Day archives: October 3rd, 2024

License Plate Readers Are Creating a US-Wide Database of More Than Just Cars

Wired [unpaywalled]: “…License-plate-recognition systems, broadly, work by first capturing an image of a vehicle; then they use optical character recognition (OCR) technology to identify and extract the text from the vehicle’s license plate within the captured image. Motorola-owned DRN sells multiple license-plate-recognition cameras: a fixed camera that can be placed near roads, identify a vehicle’s …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, E-Records, Privacy, Search Engines, Transportation

Financial Institutions Net Zero Tracker

World Resources Institute: “Banks have made headlines in recent years for committing to reach “net-zero emissions” by 2050 and pledging to mobilize trillions of dollars in the fight against climate change. Indeed, banks will play an important role in halting global warming: Companies rely on them to help finance the zero- and low-carbon technologies and …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System

The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI

NBER – The Rapid Adoption of Generative AI. Alexander Bick. Adam Blandin & David J. Deming. Working Paper 32966. DOI 10.3386/w32966. Issue Date September 2024. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a potentially important new technology, but its impact on the economy depends on the speed and intensity of adoption. This paper reports results from the …

Subjects: AI, Economy, Education, Financial System, Knowledge Management

Plastic is embedded into every aspect of modern life

Beat Pollution – Plastic is embedded into every aspect of modern life, from what we wear, how we travel and what we eat. But where exactly is all this plastic coming from? Since the 1950s, 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced, of which 7 billion tonnes have become waste, filling up landfills and …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Food and Nutrition, Health Care, Housing

What are the current swing states, and how have they changed over time?

USA Facts: “Swing states, also known as battleground states, are states that could “swing” to either Democratic or Republican candidates depending on the election. Because of their potential to be won by either candidate, political parties often spend a disproportionate amount of time and campaign resources on winning these states. While there is no universal …

Subjects: Copyright, Government Documents

IRS free tax filing will be available in 24 states for the 2025 season — here’s who can use it

CNBC: “Next year, more than 30 million Americans in 24 states will be eligible for Direct File, the IRS’ free tax filing program, the agency and U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday. The Direct File pilot was open to limited taxpayers in 12 states for the 2024 filing season, including Arizona, California, Florida, …

Subjects: E-Government, E-Records, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

The Journalist Who Cried Treason

The Atlantic unpaywalled: “Craig Unger’s career was nearly destroyed when he investigated a possible election conspiracy. Three decades later, he says he’s got the goods. The obsession that would overtake Craig Unger’s life, get him labeled a member of the “tinfoil-hat brigade,” and nearly destroy his career as an investigative reporter took root on an …

Subjects: Government Documents, Legal Research