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Daily Archives: October 19, 2017

Forbes Releases 36th Annual Forbes 400 Ranking of the Richest Americans

“…The billionaires on Forbes’ 2017 ranking of the 400 richest people in America, (“The Forbes 400” p. 86 of the November 14, 2017 Special Issue of Forbes magazine), have a record-breaking, combined total net worth of $2.7 trillion, up from $2.4 trillion in 2016. The minimum net worth now required to be counted among the very richest Americans hit a record high of $2 billion, up from $1.7 billion in 2015 and 2016. There were 169 billionaires who did not make the cut.  However, even at these new heights, there were 22 newcomers to this year’s list. The average net worth of a Forbes 400 member hit $6.7 billion, also a record high, up from $6 billion last year. “America’s richest are richer than ever. The minimum net worth to make the Forbes list of 400 wealthiest Americans is now a record $2 billion,” said Luisa Kroll and Kerry Dolan, assistant managing editors of wealth at Forbes Media. “But even at these new heights, entrepreneurs are breaking into the ranks for the first time as they mint fortunes in everything from Netflix and telecom to vodka and fishing.”

Italian government launches high school program to educate about fake news

GOOD: “…Starting later this month, the Italian government will be rolling out a program to 8,000 high schools across the country that teaches students how to deal with fake news. In addition to training students how to identify fabricated stories, Italian journalists from national broadcaster RAI will also contribute to lessons on how not to… Continue Reading

Research Information Management: Defining RIM and the Library’s Role

Research Information Management: Defining RIM and the Library’s Role, by Rebecca Bryant, Anna Clements, Carol Feltes, David Groenewegen, Simon Huggard, Holly Mercer, Roxanne Missingham, Maliaca Oxnam, Anne Rauh, and John Wright. “Research information management (RIM) is the aggregation, curation, and utilization of information about research and is emerging as an area of increasing interest and… Continue Reading

Research – Human attention affects facial expressions in domestic dogs

Human attention affects facial expressions in domestic dogs. Juliane Kaminski, Jennifer Hynds, Paul Morris & Bridget M. Waller. Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 12914 (2017). doi:10.1038/s41598-017-12781-x “Most mammalian species produce facial expressions. Historically, animal facial expressions have been considered inflexible and involuntary displays of emotional states rather than active attempts to communicate with others. In… Continue Reading

Virtual travel for hikers, travelers and the great outdoors

“Since 1999, UntraveledRoad has been capturing the scenery of modern highways, mountain roads, city streets and trails, visiting places both exotic and familiar to create a photographic virtual world, where you can stop to look at wildflowers, lakes, mountain vistas, and read historic markers, all from the comfort of your computer chair. With 396,883 hand-held… Continue Reading

The Future of Truth and Misinformation Online

Pew Report, October 19, 2017– Experts are evenly split on whether the coming decade will see a reduction in false and misleading narratives online. Those forecasting improvement place their hopes in technological fixes and in societal solutions. Others think the dark side of human nature is aided more than stifled by technology…A Pew Research Center study… Continue Reading

Report – Supreme Court Errors Aren’t Hard to Find

A ProPublica review adds fuel to a longstanding worry about the nation’s highest court: The justices can botch the truth, sometimes in cases of great import. by Ryan Gabrielson. Oct. 17, 2017: “The decisions of the Supreme Court are rich with argument, history, some flashes of fine writing, and, of course, legal judgments of great… Continue Reading