the case. If you can’t find the name of the manufacturer on the packaging, call your pharmacist and ask… Continue Reading
The Electoral College: A 2020 Presidential Election Timeline
The Electoral College: A 2020 Presidential Election Timeline, CRS In Focus, October 22, 2020.”Every four years, the election process for President and Vice President follows a familiar timeline of events. At the same time, a related series of procedures governing electoral college actions proceeds on a parallel track.This report focuses on the electoral college timeline… Continue Reading
They’re Among the World’s Oldest Living Things. The Climate Crisis Is Killing Them
The New York Times – California’s epic wildfires in 2020 took deadly aim at the state’s most beloved trees. “In a relative instant, countless ancient redwoods, hundreds of giant sequoias and more than one million Joshua trees perished. The blackened wreckage sends a clear message. These trees are in the fight of their lives. “It’ll… Continue Reading
The Impacts of COVID-19 on Academic and Public Library Budgets
The Scholarly Kitchen: “The pandemic has wrought profound disruption on the academic sector. In the United States, impacts on face-to-face instruction and the residential model have resulted in substantial challenges to the student experience, while setbacks to scientific research and researchers themselves are no less significant. Increasing costs of retooling campuses and declining revenues from… Continue Reading
Opinion: Struggles of virtual school include tears, technology, teachers’ toil
Bethesda Magazine – 12 observations of the life of learning at home. By Gail Ravnitzky Silberglied – “As a PTA president and mother of three kids in elementary and middle school, I’ve heard a lot about how all-virtual school is going this year. These are my top 12 takeaways…” Continue Reading
List of Lists – The Best Books of 2020
The Best Books of 2020 posted by Jason Kottke – “As I’m sure it is for many of you, a big part of my “getting the lay of the land” w/r/t books is seeing what my favorite bookstores were putting on their front tables — and that’s been difficult for the past several months. Looking… Continue Reading
U.S. Schools Are Buying Phone-Hacking Tech That the FBI Uses to Investigate Terrorists
Gizmodo: “In May 2016, a student enrolled in a high-school in Shelbyville, Texas, consented to having his phone searched by one of the district’s school resource officers. Looking for evidence of a romantic relationship between the student and a teacher, the officer plugged the phone into a Cellebrite UFED to recover deleted messages from the… Continue Reading
Your guide to every Google app’s privacy settings
Popular Science – You have the power to limit Google’s snooping. “It’s difficult to avoid Google apps, but using them doesn’t necessarily mean handing over all your data and online activity to the tech giant—you can still work within the Google ecosystem while maintaining a respectable level of privacy. Your options vary depending on the… Continue Reading
