Author archives

How to find data

How to find and vet credible data sources you can use right away – NICAR 2026 meeting – Slide Deck by Stephanie Lamm, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Greg Morton, Baltimore Banner; Sean Mussenden, University of Maryland. A new source I learned about via this presentation – WONDER online databases utilize a rich ad-hoc query system for …

Subjects: E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Search Engines

Environmental Impact of Airports – Wrestling with Data

Via quantum of sollazzo: “Steven Feldman attempted to create a map showing airports and their environmental impact. The resulting interactive map visualizes estimated emissions on a color scale and can display data by passenger numbers or population impact, with a year slider and zoom-responsive statistics. “Some smaller airports can have a bigger impact because they …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Transportation

This Company Is Secretly Turning Your Zoom Meetings into AI Podcasts

404 Media no paywall: “WebinarTV, a company that bills itself as “a search engine for the best webinars,” is secretly scanning the internet for Zoom meeting links, recording the calls, and turning them into AI-generated podcasts for profit. In some cases, people only found out that their Zoom calls were recorded once WebinarTV reached out …

Subjects: AI, E-Records, Education, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy, Search Engines

The AI Law Professor – AI make lawyers work more not less

Thomson Reuters, tom Martin – “At every legal technology conference, the same promise rings out: AI will automate the drudgery so lawyers can focus on what really matters. While it’s a seductive vision, it’s also contradicted by the best research we have on what actually happens when knowledge workers adopt these tools. Key points: The …

Subjects: AI, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Marketing

The lethal trifecta for AI agents: private data, untrusted content, and external communication

Simon Willison – “If you are a user of LLM systems that use tools (you can call them “AI agents” if you like) it is critically important that you understand the risk of combining tools with the following three characteristics. Failing to understand this can let an attacker steal your data. The lethal trifecta of …

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Internet, Knowledge Management

Cholesterol guidelines got an overhaul. Here’s what you should know.

Washington Post [no paywall] “This month, the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and nine other medical organizations released a comprehensive revision to their 2018 guidance on how to manage high cholesterol, one of the leading causes of heart disease. These new recommendations — which will affect medical care for millions of Americans by …

Subjects: Health Care, Medicine

How to Grow a Mainly Native Garden

The New York Times Gift Article – “In her book “Plant This, Not That,” Elise Howard offers more than 200 substitution ideas for invasive plants. “Plant This, Not That,” a new book by Elise Howard, who gardens in New York City and Western Massachusetts, establishes basic principles for selecting, and using, natives in gardens around …

Subjects: Education, Recommended Books

Where do Americans turn first for information about breaking news?

Pew – “When Americans look to learn more about a breaking news event, they turn to a variety of sources. This mirrors the fragmented way that people get news and information more broadly these days. When a breaking news event happens, 36% of U.S. adults say they typically turn first to their preferred news organization to …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Search Engines

New Research: Think Tank Funding Tracker Provides Insight into Cheerleading of Iran War

Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft: “Top think tanks received over $25 million from foreign governments and $7 million from Pentagon contractors in 2024, according to the newly updated Think Tank Funding Tracker released today.  Both figures, drawn from the most recently available donor rolls, are conservative estimates, as about 40% of think tanks do not …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research