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Daily Archives: February 17, 2020

This map shows which companies have lasted hundreds (and even thousands) of years

Fast Company – “At a time when the average company on the S&P 500 only survives for two decades, it’s surprising to see that there are companies that have existed for centuries around the world. The oldest company still operating today is in Japan. It’s a construction firm called Kongo Gumi that dates to 578 and has specialized in building temples for 14 centuries. Today, though the company has been bought by a construction conglomerate, temples still account for 80% of its business. This is one fascinating insight from a series of maps published by the British publication Business Financing, which lays out the oldest companies still in existence in each country. The organization conducted its own research and did not work with any professional historians or academic institutions, so take their findings with a grain of salt. But in the broadest sense, they offer a glimpse into the industries that helped shape each country’s economy. In many cases, they also reveal the darker aspects of history, as nations accrued wealth through slavery and colonialism…”

Wikipedia Is the Last Best Place on the Internet

Wired: “…Today, Wikipedia is the eighth-most-visited site in the world. The English-language version recently surpassed 6 million articles and 3.5 billion words; edits materialize at a rate of 1.8 per second. But perhaps more remarkable than Wikipedia’s success is how little its reputation has changed. It was criticized as it rose, and now makes its… Continue Reading

Open access journals get a boost from librarian much to Elsevier’s dismay

ars technica: “A quiet revolution is sweeping the $20 billion academic publishing market and its main operator Elsevier, partly driven by an unlikely group of rebels: cash-strapped librarians. When Florida State University cancelled its “big deal” contract for all Elsevier’s 2,500 journals last March to save money, the publisher warned it would backfire and cost… Continue Reading

Visualizing Climate Change Data in Real-Time

Center for Data Innovation – “Bloomberg has created a climate data dashboard that features a series of data visualizations that update in real-time. The dashboard includes visualizations that show that arctic sea ice is melting faster than scientists’ projections and that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere continues to increase rapidly. The visualizations… Continue Reading

ABA House approves measures at Midyear Meeting to expand access to justice, voting rights

ABA news release: “The American Bar Association House of Delegates approved a resolution today that would encourage states and other jurisdictions to consider innovative approaches to expanding access to justice with the goal of improving affordability and quality of civil legal services. By voice vote, the 596-member House, which is the association’s policy-making body, overwhelmingly… Continue Reading

Did the Early Internet Activists Blow It?

Slate – I’ve fought for a free internet for 30 years. Here’s where I think we went wrong, and right. By Mike Godwin – “…I’ve come to believe our society should take reasonable steps to limit intentionally harmful speech, but I also find myself increasingly embracing a broader, more instrumentalist vision of freedom of speech than… Continue Reading