Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery With Daily Postings Since 2002
The New York Groove: “Without the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, we might not have as many trees in the city. The era of economic turmoil in the city doesn’t usually bring to mind greenery: it’s associated with stock images of burnt-out buildings in the Bronx, crumbling squats on the Lower East Side and an …
“Trump has proposed a massive $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027, significantly increasing military spending compared to previous years [44-percent increase from the 2026 enacted level.] The plan includes pay raises for troops, funding for a missile defense system known as the “Golden Dome,” and replenishment of critical munitions amid ongoing conflict. At …
“A year ago, SFGATE launched a national parks bureau — a big bet on America’s best idea. We hired journalists across the American West to report in and around parks in California, the Pacific Northwest, Big Sky Country and the Southwest. We asked them to report on the things that make people fall in love …
“Electricity prices rose faster than overall inflation last year. Yet at the local level, it’s been difficult to know why. Is it data centers? Renewables? Aging infrastructure? Or something else more mysterious? Everyone in the political system — including senior Trump officials — wants to blame their favorite energy bugbear. But if we actually want …
Science Daily: “Scientists have created a microscopic QR code so tiny it can only be seen with an electron microscope—smaller than most bacteria and now officially a world record. But this isn’t just about size; it’s about durability. By engraving data into ultra-stable ceramic materials, the team has opened the door to storing information that …
TechCrunch: “Flash floods are among the deadliest weather events in the world, killing more than 5,000 people each year. They’re also among the most difficult to predict. But Google thinks it has cracked that problem in an unlikely way — by reading the news. While humans have assembled a lot of weather data, flash floods …
More Than Just Parks – “Late Tuesday afternoon [March 31, 2026], with the subtlety of a wrecking ball and the morality of a foreclosure notice, the Trump administration announced the most devastating attack on the U.S. Forest Service in the agency’s 121-year history. Not a budget cut. Not a policy shift. Not a “reorganization.” An execution. …
Heatwave risk, down to your block: the new tool making it visible – “Cities around the world are increasingly exposed to extreme heat, which poses serious risks to public health, infrastructure and livability. However, many cities struggle to plan and implement effective cooling interventions due to limited access to relevant, localized data and a lack …
Washington Post [no paywall]: “A committee led by the interior secretary known as the “God Squad” voted Tuesday to exempt oil and gas companies from complying with the Endangered Species Act when drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, a move expected to threaten Rice’s whale and other species with extinction. Meeting for the first time …
The Guardian – “The US has caused an eye-watering $10tn in global damages to the world over the past three decades through its vast planet-heating emissions, with a quarter of this economic pain inflicted upon itself, new research has found. By being the largest carbon emitter in history, the US has caused greater harm to …
Map showing light pollution across the world – www.lightpollutionmap.info is a mapping application that displays light pollution related content. The primary use was to show VIIRS/DMSP data in a friendly manner, but over the many years it received also some other interesting light pollution related content like SQM/SQC measurements, Sky brightness, almost realtime clouds, aurora prediction …
AP: “…Even if a device can’t be refurbished, manufacturers are still a good first place to check, experts say. “The manufacturers are where we want this stuff to end up because they know their products, they know best and most efficiently how to recycle them,” Neitzel said. Retailers such as Best Buy and Staples accept …
