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Monthly Archives: July 2022

After 50 years pioneering satellite imagery, NASA’s Landsat is ready for 50 more

TechCrunch: “NASA’s Landsat satellites have consistently made history in Earth observation since the project’s first launch in 1972, with this year marking 50 years of innovation and science. Its influence may surprise you, as will its continued relevance in the face of a fast-growing commercial imaging satellite sector. Landsat may be a familiar name to… Continue Reading

A centuries-old horse tooth holds clues to the mystery of the Chincoteague ponies

Popular Science: “The 1947 children’s novel Misty of Chincoteague opens with a dramatic account of a small herd of horses escaping from the wreck of a colonial-era Spanish galleon. According to local folk stories, these same hardy animals thrived on the islands of Chincoteague and Assateague, which lie off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia. … Continue Reading

Artificial Intelligence Accountability of Public Administration

Bignami, Francesca, Artificial Intelligence Accountability of Public Administration (June 1, 2022). The American Journal of Comparative Law, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcl/avac012, GWU Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2022-37, GWU Law School Public Law Research Paper No. 2022-37, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4166881 “This article canvasses the use and regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) in US administrative agencies. It is… Continue Reading

Critical Thinking: An Essential Skill for Law Students, Lawyers, Law Professors, and Judges

Fruehwald, Edwin S., Critical Thinking: An Essential Skill for Law Students, Lawyers, Law Professors, and Judges (July 16, 2022). Kindle Direct Publishing 2022, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4164754 “Critical thinking is essential for law students, lawyers, law professors, and judges. Yet law schools have never systematically taught critical thinking to their students. The main purpose of… Continue Reading

NOAA tool now brings disaster risk, vulnerability down to community level

NOAA – “A comprehensive update to NOAA’s Billion Dollar Disasters mapping tool now includes U.S. census tract data – providing many users with local community-level awareness of hazard risk, exposure and vulnerability across more than 100 combinations of weather and climate hazards. The enhanced interactive maps from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) cover… Continue Reading

New LibGuide tracks response to the Roe v. Wade Dobbs v. Jackson decision

“I’ve created a new LibGuide to compile federal statements/actions to track the response to the Roe v. Wade/Dobbs v. Jackson decision. I’m being a bit more selective with this guide than some earlier guides, but please feel free to suggest resources I may have omitted or missed.” [Kelly L. Smith, Government Information Librarian, Librarian for… Continue Reading

Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing

The New York Times – “…The universal symbol for recycling, known as the “chasing arrows” logo, is stamped on so many things. But that doesn’t mean they’re recyclable. Manufacturers can print the logo on just about any product. That’s because its main purpose isn’t to say whether it’s recyclable, but to identify the type of… Continue Reading

A major publishing lawsuit would cement surveillance into the future of libraries

Fast Company – The suit would erode the public’s last great venue for information free from corporate or government surveillance: “…Today, libraries generally are blocked from purchasing and owning digital books—and readers are in a similar boat. Instead, publishers offer only high-cost licenses for which libraries rely on emergency funds and may only be able… Continue Reading

You Can’t Stop Pirate Libraries

Reason – “Where there’s demand for books, the internet will supply them. Shadow libraries exist in the space where intellectual property rights collide with the free-flowing exchange of knowledge and ideas. In some cases, these repositories of pirated books and journal articles serve as a blow against censorship, allowing those under repressive regimes to access… Continue Reading

Committee Reveals Major Gun Companies Collected More than $1 Billion in Revenue from Military-Style Assault Weapons

New Documents Also Reveal Gun Companies’ Dangerous Marketing Tactics to Sell AR-15s and Failure to Monitor Use of Their Guns to Kill Americans Washington, D.C. (July 27, 2022)— “Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, released new findings from the Committee’s investigation into five major gun manufacturers’ sales and… Continue Reading