Monthly archives: November, 2024

Do You Still Have a Way to Listen to CDs?

How to Geek: “When I talk to people about my CD-collecting habits, they often remark that if they bought a CD, they wouldn’t have a way to listen to it. Their car and PC don’t have disc drives, they’ve ditched their DVD player for a streaming stick, and rather than a boombox they have a …

Subjects: Internet

Undercover investigation reveals the deception of “humane”-certified farms

Vox: “An overwhelming majority of Americans say they’re concerned about the treatment of animals raised for meat, and many believe they can help by simply selecting from one of the many brands that advertise their chicken or pork as “humane.” But such marketing claims have long borne little resemblance to the ugly reality of raising …

Subjects: Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Legal Research

Hourly retail workers are now wearing police-like body cameras

CNN – “…Retail giant TJX, the parent of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, said it’s equipping some store employees with body cameras to thwart shoplifting and keep customers and employees safe. TJX finance chief John Klinger disclosed the body-camera initiative on an earnings call last month. “It’s almost like a de-escalation, where people are less …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Privacy

Social Media Fact Sheet

Pew Research – “Many Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves. Explore the patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape. Which social media platforms are most common? YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms. Half of U.S. adults say they use …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Social Media

Google Maps just got 5 big upgrades in time for the holidays

Tom’s Guide – “Today, Google announced the arrival of several new features meant to help with your holiday plans. The features cover everything from traveling on public transit to planning trips with your electric vehicle or a trailer. Most of the features are built around making travel easier and to help you get around without …

Subjects: AI, Climate Change, Internet, Search Engines, Transportation

How did Trump win the election?

New interactive tool takes deep dive into voter demographics, Northeastern Global News – Demographic Vote Prediction Tool. “The tool developed by Northeastern University Distinguished Professor David Lazer allows users to select for demographics including gender, race, income, education, age and voting preference in 2020 and 2024. Trump secured victories in the key swing states of …

Subjects: Congress, E-Records, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

United States International Trade Commission annual datasets of US import tariffs

Data is Plural: “The United States International Trade Commission maintains annual datasets of US import tariffs going back to 1997. The datasets include each impacted product’s eight-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule code, a brief description, the duty rate, rate type, effective and ending dates, and more. The commission also publishes a tariff search tool and data …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Genetic Discrimination Is Coming for Us All

The Atlantic: [unpaywalled] “Insurers are refusing to cover Americans whose DNA reveals health risks. It’s perfectly legal…Studies have shown that people seek out additional insurance when they have increased genetic odds of becoming ill or dying. “Life insurers carefully evaluate each applicant’s health, determining premiums and coverage based on life expectancy,” Jan Graeber, a senior …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Financial System, Health Care, Medicine, Privacy

100 Most Powerful People in Business

Fortune: “How do you measure power, exactly? Revenue alone doesn’t define it, nor does seniority. Who is more powerful: the CEO who oversees a $20 billion enterprise? Or the AI genius who leaves that bureaucratic behemoth to found a nimble, paradigm-shifting startup? The farsighted venture capitalist who inks a term sheet to fund said startup? …

Subjects: Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Transportation

Punctuation is dead because the iPhone keyboard killed it

“Apple sacrificed commas and periods at the altar of simplified keyboard design. Android Authority’s Rita El Khoury argues that the decline in punctuation use and capitalization in social media writing, especially among younger generations, can largely be attributed to the iPhone keyboard. “By hiding the comma and period behind a symbol switch, the iPhone keyboard …

Subjects: Education, Internet