BoingBoing: “The Smithsonian Libraries’ Trade Literature Collection includes catalogs, sales brochures, and other materials “that were once part of the merchandising of business.” What a fascinating source of design, technology, and marketing history! At the Smithsonian magazine blog, library technician Alexia MacClain goes meta in a post about one curious item in the Trade Literature Collection: The Classified Illustrated Catalog of the Library Department of Library Bureau (1899), a catalog of supplies for libraries. From Smithsonian…”
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Daily Archives: April 29, 2021
Two Memos With Enormous Constitutional Consequences
The Atlantic – “What’s astonishing is that presidential criminal immunity has no grounding in actual law. It’s not in the Constitution or any federal statute, regulation, or judicial decision. It is not law at all.” “One conclusion is apparent following Donald Trump’s four years in office: A sitting president is perhaps the only American who… Continue Reading
Flu Has Disappeared Worldwide during the COVID Pandemic
Scientific American – “The public health measures that slow the spread of the novel coronavirus work really well on influenza..” Continue Reading
What’s Breaking Through? Congressional Reactions, Prioritization, and Digital Amplification
Precision: Ever wonder whether bipartisan agreement is gone forever? Or, whether it’s possible for progressives, conservatives, and those in the middle to find common ground on critical issues? Us too. That’s why we’re diving deep to look at what’s breaking through among three core groups of Senators and Representatives that carry weight across both chambers… Continue Reading
How we fought Search spam on Google in 2020
Google Search Central: “…Hacked spam was still rampant in 2020 as the number of vulnerable web sites remained quite large, although we have improved our detection capability by more than 50% and removed most of the hacked spam from search results….Before we deliver a set of search results on Google, there’s a lot that happens… Continue Reading
How Long Can We Live?
The New York Times – New research is intensifying the debate — with profound implications for the future of the planet. “…Humans have never belonged to the select society of the everlasting. We most likely inherited fairly long life spans from our last common ancestor with chimpanzees, which may have been a large, intelligent, social… Continue Reading
Bird POTY 2021 Finalists Snapshot
“Over 22,000 images were entered into Bird Photographer of the Year 2021. Competing for the £5,000 cash prize and prestigious title, photographers from 73 different countries submitted images this year. The winners of BPOTY 2021 will be announced on 1st September 2021, with the 2022 competition opening later that month. “With images coming in from… Continue Reading
Global EV Outlook 2021
IEA: “This outlook explores two pathways for road transport electrification in the pivotal decade to 2030. It assesses the projected uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) across transport modes and regions. Then, it explores the implications of electric mobility for charging infrastructure, battery demand, energy demand, GHG emissions and revenue from road transport fuel taxation. This… Continue Reading
Study – Deadly air pollutant ‘disproportionately and systematically’ harms Americans of color
Washington Post – “Nearly every source of the nation’s most pervasive and deadly air pollutant disproportionately affects Americans of color, regardless of their state or income level, according to a study published Wednesday. The analysis of fine-particle matter, which includes soot, shows how decisions made decades ago about where to build highways and industrial plants… Continue Reading
Ransomeware Task Force Launches Comprehensive Framework to Combat Ransomware
Institute for Security and Technology – A Comprehensive Framework for Action: “Ransomware is no longer just a financial crime; it is an urgent national security risk that threatens schools, hospitals, businesses, and governments across the globe. This is not a problem that any one entity can solve. Over 60 experts from industry, government, law enforcement,… Continue Reading
Computerization, Obsolescense, and the Length of Working Life
NBER – Péter Hudomiet & Robert J. Willis. Working Paper 28701 DOI 10.3386/w28701. Issue Date April 2021 – “This paper analyzes how computerization affected the labor market outcomes of older workers between 1984 and 2017. Using the computerization supplements of the Current Population Survey (CPS) we show that different occupations were computerized at different times, older… Continue Reading
