Wired: “Every web browser has what’s called a cache: a temporary storage space for web pages that syncs online content to your computer or mobile device. This syncing is designed to help websites load up faster and put less strain on your internet bandwidth. It’s a good idea, and it works well most of the… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
The best way to compost your food scraps
Edgadget- Or, why I pay someone else to do it for me. “The EPA estimates each person in the US sends 200 pounds of food to the landfill each year where it disgorges methane and contributes to climate change. Composted, those scraps turn into soil-feeding, carbon-capturing humus instead. If that sounds like the better option,… Continue Reading
How to find out if an AirTag is tracking you
ZDNET: “An Apple AirTag is a useful device that helps you keep track of your most important items like keys, wallets, remotes, and even bicycles. However, reports of AirTags being used to track people without their consent cast a shadow on their use and application. This is why Apple made significant changes to what and how AirTags… Continue Reading
Scenes From a MAGA Meltdown
ProPublica: “…Across the country, the Republican Party’s rank-and-file have turned on the GOP establishment. In Michigan, this schism broke the party — and maybe democracy itself…What divides the Republican Party of 2024 is not any one policy or ideology. It is not whether to support Donald Trump. The most important fault line in the party… Continue Reading
Don’t Get Screwed Buying A Used Car
YouTube: This is is short and very informative video with a comprehensive list of key factors that buyers should employ in their used car buying process. Continue Reading
OpenAI’s News Corp deal licenses content from WSJ, New York Post
The Verge: “OpenAI has struck a deal with News Corp, the media company that owns The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, The Daily Telegraph, and others. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI’s deal with News Corp could be worth over $250 million in the next five years “in the form of… Continue Reading
Giving Windows total recall of everything a user does is a privacy minefield
The Register: “Microsoft’s Windows Recall feature is attracting controversy before even venturing out of preview. Like so many of Microsoft’s AI-infused products, Windows Recall will remain in preview while Microsoft refines it based on user feedback – or simply gives up and pretends it never happened. The principle is simple. As noted earlier, Windows takes… Continue Reading
Latinos in US get their news from social media, exposing them to risks
International Journalists’ Network: “Latinos in the U.S. who use social media in Spanish are more likely to believe disinformation when they come across it, according to new research about the news consumption habits of Latino communities. Among the false narratives that have spread widely are the “Big Lie” that U.S. President Joe Biden did not… Continue Reading
Dataset containing detailed purchase histories from 5027 US Amazon.com consumers
Data is Plural: “The MIT Media Lab’s Alex Berke et al. have compiled “a first-of-its-kind dataset containing detailed purchase histories from 5027 U.S. Amazon.com consumers, spanning 2018 through 2022, with more than 1.8 million purchases […] crowdsourced through an online survey and shared with participants’ informed consent.” The published data include “order date, product code,… Continue Reading
Five ways criminals are using AI
MIT Technology News: “Artificial intelligence has brought a big boost in productivity—to the criminal underworld. Generative AI provides a new, powerful tool kit that allows malicious actors to work far more efficiently and internationally than ever before, says Vincenzo Ciancaglini, a senior threat researcher at the security company Trend Micro. Most criminals are “not living… Continue Reading
Big Oil Reality Check: Oil and Gas Companies Failing on Climate
“Oil Change International released our Big Oil Reality Check report today in collaboration with over 200 organizations worldwide. The report assesses the climate pledges and plans of eight international oil and gas companies – Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, TotalEnergies, BP, Eni, Equinor, and ConocoPhillips – against 10 criteria representing the bare minimum for aligning with the… Continue Reading
How food affects the mind, as well as the body
The Economist [no paywall]: “…With mental-health disorders rising, a growing number of scientists are investigating how food or nutritional supplements affect the mind. Brains, being the most complex and energy-demanding of the body’s organs, almost certainly have their own specialised, nutritional needs. Welcome, then, to the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry. An adult human brain,… Continue Reading
