“Everything that is alive, or has ever been alive has a place somewhere on the complete tree of life. Each leaf represents a different species and the branches show how they are evolved from common ancestors over billions of years. Our vision for OneZoom is to do for the tree of life what online mapping… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: December 2021
Fed Figures: The Federal Workforce and the Trump Administration
Partnership for Public Service: “This analysis sheds light on our nation’s federal civilian workforce during the Trump administration. What changes occurred throughout the administration’s four years? Did past trends continue or change under President Donald Trump? The Partnership for Public Service analyzed federal workforce data to answer these and other questions. Because of its sheer size, it is rare to see substantial shifts government-wide in the size of the workforce or its… Continue Reading
How to Know When Your iPhone Could Be Recording You
Lifehacker: “You’ve probably had the (legitimate) fear that your smartphone is listening or watching you. Your iPhone certainly isn’t without privacy risks, and you should absolutely audit your settings and all of your app permissions, but one helpful feature that Apple has built in is a visual warning when your device is queued up to… Continue Reading
Scientists Are Racing to Gauge the Threat of Omicron
The New York Times – “Even as scientists race to understand more about the Omicron variant and the threat it poses, one fact is abundantly clear: It spreads quickly everywhere it lands. In South Africa, Omicron spread twice as fast as the highly infectious Delta variant. In Britain, officials have estimated that 200,000 people are… Continue Reading
You may soon be able to renew your passport online, instead of sending in documents
NPR: “Renewing your passport isn’t an experience most people would consider streamlined — especially during the pandemic. Getting it processed can take anywhere from eight to 11 weeks, according to the State Department. But a new executive order from President Biden hopes to cut down on the amount of time people spend accessing all kinds… Continue Reading
Is a mask mandate in the US the same as a law?
Quartz: “California’s latest mask mandate went into effect this week, requiring face coverings in all public indoor settings through Jan. 15, 2022. In counties where local health authorities had already issued mask mandates, the new statewide rule won’t change daily life. And in San Francisco, where vaccination rates are high and community transmission remains relatively… Continue Reading
FDA Allows Women to Get Abortion Pill by Mail
USAToday: “The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that it would permanently remove a key restriction on medication used to terminate pregnancies, allowing so-called “abortion pills” to be available by mail and prescribed through telehealth medical consultations. The FDA had temporarily allowed the medication to be available in such methods after a federal judge ordered it due to the… Continue Reading
21 photos that defined 2021 on Capitol Hill
As captured by CQ Roll Call’s photojournalists on the ground – “As the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, 2021, the world celebrated that 2020 was over and that things would finally get back to normal. 2021 proved much more challenging than most expected. From the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol to the rise… Continue Reading
AAP Sues to Block Maryland, New York Library E-book Laws
Publishers Weekly – “The Association of American Publishers filed suit December 9 to stop a new library e-book law in Maryland from taking effect on January 1, claiming that the law, which would require publishers who offer to license e-books to consumers in the state to also offer to license the works to libraries on… Continue Reading
Visions of a Volatile World
The New York Times – “The year 2021 opened with the promise of vaccines, and the belief that we would all return to “normal” after the tumultuous year of the pandemic. But the year instead took off with an insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, and saw a summer of carefree gatherings derailed by a fast-spreading… Continue Reading
Four Resolutions for a Healthier Tech Life in 2022
The New York Times: “The coronavirus pandemic has been packed with plenty of nasty tech surprises. We ran into the problem of a perpetual scarcity of hardware, like game consoles and graphics cards. Apple this year announced a major change to its data practices, including a tool to scan iPhones for child pornography, which critics… Continue Reading
National Archives Releases New Group of JFK Assassination Documents
“In accordance with President Biden’s directive of October 22, 2021, the National Archives today posted 1,491 documents subject to the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (JFK Act). Released documents are available for download. The John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection, established by the National Archives in November 1992, consists of… Continue Reading
