Mashable: “…There are a number of reasons why hashtag flooding can be impactful, but Volsky feels a hashtag’s ability to help people reclaim a narrative is one of the strongest. “I think the way social media is structured is to reward the loudest most obnoxious, most controversial voices out there, and that’s part of the… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: January 2021
Sci-Hub: Scientists, Academics, Teachers & Students Protest Blocking Lawsuit
TorrentFreak: “Following in the footsteps of the entertainment industries, publishers are increasingly trying to have pirate sites shut down or blocked to prevent the unlicensed spread of academic and scientific papers. Their main targets are Sci-Hub (‘The Pirate Bay of Science’) and Libgen (Library Genesis), platforms with a key aim of distributing such papers freely… Continue Reading
Millions of Americans now have access to free, anonymous coronavirus exposure notifications
Washington Post – “Here’s a phone alert you wouldn’t want to miss: “You have likely been exposed.” The coronavirus surge is upon us, and your phone might be able to help. More than 150 million Americans, now including California residents, have the ability to get pop-up notifications from local health authorities when they’ve personally spent… Continue Reading
We’re botching the vaccine rollout. Here’s how to get it back on track
Fast Company – “…To fix the problem, several things need to change. The Biden administration can help by giving clear guidance to states about how many vaccines they’re getting and how long they can be stored, providing training materials for staff, and setting targets for vaccinating a certain number of people by a certain date,… Continue Reading
The Year Ahead: 3 Predictions From the ‘Father of the Internet’ Vint Cerf
NextGov – Vinton G. Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google: “In 2011, the movie “Contagion“ eerily predicted what a future world fighting a deadly pandemic would look like. In 2020, I, along with hundreds of thousands of people around the world, saw this Hollywood prediction play out by being diagnosed with COVID-19. It… Continue Reading
2021 Medicare & You eHandbook is here
“The 2021 Medicare & You eHandbook has been updated on Medicare.gov. Since the 2021 version was released in September 2020, we updated premiums and other costs for Medicare Parts A and B for 2021. We’ve also added some new information about the Competitive Bidding Program for off-the-shelf back and neck braces, an enhanced tool to… Continue Reading
How Full Are Hospital ICUs Near You?
The New York Times: “Just over one-fifth of U.S. hospitals with intensive care units, or 638 total hospitals, reported that at least 95 percent of their I.C.U. beds were full in the week ending Dec. 31. Nationwide, 77 percent of intensive care hospital beds were occupied. These numbers, which come from a dataset released weekly… Continue Reading
Pew – 20 striking findings from 2020
“The global coronavirus pandemic upended life in the United States and around the world in 2020, disrupting how people work, go to school, attend religious services, socialize with friends and family, and much more. But the pandemic wasn’t the only event that shaped the year. The videotaped killing of George Floyd by police officers in… Continue Reading
Road Map for Improvements: GAO’s Transition Webpage Flags Ways to Improve Government, Save Money
“The 117th Congress and the incoming Presidential administration will be taking office in a time that presents significant challenges to the government. Today the U.S. Government Accountability Office launched a new webpage dedicated to informing incoming lawmakers and administration officials about major challenges facing the federal government, as well as possible solutions. This Presidential and… Continue Reading
You can track your new stimulus payment online with two free tools
CNet: “Did you know that the IRS and US Treasury are only making second stimulus check payments through Jan. 15? Well, it’s complicated. But if you’re trying to sort out when exactly your $600 stimulus money will arrive through direct-deposit, paper checks and EIP cards, you’ve come to the right place. (By the way, here’s how to calculate your… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 3, 2020
Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 3, 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
Surprise Ending for Publishers: In 2020, Business Was Good
The New York Times – “With people stuck at home and so many other activities shut down, a lot of reading — or at least a lot of book buying — happened this year. ” Like everybody else, book publishers will be happy to see the end of 2020. But for many of them, the… Continue Reading
