NextGov: “Through three years, 16 federal agencies, more than 1,300 datasets and a cascade of privacy laws and interagency agreements underpinned by decades-old entrenched processes, a team of federal employees launched the Standard Application Process in December, creating for the first time a single portal for U.S. researchers to request access to the mountains of… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2023
FCC orders phone companies to block scam text messages
Ars Technica: “The Federal Communications Commission today finalized rules requiring mobile carriers to block robotext messages that are likely to be illegal. The FCC described the rules as the agency’s “first regulations specifically targeting the increasing problem of scam text messages sent to consumers.” Carriers will be required to block text messages that come from… Continue Reading
Why Vermont State’s digital library idea is so controversial
Higher Ed Dive: “…Vermont State University — a new institution to be formed from three existing Vermont public colleges — has announced that it will be transforming its libraries to be “all-digital. Alhough the physical spaces will continue to serve students, administrators said print materials will no longer be procured for students who do not… Continue Reading
Authors risk losing copyright if AI content is not disclosed, US guidance says
Ars Technica: “As generative AI technologies like GPT-4 and Midjourney have rapidly gotten more sophisticated and their creative use has exploded in popularity, the US Copyright Office has issued guidance today to clarify when AI-generated material can be copyrighted. Guidance comes after the Copyright Office decided that an author could not copyright individual AI images… Continue Reading
Design notes on the 2023 Wikipedia redesign
“Hey, I’m Alex Hollender. For the past few years I led the redesign of the Wikipedia desktop interface, which launched this past January. Below are some notes on the project and process….Wikipedia — a major, legacy website (top 10 ranked, for 10+ years) — had an interface that hadn’t been changed for 15 years. And… Continue Reading
Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce
Environmental Working Group – EWG’s 2023 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™: Nearly 75 percent of non-organic fresh produce sold in the U.S. contains residues of potentially harmful pesticides, EWG’s 2023 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ finds. In this year’s guide, blueberries and green beans join our Dirty Dozen™ list of the 12 fruits… Continue Reading
This Is Why You Feel Existential Dread When You Open Instagram and TikTok
Gizmodo: “In Meganets: How Digital Forces Beyond Our Control Commandeer Our Daily Lives and Inner Realities, David Auerbach argues the the distinctly modern feeling of a loss of control over our lives is the result of these new online forces. The vast influence of Facebook, Google, TikTok, and other tech giants is neither in the… Continue Reading
Bank Failures 2001-2023
Graphic shows USA bank collapses this century to provide content to the scale of the recent SVB collapse. See also Bank financials, 1976–present See also Bloomberg – BofA Gets More Than $15 Billion in Deposits After SVB Fail. Customers seek safety in biggest banks seen as too big to fail. US government unleashed measures to… Continue Reading
Sold out Jan Vermeer exhibition Amsterdam goes online
DW: “When the large-scale exhibition of works by the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) opened on February 10 at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, all 450,000 tickets quickly sold out. The museum is showing 28 of the 37 or so existing works by the painter from Delft until June 4, 2023. This is the first that time that… Continue Reading
LinkedIn is adding AI tools for generating profile copy and job descriptions
The Verge: “LinkedIn is expanding its suite of artificial intelligence features, this time adding tools that will generate content for user profiles and job descriptions. One tool announced today will scan user profiles for skills and experiences and spit out suggested copy or summaries to add to other profile sections. The company says it still… Continue Reading
I don’t want to log in to your website
The Verge: “There is a new trend among websites where they want my email address before I’m allowed to read their free content. While I sympathize with the struggles of the media business, I am just going to point out something obvious: not reading is easier than reading — and way easier than logging in.… Continue Reading
Cambridge Law Eminent Scholars Archive
“Lesley Dingle & Daniel Bates – The Eminent Scholars Archive is an expanding archive developed by Lesley Dingle and Daniel Bates in which we document the careers and achievements of eminent scholars associated with the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge. The archive includes biographies, bibliographies, photographs, recorded interviews and many other resources.… Continue Reading
