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Monthly Archives: November 2022

An Uncensored Library Created in Minecraft Defies Authoritarianism

Indubitably Odin: “Censored articles from around the world find refuge in this massive Minecraft map. Reporters Without Borders is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. In order to expand upon this goal, the organization has turned to an unlikely source: the video game Minecraft, and a 12.5 million-block neoclassical library containing banned journalism from around the world. Sharing news and information, especially when it’s been banned by a government, is no easy task. How to disseminate — to share — that information becomes a matter of both undermining systems of control that seek to restrict it, and to present it in a manner that is accessible. If you can’t easily find and read the news, what good does it do? That is why this project, one of the most innovative uses of Minecraft in history, is so flippen’ cool…”

…Divided into six sections, the library offers a way to access the articles of five prominent journalists and news sources, as well as the work of Reporters Without Borders itself. Each of the five journalist sections features a pedestal on which a book is placed that showcases the current state of government censorship in that country. This includes that country’s rank on the World Press Freedom Index, a valuable tool for seeing how poorly so many of these countries treat those who value truth…”

How Mastodon and federated services put social networks in the people’s hands

PC World – Adam Taylor – Twitter’s troubles spark a new old-school revolution: “The Internet is getting weird again. Twitter’s recent stumbles under new ownership have surprisingly shined a quick light on the world of federated and decentralized social networking services, like Mastodon. These services are peer-to-peer or community-run networks, depending on the particulars. Federated… Continue Reading

How the Supreme Court Is Erasing Consequential Decisions in the Lower Courts

The New York Times: “The Supreme Court is increasingly setting aside legally significant decisions from the lower courts as if they had never happened, invalidating them in brief procedural orders. The pace of these actions has increased in the past 22 months, neutralizing important civil rights and civil liberties decisions. Reasoned opinions by the federal… Continue Reading

From quitting to blocking: How to protect yourself on Musk’s Twitter

Washington Post: “If you’re concerned about your Twitter account, we have gathered some of the most important things you can (and can’t) do right now… Why take action now? Back up your tweets Delete your tweets Delete your account Stop using Twitter DMs Lock down your Twitter privacy and anti-harassment settings Continue Reading

Mapping the Mastodon Migration and Why it is not a replacement for Twitter

Absolutely Maybe: Mapping the Mastodon Migration: Is It a One-Way Trip or an Each-Way Bet for Science Twitter? – “…The best metrics I’ve seen for Mastodon growth are the number of active users per month, and the number of instances. Instances are the communities people join: Mastodon is what those instances are called as a… Continue Reading

How to Feel About Climate Change?

Julia Mosquera & Kirsti M. Jylhä . How to Feel About Climate Change? An Analysis of the Normativity of Climate Emotions, International Journal of Philosophical Studies, 30:3,357-380, DOI: 10.1080/09672559.2022.2125150 – “Climate change evokes different emotions in people. Recently, climate emotions have become a matter of normative scrutiny in the public debate. This phenomenon, which we… Continue Reading

Border Researchers Now Can Use 65+ Open-licensed Images of Surveillance Tech

EFF – “From Camera Towers to Spy Blimps, Border Researchers Now Can Use 65+ Open-licensed Images of Surveillance Tech from EFF – The U.S.-Mexico border is one of the most politicized technological spaces in the country, with leaders in both political parties supporting massive spending on border security and the so-called “Virtual Wall.” Yet we… Continue Reading

Which Technology Is the Best Fit for Your Law Firm?

Law Technology Today: “In this article, we’ll explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected law firm technology decisions, share essential steps to take and questions to ask when evaluating technology for attorneys, and discuss what all the best legal tech solutions have in common. Technology is an integral part of every attorney’s day-to-day—from trial lawyers… Continue Reading

Law Firms Prepare for Slowdown After Record Demand Industry

WSJ – $: “Industry has seen lower revenue growth this year, but firm leaders say they will be buoyed by litigation and bankruptcies Brad Karp, chairman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, said firms are willing to pay top-dollar for high-performing partners in strategically important practice areas. Law firms are bracing for economic uncertainty… Continue Reading

Tracing Twitter from Its Roots as a Protest Tool to Elon Musk’s Acquisition

Crimethinc: The Billionaire and the Anarchists Tracing Twitter from Its Roots as a Protest Tool to Elon Musk’s Acquisition – “…But Twitter did not simply spring, fully formed like Athena, from the head of company co-founder Jack Dorsey. In fact, it was a modest refinement of a model already demonstrated by TXTmob, the SMS text… Continue Reading

Why It Is Time for the Legal Sector to Mind Its Language

Artificial Lawyer – By Sam Grange, Senior Knowledge Engineer, iManage. “Standards and structure matter a lot. This article is composed of words that combine to form sentences, which can be grouped to form a paragraph. According to widely accepted conventions, these and other linguistic devices provide meaning and clues as to what is being said… Continue Reading