Monthly archives: August, 2021

Taking Stock: A global assessment of net zero targets

Black, R., Cullen, K., Fay, B., Hale, T., Lang, J., Mahmood, S., Smith, S.M. (2021). Taking Stock: A global assessment of net zero targets, Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit and Oxford Net Zero “In this report we present what is, we believe, the first systematic analysis of significant emitters, looking at the robustness of net …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research

These Finders Are Keepers

Curbed – Archivists, librarians, and staff check back in. “It’s easy to convince yourself, after a year in virtual space, that most of the world’s knowledge is either online or can be acquired with a couple of Amazon clicks. Spend five minutes with Julie Golia — curator of history, social sciences, and government information at …

Subjects: Education, Knowledge Management, Libraries

New safety and digital wellbeing options for younger people on YouTube and YouTube Kids

YouTube Official Blog: “Today, we’re announcing additional protections for people under 18 on YouTube and YouTube Kids. Younger people use YouTube every day to discover new interests, learn about the world, and connect with the world through online video. But it’s essential that as they do, they have the options and safeguards to create the …

Subjects: Internet, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines

How Your Ad Blocker Can Track You Across the Web

Gizmodo: “…the average ad blocker leaves tiny traces of data on the websites you visit. When those traces are collected en masse, a bad actor (or tech company) could use these signals to identify your specific browser—a process literally called “fingerprinting” in the ad-targeting industry. And like a fingerprint, these signals are basically impossible to …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Commerce, Internet, Knowledge Management, Privacy

The long, long reigns of popular databases

InfoWorld: “Database popularity rises and falls over decades, not years. The databases that developers are interested in trying today may permeate the enterprises of the future. Database habits die hard. Just ask Oracle, which continues to rake in billions in database revenue despite being one of developers’ “most dreaded” databases, according to Stack Overflow’s 2021 …

Subjects: E-Records, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Virus Misinformation Spikes as Delta Cases Surge

The New York Times: “…Coronavirus misinformation has spiked online in recent weeks, misinformation experts say, as people who peddle in falsehoods have seized on the surge of cases from the Delta variant to spread new and recycled unsubstantiated narratives. Mentions of some phrases prone to vaccine misinformation in July jumped as much as five times …

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

Firefox 91 pushes privacy with stronger new cookie-clearing option

CNET: ” With the release of Firefox 91 on Tuesday, Mozilla has introduced a bigger hammer for smashing the cookies that websites, advertisers and tracking companies can use to record your online behavior. The new feature, called enhanced cookie clearing, is designed to block tracking not just from a website, but also from third parties …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Internet, Knowledge Management, Privacy

COVIDoutlook.info

“Launched in Summer 2020, COVIDoutlook.info is a volunteer-run website that provides independent data-driven analyses and forecasts about the COVID-19 crisis in the United States for policymakers and individuals. We hope our work can help people make the best decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities during this complicated time of heightened risk.” NPR: COVIDoutlook …

Subjects: Education, Health Care

Law Firm Profitability Soars, Leading to Record High for Thomson Reuters Peer Monitor Index

Thomson Reuters: “The large law firm market saw a substantial recovery in the second quarter from the economic impact of the last year. Demand for law firm services for the quarter was higher than pre-pandemic levels. In addition, rates remained high, and many overhead expenses continued to shrink. As a result, the Thomson Reuters Peer …

Subjects: Economy, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Major U.K. science funder to require grantees to make papers immediately free to all

Science: “The United Kingdom currently has one of the highest rates of open-access publication in the world, with many researchers posting their research papers on websites that make them publicly available for free. But the country’s leading funding agency today announced a new policy that will push open access even further by mandating that all …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Financial System