WSJ [paywall] – “America’s oldest federal cultural institution is experimenting with neural networks to help users search through some of its millions of digitized documents. The Library of Congress expects that artificial intelligence can help people search through its troves of digital information to glean new insights about the U.S.’s history. To that end, America’s… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2021
How Internet and TV providers get away with jacking up your bill
Washington Post – “Service providers use their lock on neighborhoods — and a lack of rules — to take advantage of us. Here’s how to spot their tricks…Across many American communities, one or two companies control how we get online — and treat us like captives. They obscure the truth on their bills. And when… Continue Reading
Study: Police Stops Don’t Stop Car Crashes
StreetsBlogUSA: “An explosive new study has found that a high rate of state patrol traffic stops in U.S. states — which, in turn, increases the possibility of dangerous contact between people of color and law enforcement — is not correlated with decreased car-crash rates, debunking one of the chief justifications for excessive policing on American… Continue Reading
10 Clever Google Maps Settings Everyone Should Be Using
Lifehacker: “Every time you head out to a new location, there’s a good chance you instinctively pull up Google Maps to help guide you there — there’s no better tool out there for navigation and traffic updates. But even if you use it practically every day, there’s a good chance that you haven’t made the… Continue Reading
Who did that website belong to?
Tools for Reporters: “You may already be familiar with WHOIS, the directory of website registrants. Under ICANN rules, you have to have contact info registered for a domain, and that contact info used to be public. Sadly, that changed in 2018 and much of the information is now redacted. But! A tool called WHOIS History… Continue Reading
Explore Thousands Of FAA Drone And Unidentified Aircraft Incident Reports With Our Interactive Tool
The Drive: “We are excited to announce the launch of our new interactive tool that maps and makes searchable thousands of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and unidentified aircraft incident reports. The vast dataset is drawn from information compiled by the Federal Aviation Administration. Some of the reports are highly unusual, going far beyond typical low-altitude… Continue Reading
New Eviction Laws Database Reveals Striking Differences in Eviction Processes Around the Country
“The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) launched the LSC Eviction Laws Database today, a new online tool that will aid users in better understanding the significant variation in eviction laws across the country and the effect these differences have on eviction outcomes. LSC produced the database in partnership with the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University’s Beasley School… Continue Reading
These states saw the most hacks in 2020
Tech Republic: “A report uses FBI data to parse out state-by-state hacking data by the number of victims and total financial losses for every 100,000 residents..In recent months, a string of high-profile cyberattacks has reverberated across critical aspects of the U.S. infrastructure ranging from petroleum and meat production to local water supplies, bringing network security… Continue Reading
Dictionary.com adds long COVID, deplatform
Fast Company: “Dictionary.com has announced that it has added over 300 new words and terms to its online offerings. And some of those offerings are a bit surprising. Others are a sign of our changing times, while still others signify the progress made in social justice movements. Dictionary.com’s addition of these words and phrases to… Continue Reading
Over 10,000 Amazon rainforest species risk extinction, landmark report warns
CBC CA: “More than 10,000 species of plants and animals are at high risk of extinction due to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest — 35 per cent of which has already been deforested or degraded, according to the draft of a landmark scientific report published on Wednesday. Produced by the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA),… Continue Reading
Twitter’s launch 15 years ago
Via historian Michael Beschloss – Los Angeles Times described it as alternative to “your MySpace page” Continue Reading
The Debt Limit in 2021
CRS Insight, The Debt Limit in 2021, July 14, 2021: “Debt limit episodes—which can be defined as starting when the statutory limit on federal debt restricts some of the U.S. Treasury’s normal debt operations and ending when new legislation to modify the limit is enacted—have been a recurrent federal fiscal feature in the past two… Continue Reading
