Center for Data Innovation – “Political scientists from various U.S. universities have compiled a dataset called “border crossings of the world” to help researchers understand how different countries use physical infrastructure to enforce control of their territories. The researchers used satellite imagery to identify and geolocate border infrastructure—gates, border walls, checkpoints, etc.—that countries have built… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Americans’ Views of Technology Companies
“Most think social media companies have too much influence in politics and censor political viewpoints they object to – both sentiments are growing among Democrats. Most Americans are wary of social media’s role in politics and its overall impact on the country, and these concerns are ticking up among Democrats, according to a new Pew… Continue Reading
How reliable is this research? Tool flags papers discussed on PubPeer
Nature – Browser plug-in alerts users when studies — or their references — have been posted on a site known for raising integrity concerns. “A free online tool released earlier this month alerts researchers when a paper cites studies that are mentioned on the website PubPeer, a forum scientists often use to raise integrity concerns… Continue Reading
Where seas are rising at alarming speed
Washington Post: “One of the most rapid sea level surges on Earth is besieging the American South, forcing a reckoning for coastal communities across eight U.S. states, a Washington Post analysis has found. At more than a dozen tide gauges spanning from Texas to North Carolina, sea levels are at least 6 inches higher than… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, April 27, 2024
Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, April 27, 2024 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading
Poll: Biden and Trump supporters sharply divided by the media they consume
NBC News: “Supporters of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are sharply divided across all sorts of lines, including the sources they rely on to get their news, new data from the NBC News poll shows. Biden is the clear choice of voters who consume newspapers and national network news, while Trump does… Continue Reading
NIST Evaluating Generative AI Technologies
“NIST GenAI is a new evaluation program administered by the NIST Information Technology Laboratory to assess generative AI technologies developed by the research community from around the world. NIST GenAI is an umbrella program that supports various evaluations for research in Generative AI by providing a platform for Test and Evaluation. These evaluations will inform… Continue Reading
Violence Against Women and International Law, April 2024 Update
Via LLRX – Violence Against Women and International Law, April 2024 Update – Sabrina I. Pacifici is identifying and documenting pertinent sources for researchers on the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and violence against women and girls. This is the April 2024 update to the first installment of the guide, published on November 23, 2023. The… Continue Reading
We Are in the Golden Age of Bird-Watching
Scientific American [unpaywalled]: “It’s springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, and one of nature’s greatest spectacles is unfolding: the migration of billions of birds to their breeding grounds. They’ve spent the winter in balmier locales to the south, getting fat on insects, seeds, fruits and aquatic plants and prey. Now they’re winging their way north to… Continue Reading
Transcribe anything for free with this privacy-respecting AI tool
Fast Company: “…an AI tool that runs completely on a web page in your browser. It’s useful, too. There’s no account needed, and your data doesn’t leave your own device—so you don’t have to worry about privacy. It’s the kind of thing that demonstrates why so many companies want AI applications to run on our… Continue Reading
The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars
Vox – Dangerous, polluting SUVs and pickups took over America. Lawmakers are partly to blame. Cars, you might have noticed, have grown enormous. Low-slung station wagons are all but extinct on American roads, and even sedans have become an endangered species. (Ford, producer of the iconic Model T a century ago, no longer sells any… Continue Reading
LED lighting is bright, efficient, and perhaps a problem
CBC: “The global transition to LED lighting seems to be having some concerning impacts on the natural world and human health. These energy efficient artificial lights produce different spectra than older incandescent technology, or the natural light of the Sun that life on Earth evolved with over billions of years. LED lighting is brighter, bluer,… Continue Reading
