“A New York Times investigation found that Elon Musk exploited federal agencies’ [no paywall] competing missions to achieve his goals for space travel. As Elon Musk’s Starship — the largest rocket ever manufactured — successfully blasted toward the sky last month, the launch was hailed as a giant leap for SpaceX and the United States’… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
FTC – Who’s who in scams: a spring roundup
FTC: “Scammers are all about spinning lies, but they still operate in the real world. Many scammers pretend to be well-known businesses to gain trust and make their stories seem more believable. And scammers use real-world methods to contact people and to get paid. Reports to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network point to some of… Continue Reading
384,000 sites pull code from sketchy code library recently bought by Chinese firm
Ars Technica: “More than 384,000 websites are linking to a site that was caught last week performing a supply-chain attack that redirected visitors to malicious sites, researchers said. For years, the JavaScript code, hosted at polyfill[.]com, was a legitimate open source project that allowed older browsers to handle advanced functions that weren’t natively supported. By… Continue Reading
FDA Pulls Food Additive in Citrus Sodas Over Health Risks
Gizmodo: “A problematic ingredient in some soft drinks is now officially being taken off the market. The Food and Drug Administration has revoked its authorization that allows brominated vegetable oil (BVO) to be used in food, following recent research suggesting that it could potentially harm people’s thyroid health. BVO is vegetable oil that’s been modified… Continue Reading
Cloudflare is taking a stand against AI website scrapers
engadget – “Cloudflare has released a new free tool that prevents AI companies’ bots from scraping its clients’ websites for content to train large language models. The cloud service provider is making this tool available to its entire customer base, including those on free plans. “This feature will automatically be updated over time as we… Continue Reading
How to Search for Words in a YouTube Video
MakeUseOf: “Ever find yourself skipping through a YouTube timeline trying to find a punchline or a specific part of a tutorial? I’ve been there, too, and figured there must be an easier way to find specific words within a YouTube video. Like me, you’ll be very pleased to know there are several ways you can… Continue Reading
These cities have the highest share of unaffordable neighborhoods in 2024
creditnews: “Homeownership is one of the key pillars of the American dream. But for many families, the idyllic fantasy of a picket fence and backyard barbecues remains just that—a fantasy. Thanks to elevated mortgage rates, sky-high house prices, and scarce inventory, millions of American families have been locked out of the opportunity to buy a… Continue Reading
Closer to Vermeer and the Girl
Mauritshuis: “New discoveries and insights from the international scientific examination. Girl with the Pearl Earring (c. 1665) by Johannes Vermeer is one of the most famous paintings in the world. Two years ago, an international team of scientists from various museums and institutions examined Vermeer’s masterpiece in full public view. Now, two years later, the… Continue Reading
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project
“The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project connects 45 non-profit investigative centers in 34 countries, scores of journalists and several major regional news organizations across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. We work to turn the tables on corruption and build greater accountability through exposing the abuse of power at the expense… Continue Reading
Nearly 60% of Google searches end without a click in 2024
One more time…but likely not the last time…please stop using Google. Via Search engineLand. Nearly 60% of Google searches end without a click in 2024 – “A majority of Google searches – 58.5% in the U.S. and 59.7% in the EU – result in zero clicks. A zero-click search happens when users end their session… Continue Reading
Why GPS Is Under Attack
The New York Times Visualization [unlocked]: “The Global Positioning System runs the modern world. But it is under daily attack. This year alone, researchers say, more than 60,000 commercial flights have been hit by bogus GPS signals, which can confuse pilots. The American GPS network that was once the gold standard is at risk of… Continue Reading
Art And Knowledge in Times of Crisis
MisInfoCon: “Framer Framed, a contemporary art museum in Amsterdam, recently opened a new exhibit called “Really? Art and Knowledge in Time of Crisis.” The exhibit explores concepts like weaponizing ignorance and politicizing knowledge, and offers a digital walkthrough of its piece.” Continue Reading
