EFF: “If 2019 confirmed anything, it is that we should not trust the microphones and cameras that large corporations sell us to put inside and near our homes. Thanks to the due diligence of reporters, public records requesters, and privacy researchers and activists, consumers have been learning more and more about how these “smart” home… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: December 2019
Why Americans Should Worry About the New EU Copyright Rules
Berkman Klein Center – Julia Reda – “Last spring, 200,000 Europeans took to the streets to protest against a new EU copyright law that risks to restrict online culture and block vast numbers of legal online communications such as memes, reaction gifs, video game reviews or remixes. It is the latest clash between a generation… Continue Reading
Why Your Brain Needs Exercise
Scientific American – The evolutionary history of humans explains why physical activity is important for brain health…Clinical trials will tell us much more about the efficacy of cognitively engaged exercise—what kinds of mental and physical activities are most impactful, for example, and the optimal intensity and duration of exercise for augmenting cognition. But in light… Continue Reading
Colleges are turning students’ phones into surveillance machines
Washington Post – “When Syracuse University freshmen walk into professor Jeff Rubin’s Introduction to Information Technologies class, seven small Bluetooth beacons hidden around the Grant Auditorium lecture hall connect with an app on their smartphones and boost their “attendance points.” And when they skip class? The SpotterEDU app sees that, too, logging their absence into… Continue Reading
All of 2019’s Audio Drama/Fiction Podcast Debut Releases
Cambridge Geek: “Right, here’s the big list of every new Audio Drama/Fiction/RPG show I found that debuted in 2019, sorted by genre. I think it contains 660 shows. It’s probably a fair chunk of data, so I’ve taken the embedded episodes out – you’ll have to look at a show itself to have a listen.… Continue Reading
Ten Stories That Shaped 2019
LISNews – Ten Stories That Shaped 2019: “As we limp headfirst into a new decade, it’s beginning to feel like many of these stories have become perennial entries. 2019 saw yet more drag queen story hour protests, vendor buyouts, the persistence of fake news, scandals, and lawsuits aplenty, along with the usual spate of book… Continue Reading
The privacy worries with smart cities
Axios – Momentum for smart cities projects, which has been fed by big promises from industry and big hopes in government, is slowing down in the face of a wave of public skepticism. Driving the news: Alphabet-owned Sidewalk Labs, which has proposed a futuristic smart-city development for Toronto’s waterfront, has pledged not to sell personal… Continue Reading
Trump Policy ‘Clarification’ All but Ends Punishment for Bird Deaths
The New York Times: “A new interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 2017 means that as of now, companies are no longer subject to prosecution or fines even after a disaster like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 that destroyed or injured about one million birds and for which BP paid $100… Continue Reading
How to set up your new computer
PC World – “Set up antivirus, clear out bloatware, and perform other tasks to keep your PC humming well into the future…a new PC isn’t like a new car; you can’t just turn a key and put the pedal to the metal. Okay, maybe you can—but you shouldn’t. Performing just a few simple activities when… Continue Reading
The best free software for your PC
PC World – “Start off right with solid security tools, productivity software, and other programs that every PC needs…” Continue Reading
NOAA – Get your snowstorm smarts on
8 forecast tools to use this winter – “We’ve got 8 winter weather forecast tools you can tinker with on your mobile device or computer. Use them regularly to see where, when and how much snow, ice and wind is predicted…” Continue Reading
10 New Books You Should Be Picking Up First in 2020
WSJ.com – “The most intriguing books coming this winter, from a critique of minimalism to explorations of a provocative painter and a famed Belle Époque doctor, as well as debuts from Nicole Flattery and Jessi Jezewska Stevens…” Continue Reading
