New York Magazine – The Intelligencer: “What happened was fairly simple, I’ve come to believe. It was an accident. A virus spent some time in a laboratory, and eventually it got out. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, began its existence inside a bat, then it learned how to infect people in a claustrophobic mine… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: January 2021
CRS – Russian Cyber Units
CRS In Focus – Russian Cyber Units, January 4, 2021: “Russia has deployed sophisticated cyber capabilities to conduct disinformation, propaganda, espionage, and destructive cyberattacks globally. To conduct these operations, Russia maintains numerous units overseen by itsvarious security and intelligence agencies. Russia’s security agencies compete with each other and often conduct similar operations on the same… Continue Reading
COVID-19, Death Records and the Public Interest: Now is the Time to Push for Transparency
Sanders, A. K. (2020). COVID-19, death records and the public interest: Now is the time to push for transparency. Journal of Civic Information, 2(4), 1-22. “As the U.S. has grappled with COVID-19, the government has resisted repeated requests to follow open records laws, which are essential to transparency. Current efforts to reduce access to death… Continue Reading
This clever attachment makes any bike an e-bike in just seconds
Fast Company – “When product designer Somnath Ray started commuting to work by bike to lower his carbon footprint, most of the ride was easy—but a few steep hills were so challenging that he realized that the effort might discourage other people from making the same transportation choice. He started working on a new solution:… Continue Reading
Google launches Question Hub for US publishers
Search Engine Land: “Google Question Hub, accessible at questionhub.withgoogle.com, is now open for US-based publishers to sign up for. In 2018, Google launched Question Hub in regions where the company found it did not have enough content in its search index to answer searchers’ questions. Google then started showing this box to searchers last year… Continue Reading
What to expect when Congress meets to confirm Joe Biden’s win
Washington Post video – “When Congress convenes on Jan. 6 to certify the electoral college vote, President Trump’s allies will mount a final challenge to Joe Biden’s win. But history shows it’s destined to fail, as Capitol Hill reporter Rhonda Colvin explains. Related: How Trump allies in Congress will launch one more challenge to Biden’s… Continue Reading
Maximizing the Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals In All Law
A free webinar on the IFLP on January 13, 2021. It’s open to AALL (American Association of Law Libraries) and non-AALL members, but you must register: Wednesday, January 13, 2021 (12pm – 1pm ET). There will be a post at the IALL (International Association of Law Libraries) website for more information. See also these two… Continue Reading
Facts won’t fix this: experts on how to fight America’s disinformation crisis
The Guardian – “Trump’s false claims about the election and coronavirus are taking a dangerous toll. Can the divide be healed? At the beginning of 2021, millions of Americans appear to disagree about one of the most basic facts of their democracy: that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. The consequences of Donald Trump’s… Continue Reading
The surprising grammar of touch
Linguistic Society of America. “The surprising grammar of touch: Language emergence in DeafBlind communities.” ScienceDaily, 30 November 2020. “A new study [Feeling Phonology: The conventionalization of phonology in protactile communities in the United States] demonstrates that grammar is evident and widespread in a system of communication based on reciprocal, tactile interaction, thus reinforcing the notion… Continue Reading
Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker
Washington Post – “At least 4.6 million people have been vaccinated in the U.S. 15.4 million doses have been distributed. Data as of Jan. 4 at 2:43 p.m. More than 4 million people have received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to reports from the states, far below the goal of vaccinating 20… Continue Reading
Google Docs versus Microsoft Word: Attorneys blame ‘technical incompatibilities’ for late filing
ZDNet – “…The American legal system runs on deadlines. As one practicing attorney wrote in an official publication for the American Bar Association, “[M]issing any filing deadline is a lawyer’s worst nightmare.” That’s especially true if you’re representing the plaintiffs in an “Emergency Complaint For Expedited Declaratory And Emergency Injunctive Relief” involving the United States… Continue Reading
7 Steps to Tidying Your Digital Life
Wirecutter / The New York Times – “We live our digital lives across a variety of apps, devices, and accounts. On each of those, a breadcrumb connects back to you. The more breadcrumbs you have out in the world, the easier it is to trace your activity, whether for advertising or identity theft. Installing a… Continue Reading
