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Daily Archives: November 16, 2021

The Worst of Both Worlds: Zooming From the Office

The New York Times: “Work life for many is in a mushy middle ground, and what’s at stake isn’t just who is getting talked over in meetings. It’s whether flexibility is sustainable, even with all the benefits it confers…A closer look at the New York work force, from a November survey of 188 major employers, showed that 8 percent of Manhattan office workers are back in the office full time, 54 percent are fully remote and everyone else — nearly 40 percent — is hybrid. Few are finding it a smooth transition period. Some companies used their tentative R.T.O. dates as an unwitting excuse to avoid questions about how to balance the needs of their remote and in-person employees, according to Edward Sullivan, an executive coach. That has resulted in a mushy middle ground: video calls where remote workers have trouble hearing, a sense that people at home are missing out on perks (teammates), while those in the office are, too (pajamas). And the stakes aren’t just who is getting talked over in meetings. It’s whether flexibility is sustainable, even with all the benefits it confers. “We’re going to see a lot of companies get this wrong,” said Chris Herd, an entrepreneur and expert on hybrid work…Last summer, LinkedIn told its 16,000 employees worldwide that its return-to-office plan announced in October 2020 had been scrapped, and that individual departments would decide where their people could work, becoming one of more than 60 major companies that have promised some permanent form of flexibility…”

Global Occupancy Insights 2021

“Corporate real estate decision-makers are planning for the hybrid workplace of the future, but there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. To find the right path forward, planners need benchmark data to compare their portfolios and strategies with how peers are using office space now and how they’re preparing for tomorrow. We surveyed some major occupiers to develop… Continue Reading

Public Libraries Are Under Attack. Here’s How You Can Help

Harpers Bazaar – “Former librarian Angie Manfredi on the freedom to read and what you can do to support your local libraries from encroaching censorship…Nationwide, public and school librarians, along with teachers, have been under constant siege from this tide of complaints and objections, often from people who have never read the books they are… Continue Reading

Best services for selling your old gear

PCWorld: “Replacing an old device is straightforward—you just pick out a new one and hand over some cash. Getting money for your moderately older or unused tech can be that easy, too. Instead of using online marketplaces to sell your tech, you can turn to a buyback service instead. They provide a quote based on… Continue Reading

The Census Mapper

“The Census Mapper project, produced by Big Local News and Pitch Interactive Inc, in collaboration with the Associated Press and with support from Google News Initiative & John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships, is an interactive, embeddable map that helps readers visualize census data. The Census Mapper has national, state, and county level data (including census… Continue Reading

How to duck spam and data breaches with throwaway numbers, email addresses and credit cards

Washington Post – “At the Help Desk, we’ve recommended “burners” — or prepaid phones not tied to your name — as a last-ditch option for the privacy conscious. But you can also spin up virtual burner email addresses, phone numbers and credit card numbers online to stop companies from collecting and sharing your real information.… Continue Reading

New nationwide ebike battery recycling program

Fast Company: “…E-bike battery recycling programs are common in Europe, where e-bike use has been more popular, but in the U.S., the infrastructure is lacking. In 2022, though, that will change, with the launch of an industry-wide electric bicycle battery recycling program, a joint effort from PeopleForBikes, a bicycle trade association and advocacy organization, and… Continue Reading

Fear and shame are making it harder to fight ransomware and accidental data loss

Tech Republic: “A study of knowledge workers in 10 countries found that workplace cultures of blame and fear are causing businesses to lose critical, sensitive data that could have otherwise been saved if employees were comfortable enough to come forward Enterprise data protection company Veritas Technologies published the study, which focused on “the damage that… Continue Reading

Powering the Digital Economy: Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence in Finance

IMF Departmental Paper No 2021/024 October 22, 2021 – “This paper discusses the impact of the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the financial sector. It highlights the benefits these technologies bring in terms of financial deepening and efficiency, while raising concerns about its potential in widening the digital divide between… Continue Reading