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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici

Generative AI and Finding the Law

Callister, Paul D., Generative AI and Finding the Law (December 8, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4608268 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4608268 – “Legal information science requires, among other things, principles and theories. The article states five principles or considerations that any discussion of generative AI large language models and their role in finding the law must include. The… Continue Reading

Who Are Middle Americans Today?

H&R Block: “Twenty million tax returns tell us they’re not who they used to be. Middle America—households with income between $45,000 and $145,000—describes most of us. This year’s Outlook on American Life report provides eye-opening insights on some of the less visible forces shaping the economy. It tells the story of two Middles, Millennials and… Continue Reading

Using the Wayback Machine and Google Analytics to Uncover Disinformation Networks

Bellingcat: “Google Analytics is a popular service for tracking and analysing traffic to a website. Through a short code placed in the source of a website, a user can monitor the performance of all their online properties. These tracking codes can also clearly indicate when multiple websites are run by a single user or entity… Continue Reading

Does It Matter Which Internet Speed Test You Use?

How to Geek: ” Different speed test services give different results due to variables like the servers used and their distance from your location. Internet speed tests are useful for verifying if you’re getting the performance you pay for and finding out if your network hardware is causing bottlenecks. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which speed… Continue Reading

Confirm the authenticity of digital content across FOX media outlets

Via Fox Corp. – “Conveniently search, verify, and share your findings. Please note that the VERIFY TOOL currently supports verification of content from limited publications. Verifying Image Files: Upload the image file you want to verify. The supported file formats are .jpeg, .png, .avif, and .webp. The VERIFY TOOL will search our database for a… Continue Reading

Asking people to “do the research” on fake news stories makes them seem more believable, not less

Nieman Lab: “A new study asked thousands to evaluate the accuracy of news articles — both real and fake — by doing some research online. But for many, heading to Google led them farther from the truth, not closer… Media literacy proponents often advocate doing your own research — emphasis on the search, since Google… Continue Reading

Most States Have Tax Codes That Are Rigged To Benefit The Wealthy: Report

Huffington Post: “In many states, the tax code directly widens income inequality — and it’s a deliberate policy choice driven by low or nonexistent income taxes. A sweeping new analysis of taxes across the country reveals that in four out of every five states, the top 1% are paying a lower tax rate than their… Continue Reading

British Library to burn through reserves to recover from cyber attack

FT.com [read free]: “The British Library will drain about 40 per cent of its reserves to recover from a cyber attack that has crippled one of the UK’s critical research bodies and rendered most of its services inaccessible. The London-based institution, which stores nearly 170mn pieces of work ranging from books to sound recordings, was… Continue Reading

Don’t Sell Your Old Phone or Laptop Without Doing These 10 Things First

Make Use Of: Always back up your data before disposing of any hardware. Transfer valuable data to multiple mediums to ensure it is safe before disposal. Remove connected accounts, log out of all applications, and remove devices from accounts to prevent unauthorized access. Make hard drive data unreadable by utilizing data-wiping software or encryption methods… Continue Reading

Here’s what you’re really swallowing when you drink bottled water

Washington Post [read free]: “People are swallowing hundreds of thousands of microscopic pieces of plastic each time they drink a liter of bottled water, scientists have shown — a revelation that could have profound implications for human health A new paper released Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found about 240,000… Continue Reading