Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Category Archives: Education

Why Vermont State’s digital library idea is so controversial

Higher Ed Dive: “…Vermont State University — a new institution to be formed from three existing Vermont public colleges — has announced that it will be transforming its libraries to be “all-digital. Alhough the physical spaces will continue to serve students, administrators said print materials will no longer be procured for students who do not… Continue Reading

Design notes on the 2023 Wikipedia redesign

“Hey, I’m Alex Hollender. For the past few years I led the redesign of the Wikipedia desktop interface, which launched this past January. Below are some notes on the project and process….Wikipedia — a major, legacy website (top 10 ranked, for 10+ years) — had an interface that hadn’t been changed for 15 years. And… Continue Reading

Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce

Environmental Working Group – EWG’s 2023 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™: Nearly 75 percent of non-organic fresh produce sold in the U.S. contains residues of potentially harmful pesticides, EWG’s 2023 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ finds. In this year’s guide, blueberries and green beans join our Dirty Dozen™ list of the 12 fruits… Continue Reading

LinkedIn is adding AI tools for generating profile copy and job descriptions

The Verge: “LinkedIn is expanding its suite of artificial intelligence features, this time adding tools that will generate content for user profiles and job descriptions. One tool announced today will scan user profiles for skills and experiences and spit out suggested copy or summaries to add to other profile sections. The company says it still… Continue Reading

Cambridge Law Eminent Scholars Archive

“Lesley Dingle & Daniel Bates – The Eminent Scholars Archive is an expanding archive developed by Lesley Dingle and Daniel Bates in which we document the careers and achievements of eminent scholars associated with the Faculty of Law at the University of Cambridge. The archive includes biographies, bibliographies, photographs, recorded interviews and many other resources.… Continue Reading

The Atlantic: “The Librarians Are Not Okay”

The Librarians Are Not Okay – “…The graduate degree for librarians is not, typically, a master of arts, but a master of science—in library and information sciences. Librarians may adore books, but they are trained in the technical and data-driven work of running libraries. Unlike a privately owned bookstore, where the stock might reflect the… Continue Reading

ChatGPT and Fake Citations

Duke University Libraries: “…ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence Chatbot developed by OpenAI and launched for public use in November 2022. While other AI chatbots are also in development by tech giants such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft, OpenAI’s early rollout has eclipsed the others for now – with the site reaching more than 100 million… Continue Reading

Freedom in the World 2023

Freedom House – Marking 50 Years in the Struggle for Democracy – Key Findings Global freedom declined for the 17th consecutive year.  Moscow’s war of aggression led to devastating human rights atrocities in Ukraine. New coups and other attempts to undermine representative government destabilized Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Peru, and Brazil. Previous years’ coups and ongoing… Continue Reading

Google’s Plan to Catch ChatGPT Is to Stuff AI Into Everything

Bloomberg: “A new internal directive requires “generative artificial intelligence” to be incorporated into all of its biggest products within months. Artificial intelligence was supposed to be Google’s thing. The company has cultivated a reputation for making long-term bets on all kinds of far-off technologies, and much of the research underpinning the current wave of AI-powered… Continue Reading

On social media platforms, more sharing means less caring about accuracy

MIT News: “..As a social media user, you can be eager to share content. You can also try to judge whether it is true or not. But for many people it is difficult to prioritize both these things at once. That’s the conclusion of a new experiment led by MIT scholars, which finds that even… Continue Reading