The New York Times: “Are you an “insider threat?” The company [or federal government employer] you work for may want to know. Some corporate employers fear that employees could leak information, allow access to confidential files, contact clients inappropriately or, in the extreme, bring a gun to the office. To address these fears, some companies… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: May 2022
How Often Can You Be Infected With the Coronavirus?
The New York Times: “…A virus that shows no signs of disappearing, variants that are adept at dodging the body’s defenses, and waves of infections two, maybe three times a year — this may be the future of Covid-19, some scientists now fear. The central problem is that the coronavirus has become more adept at… Continue Reading
Understanding Federal Legislation: A Section-by-Section Guide to Key Legal Considerations
CRS Report – Understanding Federal Legislation: A Section-by-Section Guide to Key Legal Considerations, Updated May 19, 2022 [97 pages]: “Federal bills are increasingly complex, making them difficult to understand for the average reader and the seasoned practitioner alike. What a congressional drafter understands to be the import of a given provision could later be discussed… Continue Reading
EU launches database to help consumers on energy efficient products
“A new EU-wide public database enabling consumers to compare the energy efficiency class and other data about different household products has been launched by the European Commission this week. With detailed information on well over 1 million products, the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL) breaks new ground in helping EU consumers become more energy… Continue Reading
Feds Warn Employers Against Discriminatory Hiring Algorithms
Wired: “As companies increasingly involve AI in their hiring processes, advocates, lawyers, and researchers have continued to sound the alarm. Algorithms have been found to automatically assign job candidates different scores based on arbitrary criteria like whether they wear glasses or a headscarf or have a bookshelf in the background. Hiring algorithms can penalize applicants… Continue Reading
How to Turn Any Document Into a PDF
Wired – Master the file format that works everywhere and anywhere—even from your phone. “Like the GIF (that’s Graphics Interchange Format), the PDF (Portable Document Format) has survived and flourished through the digital age. That’s partly because of its versatility: It’s the go-to document format when you want to make sure that it’s going to… Continue Reading
The Right to Contest AI
Kaminski, Margot E. and Urban, Jennifer M., The Right to Contest AI (November 16, 2021). Columbia Law Review, Vol. 121, No. 7, 2021, U of Colorado Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 21-30, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3965041 – “Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used to make important decisions, from university admissions selections to loan determinations to… Continue Reading
Pollution and health: a progress update
The Lancet Planetary Health: “The Lancet Commission on pollution and health reported that pollution was responsible for 9 million premature deaths in 2015, making it the world’s largest environmental risk factor for disease and premature death. We have now updated this estimate using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuriaes, and Risk Factors Study… Continue Reading
US Gun Production Triples Since 2000, Fueled by Handgun Purchases
The New York Times: “The United States is in the middle of a great gun-buying boom that shows no sign of letting up as the annual number of firearms manufactured has nearly tripled since 2000 and spiked sharply in the past three years, according to the first comprehensive federal tally of gun commerce in two… Continue Reading
Insurance is one of the major barriers to abortion care in the U.S. That’s intentional
Fast Company: “…About half of Americans—more than 158 million people—are insured through an employer, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. And while two studies have found that a majority of Americans with employer-based insurance do have coverage for abortion, research indicates that only about 4 in 10 privately insured patients actually use that insurance to… Continue Reading
Big Tech in Financial Services
CRS Report – Big Tech in Financial Services, May 16, 2022: “For the past decade or so, “Big Tech”—which hereinafter refers to the large technology companies Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook (now Meta Platforms), unless otherwise noted—has been offering a variety of financial services products to retail customers. Big Tech uses advanced data analysis and… Continue Reading
Why This Computer Scientist Says All Cryptocurrency Should “Die in a Fire”
Current Affairs, May 2022 – UC-Berkeley’s Nicholas Weaver has been studying cryptocurrency for years. He thinks it’s a terrible idea that will end in disaster. “Despite being hyped in expensive Super Bowl ads, cryptocurrency is now having a difficult moment. As the New York Times reports, “the crypto world went into a full meltdown this… Continue Reading
