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Monthly Archives: August 2020

Fact Checking Is the Core of Nonfiction Writing

Emma Copley Eisenberg in Esquire: Fact Checking Is the Core of Nonfiction Writing. Why Do So Many Publishers Refuse to Do It? An interesting, surprising look at how fact-checking works. “Fact checking is a comprehensive process in which, according to the definitive book on the subject, a trained checker does the following: “Read for accuracy”;… Continue Reading

‘But I Saw It on Facebook’: Hoaxes Are Making Doctors’ Jobs Harder

The New York Times – Without the support of social platforms, our efforts to stamp out viral misinformation feel futile. “…Websites spreading health hoaxes on Facebook peaked at an estimated 460 million views on the platform in April 2020, according to the report, just as the virus was spreading around the world and overwhelming hospitals… Continue Reading

Replication: Why We Still Can’t Browse in Peace: On the Uniqueness and Reidentifiability of Web Browsing Histories

Replication: Why We Still Can’t Browse in Peace: On the Uniqueness and Reidentifiability of Web Browsing Histories. Sarah Bird, Ilana Segall, Martin Lopatka – Mozilla. This paper is included in the Proceedings of the Sixteenth Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security.August 10–11, 2020978-1-939133-16-8. “Abstract – We examine the threat to individuals’ privacy based on the… Continue Reading

Portland’s Most Famous Bookstore Will No Longer Sell Books on Amazon

Gizmodo – One of Portland’s most beloved bookworm attractions, Powell’s Books, will stop selling books on Amazon this weekend, Aug. 29, Oregon Live reports. Aug. 29 is also Independent Bookstore Day. Fitting, no? CEO Emily Powell released a statement to customers yesterday announcing the move, citing concerns over the future survival of independent bookstores. “So… Continue Reading

Mining Data on the Internet 2020

Via LLRX – Mining Data on the Internet 2020 – Data mining is a constantly evolving discipline applied in many fields including finance, law, healthcare, marketing, science and engineering, the retail industry, telecommunications, social media, and government. This guide by Marcus P. Zillman encompasses free, fee based and consultancy related sources to assist info pros,… Continue Reading

Senate Democrats’ Climate Committee Releases New Report On Climate Action

“Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Special Committee on the Climate Crisis Chair Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), and U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) released a comprehensive report on the climate… Continue Reading

Printer Jam: Serious Supply Issues Disrupt the Book Industry’s Fall Season

The New York Times – Capacity issues at the two largest printing companies are among the factors creating havoc for authors and publishers.”…The two largest printing companies in the United States, Quad and LSC Communications, have been under intense financial strain, a situation that has grown worse during the pandemic. LSC declared bankruptcy in April,… Continue Reading

New Book – How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism

Medium OneZero – Editor’s Note: “Surveillance capitalism is everywhere. But it’s not the result of some wrong turn or a rogue abuse of corporate power — it’s the system working as intended. This is the subject of Cory Doctorow’s new book, which we’re thrilled to publish in whole here on OneZero. This is how to… Continue Reading

Amazon’s creepy new health wearable analyzes your voice and your body

Washington Post – “The Halo is a $100 wrist-worn device that, among other functions, listens to your conversations so you can understand how you sound to others. And it comes with a companion app that scans your body three-dimensionally to track your progress gaining your “quarantine 15. Amazon is upfront about Halo’s invasive functions, which… Continue Reading

The State of the American Restaurant, City by City

New York City, San Francisco, Honolulu are still down over 80% from a year ago in terms of “seated diners.” Then there is the “LN-shaped” recovery in Pittsburgh. By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET – “Six months into the Pandemic, restaurants that haven’t given up yet are still in survival mode. In many places, dining outside has been… Continue Reading

Here’s how to make sure your mail-in ballot actually counts

Fast Company – “Millions of Americans, far more than ever before, will cast their ballots by mail in the November election. For many it’ll be a first. Given that, and the huge stakes of this election, there’s plenty of worry to go around over whether all those mail-in ballots will find their way to being… Continue Reading