Author archives

LLRX March 2022 Issue

Articles and Columns for March 2022 Libraries and the Contested Terrain of “Neutrality” – Rick Anderson is University Librarian at Brigham Young University. His commentary addresses timely, thoughtful and critical conversations and knowledge sharing around the issues of censorship, book banning, library ethics and professional responsibility across communities. Truth to Power – Robert McKay discusses his …

Subjects: Censorship, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Education, Financial System, Free Speech, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries, Privacy, Social Media

Billions of people still breathe unhealthy air: new WHO data

“Over 6000 cities now monitor air quality – Almost the entire global population (99%) breathes air that exceeds WHO air quality limits, and threatens their health.  A record number of over 6000 cities in 117 countries are now monitoring air quality, but the people living in them are still breathing unhealthy levels of fine particulate …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Health Care

The Internet Is Not What You Think It Is: A History, A Philosophy, A Warning

Los Angeles Review of Books: “The Internet has lost its way and taken society with it. Since the mid-2010s, we hear warnings of “dis/misinformation.” We hear about the loss of trust in our institutions and the need to reinvent them for the internet age. In short, we are living in a “crisis moment” — one …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Recommended Books, Social Media

The Science of Nuclear Weapons, Visualized

Visual Capitalist “an online publisher that creates data visualizations, has created an infographic depicting the scientific process of nuclear weapons. The infographic shows the process of nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and the height and radius of atomic and hydrogen bombs used in the past. One section of the infographic displays the scale of atomic bombs …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Knowledge Management

The Abortion Underground

The Atlantic – A covert network of activists is preparing for a post-Roe future. “…For many Americans, Roe already feels meaningless. Nearly 90 percent of U.S. counties lack a clinic that offers abortions. States have passed more than 1,300 restrictions on abortion since it was made a constitutional right; for people struggling to get by, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Courts, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research

5 Reasons Why Google Drive Is a Security Risk

MakeUseOf: “Google Drive is an incredibly useful cloud storage solution that offers numerous features and benefits. With Google Drive, sharing documents and working remotely as a team has never been easier. As part of the Google Suite, Google Drive offers seamless integration with other Google services. However, there are some security risks associated with using …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Internet, Privacy

Google is using AI to better detect searches from people in crisis

The Verge: “In a personal crisis, many people turn to an impersonal source of support: Google. Every day, the company fields searches on topics like suicide, sexual assault, and domestic abuse. But Google wants to do more to direct people to the information they need, and says new AI techniques that better parse the complexities …

Subjects: Health Care, Knowledge Management, Search Engines

Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, April 2, 2022

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, April 2, 2022 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, E-Records, Education, Health Care, Legal Research, Privacy

Climate change increases risk of extreme rainfall following wildfire in the western United States

Climate change increases risk of extreme rainfall following wildfire in the western United States – Science Advances • 1 Apr 2022 • Vol 8, Issue 13 • DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm0320 “Post-wildfire extreme rainfall events can have destructive impacts in the western United States. Using two climate model large ensembles, we assess the future risk of extreme …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law

Ukraine: Apparent War Crimes in Russia-Controlled Areas

Human Rights Watch – Summary Executions, Other Grave Abuses by Russian Forces The New York Times – “As Russian forces retreated from around Kyiv, the devastating toll of the war became clearer. Western leaders redoubled calls for war crimes investigations, declaring the images of dead civilians “abhorrent…” BBC News – Killings in Bucha are deliberate …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Government Documents, Legal Research

Human Rights and Disinformation Under the Trump Administration: The Commission on Unalienable Rights

Blitt, Robert C., Human Rights and Disinformation Under the Trump Administration: The Commission on Unalienable Rights (2021). St. Louis University Law Journal, Vol. 66, 2021, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4046025  – “The former administration of Donald J. Trump shattered norms governing the responsibility to relay accurate, truthful information to the public. Whether regarding trivialities or vital …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Education, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research