Author archives

School Librarians Are the First and Perhaps Only Line of Defense in a School for Students’ First Amendment Rights”

Book Riot: “How South Carolina school librarians are rising to the challenge of statewide book bans and why they retain hope in these challenging times. Three U.S. states have provisions in their state law that allow for removal of books from all public schools under certain circumstances. These are South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. Tennessee …

Subjects: Censorship, Education, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

This free website is like GasBuddy for parking

Fast Company – “Save yourself time, money, and headaches by tapping into crowdsourced wisdom about parking pricing. Like ​GasBuddy​ and so many other apps, Parkopedia depends on user-submitted data, so it may not always be perfect—and it may be better in some cities than others. But Parkopedia is available all over the world and has …

Subjects: Transportation

I Shot This Stunning Long Exposure With Just My Phone

MakeUseOf – Here’s the Step-by-Step: “Long exposure photography with just a mobile phone? I was skeptical at first, too. But an inexpensive mobile tripod and some creative edits later, I am officially converted. You don’t need a fancy camera to take impressive photos. Use iPhone’s Live Photos Feature – I’m used to lugging my heavy …

Subjects: Education

How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance

Wired: “A major groundswell of nationwide protests against the second Trump administration has arrived. If you’re going to join any protests, as is your right under the First Amendment, you need to think beyond your physical well-being to your digital security, too. The same surveillance apparatus that’s enabling the Trump administration’s raids of undocumented people …

Subjects: Legal Research

Social Media Is Now a DIY Alert System for ICE Raids

Wired: “The undocumented migrant community in the United States is using social networks and other digital platforms to send alerts about raids and the presence of immigration agents around the US. The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (Chirla) estimates that in recent days, around 300 migrants have been detained in California as …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Legal Research, Social Media

US District Judge rules Trump’s deployment of California National Guard was illegal – Court of Appeals grants stay of order

Robert B. Hubbell: “In rapid succession on Thursday evening, the following occurred in California’s lawsuit challenging the legality of Trump’s federalization of the California National Guard for deployment in Los Angeles: US District Judge Bryer granted California’s motion for a temporary restraining order, finding that Trump violated the statutory conditions for federalizing the National Guard. …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Courts, Free Speech, Government Documents, Legal Research

Google Introduced a New Way to Use Search. Proceed With Caution

The New York Times: “…The arrival of AI Mode underscores how new technology is redefining what it means to search for something online. For decades, a web search involved looking up keywords, like “most reliable car brands,” to show a list of relevant websites. Now, with generative A.I., the technology that powers chatbots by using …

Subjects: AI, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines

Trump administration will civilly and criminally prosecute companies that have employed migrant workers

Semafor: “The Trump administration will civilly and criminally prosecute [some] companies that have employed migrant workers, White House border czar Tom Homan said in an interview with Semafor’s Ben Smith Wednesday, a new dimension of risk for executives. “Worksite enforcement operations are going to massively expand,” he said. “They’re coming here for a better life …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Economy, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Legal Research

The Newspaper That Hired ChatGPT

The Atlantic – Il Foglio editor Claudio Cerasa believes the chatbot should be treated like a colleague: “For more than 20 years, print media has been a bit of a punching bag for digital-technology companies. Craigslist killed the paid classifieds, free websites led people to think newspapers and magazines were committing robbery when they charged …

Subjects: AI, Internet, Marketing