“Continued partisan divides on schools, unions, churches 0 How we did this – Americans overwhelmingly see small businesses as having a positive effect on the way things are going in the country. By contrast, their views of large corporations are broadly negative. Most people – including identical shares in both parties – also are critical… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
How USPS turned images from James Webb Space Telescope into mailable art
Fast Company: “In 2022, when NASA released some of the first photos the James Webb Space Telescope had captured of the universe, they sold like hotcakes. Pillars of Creation—three striking towers of gas and dust that look like arches and spires rising out of a desert landscape—were slapped on T-shirts and printed on mouse pads.… Continue Reading
Online anonymity: study found ‘stable pseudonyms’ created a more civil environment than real user name
The Conversation: “The ability to remain anonymous when commenting online is a double-edged sword. It is valuable because it enables people to speak without fear of social and legal discrimination. But this is also what makes it dangerous. Someone from a repressive religious community can use anonymity to talk about their sexuality, for example. But… Continue Reading
It’s time to admit that genes are not the blueprint for life
Nature: The view of biology often presented to the public is oversimplified and out of date. Scientists must set the record straight, argues a new book. How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology Philip Ball Pan Macmillan (2024) For too long, scientists have been content in espousing the lazy metaphor of living… Continue Reading
5 facts about how Americans use Facebook, two decades after its launch
“Social media giant Facebook launched 20 years ago this week. Over the last two decades, the site has transformed the way people connect online, and its reach has grown to 3 billion monthly users worldwide. In recent years, lawmakers and the public in the United States and abroad have grown more critical of Facebook and… Continue Reading
Microsoft announces AI newsroom projects with Semafor and others, as NYT lawsuit looms
GeekWire: “Microsoft announced five projects to help news organizations incorporate generative artificial intelligence into their operations, building on its existing efforts to use technology to support the role of journalism in democracy. The company will collaborate on different initiatives with Semafor, the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, the Online News Association, the GroundTruth… Continue Reading
The Retro Web archives old hardware and the drivers you need to make it happy again
BoingBoing -“The Retro Web, designed by Deksor, computerguy096 and Zago, is a database of old hardware and other computer technology—and an archive of the stuff you might need to get it working, from drivers to documentation. There are 17894 entries under motherboards, 41706 BIOS images and 2070 CPUs there! This business has been up to… Continue Reading
LLRX January 2024 Issue
LLRX Articles and Columns for January 2024 The 2024 ‘Burning Issues’ Confronting Firm Leaders – Patrick J, Mckeena and Michael B. Rynowecer AI in Banking and Finance, January 31, 2024 – This semi-monthly column by Sabrina I. Pacifici highlights news, government documents, NGO/IGO papers, industry white papers, academic papers and speeches on the subject of… Continue Reading
“Cast as Criminals, America’s Librarians Rally to Their Own Defense”
The New York Times [read free]: “…As America’s libraries have become noisy and sometimes dangerous new battlegrounds in the nation’s culture wars, librarians like Ms. Neujahr and their allies have moved from the stacks to the front lines. People who normally preside over hushed sanctuaries are now battling groups that demand the mass removal of… Continue Reading
How we all get news now
Well, not all of us but…how about adding beSpacific! – The Verge: ” Most people just have A Place. Or two. Overwhelmingly, I heard from folks who mostly just open up one or two sources to get their news. The New York Times app was the most-named one by a pretty wide margin, which didn’t… Continue Reading
Google’s Location Data Policy Update
EPIC: “In December 2023, Google announced an update to its location data policy to provide users with more control over their sensitive location information. While this seems like a promising step in the right direction, we should be mindful of Google’s long history of failing to uphold its privacy obligations and vigilant in monitoring Google’s… Continue Reading
Worried About AI Voice Clone Scams? Create a Family Password
EFF: “Your grandfather receives a call late at night from a person pretending to be you. The caller says that you are in jail or have been kidnapped and that they need money urgently to get you out of trouble. Perhaps they then bring on a fake police officer or kidnapper to heighten the tension.… Continue Reading
