Monthly archives: November, 2021

The First Amendment Does Not Protect Replicants

Lessig, Lawrence, The First Amendment Does Not Protect Replicants (September 10, 2021). Social Media and Democracy (Lee Bollinger & Geoffrey Stone, eds., Oxford 2022), Forthcoming, Harvard Public Law Working Paper No. 21-34, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3922565 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3922565 “As the semantic capability of computer systems increases, the law should resolve clearly whether the First Amendment …

Subjects: AI, Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research, Social Media

Oxford Scientists Find Gene That Doubles Risk of Dying From Covid-19

Bloomberg: “Scientists identified a specific gene that doubles the risk of respiratory failure from Covid-19 and may go some way to explaining why some ethnic groups are more susceptible to severe disease than others. Researchers from the University of Oxford found that a higher-risk version of the gene most likely prevents the cells lining airways …

Subjects: Financial System, Health Care

Raw Photos Of Landfills Show The Extreme Amount Of Waste Humans Produce

BuzzFeed News: “Thousands of diplomats and activists are currently convening in Glasgow to discuss the worsening climate crisis at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26). Sustainability, pollution, and mitigation will be covered, and with that, this felt like a good time to look at all the things that go to waste. 1,825 pounds …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Health Care

10 Breakthrough Technologies 2021

MIT Technology Review: “This list marks 20 years since we began compiling an annual selection of the year’s most important technologies. Some, such as mRNA vaccines, are already changing our lives, while others are still a few years off. Below, you’ll find a brief description along with a link to a feature article that probes …

Subjects: AI, Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Health Care, Social Media

US Department of Labor issues emergency temporary standard to protect workers from coronavirus

OSHA Increases protections for 84M private sector workers and White House Fact Sheet – “The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced a new emergency temporary standard to protect more than 84 million workers from the spread of the coronavirus on the job. The nation’s unvaccinated workers face grave danger from …

Subjects: Economy, Government Documents, Health Care

The car becomes the weapon

Boston Globe (paywall) – Demonstrators around the country have been injured and killed by vehicle rammings, but there’s been precious little justice. And new laws could make accountability even scarcer…Given the choice between defending the safety of pedestrians protesting a police murder and the drivers of the vehicles running them down, prosecutors and lawmakers here …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Education, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Federal Firearms Laws

CRS Report – Federal Firearms Law: Selected Developments in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches. November 3, 2021 [42 pages]: “Firearm regulation in the United States is an area of shared authority between the federal, state,and local governments. At the federal level, firearm commerce, possession, and transfers are governed largely by two statutory regimes: the …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Can you trust Dr. Google?

Fast Company – “Data scientists say search engines are giving bad health advice Using search engines to ask high-stakes questions about your health can be problematic, according to new research. The digital world is constantly evolving—Facebook is Meta now!—yet internet search remains a magic box where we type questions and answers just appear on the …

Subjects: AI, Education, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Search Engines, Social Media

GAO How the Pandemic is Changing the IRS

GAO Watchdog Blog: “At the onset of the pandemic, IRS had to temporarily shut down its onsite operations, including its mail processing facilities. The impact could be felt by taxpayers, who waited longer for returns to be processed or to receive COVID-related economic relief checks. But the pandemic also disrupted IRS’s tax enforcement programs used …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research