“Transition Tracker is Ballotpedia’s email digest covering Joe Biden’s presidential transition team, potential cabinet appointees, and the different policy positions of those individuals who can impact the new administration. This version of the Transition Tracker is sent out every weekday, Monday to Friday, ready to keep you informed about all the important news as it… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: December 2020
Free PACER advocates say $2B estimate for new online system is not accurate
FedScoop: “Building a new online system that will make federal court records free to the public will cost far less than a rumored $2 billion, according to former government technologists and IT experts. In a letter sent Tuesday to the Judicial Conference of the United States, representatives from the Free Law Project — a nonprofit… Continue Reading
Six Reasons Why Google Maps Is the Creepiest App On Your Phone
Vice – Google knows where you are, and so do advertisers: “Google Maps knows everything. Not just about every street, and every cafe, bar and shop on that street, but the people who go to them. With 1 billion monthly active users, the app is embedded in people’s lives – directing them on their commute, to… Continue Reading
Amazon announces new employee tracking tech, and customers are lining up
Mashable: “.Amazon-powered employee tracking is coming to a warehouse, and possibly a store, near you. The ecommerce, logistics, and (among other things) cloud computing giant quietly previewed Tuesday new hardware and software development kits (SDK) which add machine learning and computer vision capabilities to companies’ existing surveillance camera networks. And in what should come as… Continue Reading
Google’s Shopping Gift Guide will show you what everyone’s buying
engadget – “Google has unveiled the Shopping Gift Guide, a microsite that lets you browse trending categories, compare prices and find local buying options. When you first launch it, you can go into product areas for chefs, athletes, techies, decorators, “wellness gurus,” gamers and kids. Once you click on the “techies” area, for instance, it… Continue Reading
Legal Issues in COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Deployment
CRS report via LC – Legal Issues in COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Deployment, Updated November 25, 2020 – “Private companies, universities, and governmental entities are working to develop a vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccines are biological products regulated under the Public Health Service Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C… Continue Reading
The Media Manipulation Casebook
Harvard Kennedy School – “The Media Manipulation Casebook is a digital research platform linking together theory, methods, and practice for mapping media manipulation and disinformation campaigns. This resource is intended for researchers, journalists, technologists, policymakers, educators, and civil society organizers who want to learn about detecting, documenting, describing, and debunking misinformation..” Continue Reading
Health-care workers and nursing home residents should be the first to get coronavirus vaccines
Washington Post – “The first doses of a coronavirus vaccine should be given to an estimated 21 million health-care workers and three million residents and staff of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, a federal advisory panel recommended Tuesday afternoon. These groups were deemed the highest priority by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices… Continue Reading
Google Maps takes on Facebook with launch of its own news feed
TechCrunch: “People are getting frustrated that Stories are everywhere now, but Google Maps is keeping it old school. Instead of adding tiny circles to the top of the app’s screen, Google Maps is introducing its own news feed. Technically, Google calls its new feature the “Community Feed,” as it includes posts from a local area.… Continue Reading
Amtrak Provides Real-Time Look at Seat Availability
Amtrak: “To provide customers with an extra level of confidence and security while traveling, Amtrak has made a few updates to its website and mobile app. Now, when booking, customers can easily see how full their reserved train will be (i.e. 20 % full). The percentage is displayed in real-time when customers search for their… Continue Reading
There’s No Better Time to Clear the Air inside your home
The New York Times – “It’s discomforting to realize that air pollution can be coming from inside your home. Here’s how to identify and rid yourself of the risks. Think about the phrase “air pollution.” Are you picturing black plumes curling out of factory smokestacks and the tailpipes of idling vehicles? Something to worry about… Continue Reading
Pretty Soon There’ll Be Just One Big Book Publisher Left
The New Republic: “America’s biggest, most powerful book publisher is about to get even bigger and more powerful. On Wednesday, a number of outlets reported that Penguin Random House had reached an agreement with ViacomCBS to purchase Simon & Schuster, the nation’s third-largest publisher, for $2 billion. The resulting conglomerate would publish at least a… Continue Reading
