Day archives: December 30th, 2020

Does working from home make employees more productive?

The Economist [paywall] – “Yes, according to new research, and they should be paid accordingly. Remote working, relatively uncommon before the pandemic, has gone mainstream. Before covid-19 roughly 5% of Americans worked from home. By May the figure had risen to 62%. By October 40% were still shunning the office. Both employers and employees have …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Knowledge Management

14 Million Doses Shipped, 2.6 Million Injected: The Lag in U.S. Vaccines

The New York Times –  “The distribution of vaccines in the United States has gotten off to a slower-than-expected start, federal health officials acknowledged in a news conference on Wednesday, though they also voiced confidence that the pace would accelerate in the coming weeks. As of Wednesday, more than 14 million doses of the Pfizer …

Subjects: Government Documents, Health Care

The Most Dangerous People on the Internet in 2020

Wired: “For many of us, 2020 has been a very dangerous year. Alongside the usual headline grabbers like wars, violent crime, and terrorism, we also faced more insidious, creeping threats: a pandemic that has claimed more than 300,000 American lives, and the lives of 1.5 million people worldwide, thanks in part to waves of viral …

Subjects: Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Social Media

US Government Policy and Supporting Positions (Plum Book), 2020

United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions (Plum Book), 2020: “Every four years, just after the Presidential election, the United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions, commonly known as the Plum Book, is published, alternately, by the Senate and the House. The Plum Book is used to identify presidentially appointed positions within the Federal Government.” …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents

Here are the top tech trends of 2021, according to 30+ top experts

Fast Company – “During the year ahead, technology will help us emerge from the pandemic in ways big and small, obvious and surprising. As we come to the end of a crazy 2020, many of us are suffering from COVID-19 exhaustion. But as two vaccines begin their rollouts, we’ve also begun to visualize what post-pandemic …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management

The U.S. Internet Is Being Starved of Its Potential

EFF: “Over a year ago, EFF raised the desperate need for the United States to have a universal fiber infrastructure plan in order to ensure that all Americans can obtain access to 21st century communications technology. Since then, we’ve produced technical research showing why fiber is vastly superior to all the alternative last mile broadband …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

COVID-19: Potential Implications for International Security Environment—Overview of Issues and Further Reading for Congress

CRS report via LC. COVID-19: Potential Implications for International Security Environment—Overview of Issues and Further Reading for Congress, Updated December 30, 2020: “Some observers argue the COVID-19 pandemic could be a world-changing event with potentially profound and long-lasting implications for the international security environment and the U.S. role in the world. Other observers are more …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Cybersecurity, Defense, Economy, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation