The New York Times [unpaywalled]: “Four in 10 illegal gun cases tracked by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were involved in black market sales, including from shadow dealers who used a legal loophole to evade background checks, according to an analysis of firearms trafficking released on Thursday. About another 40 percent of… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Forest Pulse: The Latest on the World’s Forests
World Resources Institute – How much forest was lost in 2023? The Forest Pulse draws on the most recent data and analysis to reveal the latest trends in global forest loss and deforestation. Tropical Forest Loss Drops Steeply in Brazil and Colombia, but High Rates Persist Overall – Between 2022 and 2023, Brazil and Colombia… Continue Reading
‘Law Firm’ of AI Generated Lawyers Is Sending Fake Threats as SEO Scam
404 Media: “Last week, Ernie Smith, the publisher of the website Tedium, got a “copyright infringement notice” from a law firm called Commonwealth Legal: “We’re reaching out on behalf of the Intellectual Property division of a notable entity, in relation to an image connected to our client,” it read. I am familiar with these sorts… Continue Reading
Forget Vinyl and Spotify I’m Going Back to CDs
How to Geek: “…You’ve doubtless seen a lot of articles and videos over the past decade extolling the virtues of listening to music on vinyl. Shopping for physical music media is a great hobby, but my preferred “vintage” medium isn’t quite as august: CDs. Here’s why I love going to the dustier part of record… Continue Reading
How to reset your Apple ID password
Mashable: “Buddy, we’ve all been there before. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve forgotten a password — especially the password for my Apple ID. If you’re in the same boat, don’t worry: It’s pretty easy to reset your Apple ID password. An Apple ID password is relatively easy to forget because it’s not… Continue Reading
The Discarded
“A dazzling array of metafictions, Colin Hamilton’s The Discarded focuses on the lonely work of a solitary librarian assigned to the discard room. This hidden basement space is piled high with books purged from the stacks above. From the heap of discards, the librarian salvages his own idiosyncratic collection: a detective novel in which a… Continue Reading
Did One Guy Just Stop a Huge Cyberattack?
The New York Times [unpaywalled] – “A Microsoft engineer noticed something was off on a piece of software he worked on. He soon discovered someone was probably trying to gain access to computers all over the world…Recently, while doing some routine maintenance, Mr. Freund inadvertently found a backdoor hidden in a piece of software that… Continue Reading
How to turn your iPhone into a bare-bones device
Washington Post via Yahoo: “Our smartphones are overflowing. In one pocket-size rectangle, you have unlimited access to all human knowledge posted online, instant communication with friends and family, and six seasons of “Love Is Blind.” It can be a bit much. A recently added setting on iPhones and iPads makes the devices less complicated. It… Continue Reading
Navigating the Challenges and Opportunities of Synthetic Voices
Axios: “The New York Times plans to make the vast majority of its articles available to users as narrations read via an automated voice, executives tell Axios. Why it matters: The move will help position the Times as one of the biggest audio news companies globally. The company published 2,300 audio recordings, including podcasts, in… Continue Reading
How to Browse the Dark Web
Lifehacker: “The dark web, for the uninitiated among you, is a virtual neighborhood beyond the borders of the normal, everyday internet (which includes the website you’re looking at right now). It’s somewhere Google and Bing don’t index, and you need special tools to get to it. It’s a place where you’ll find data leaks and… Continue Reading
CISA Webpage Dedicated to Providing Resources for High-Risk Communities
“Today, CISA published a new dedicated High-Risk Communities webpage comprised of cybersecurity resources to support civil society communities at heighted risk of digital security threats, including cyber hygiene guidance, a repository of local cyber volunteer programs, and free or discounted tools and services. Despite their vulnerability to advanced cyber threats, many civil society organizations operate… Continue Reading
Cyber review slams Microsoft
Cyber Safety Review Board Releases Report on Microsoft Online Exchange Incident from Summer 2023: “Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the Cyber Safety Review Board’s (CSRB) findings and recommendations following its independent review of the Summer 2023 Microsoft Exchange Online intrusion. The review detailed operational and strategic decisions that led to the… Continue Reading
