Harvard Dataverse: “The Historical Settlement Data Compilation for the United States (HISDAC-US) contains historical gridded settlement layers derived from property records compiled in the Zillow Transaction and Assessment Dataset (ZTRAX). HISDAC-US describes the built environment of most of the conterminous United States back to 1810 at fine temporal (5 years) and spatial (250 m) granularity… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Housing
Redfin rolls out new AI assistant tool that answers homebuyer questions
GeekWire: “Redfin wants to help answer homebuyer questions in a more efficient way with the assistance of AI. The real estate giant is rolling out a new generative AI-powered virtual assistant called “Ask Redfin” that can quickly answer questions about a particular home listing. The tool combines the latest in large language model technology with… Continue Reading
US Census Bureau purposely fudges location data in census to protect people’s privacy
Via Kottke – The U.S. Census Is Wrong on Purpose: “…Full census data is only made available 72 years after the census takes place, in accordance with the creatively-named “72 year rule.” Until then, it is only available as aggregated data with individual identifiers removed. Still, if the population of a town is small enough,… Continue Reading
The East Coast Is Sinking
The New York Times interactive [read free] – “New satellite-based research reveals how land along the coast is slumping into the ocean, compounding the danger from global sea level rise. A major culprit: overpumping of groundwater. The most vulnerable areas of Boston have been sinking up to 3.8 centimeters per decade, which adds up to… Continue Reading
These States Are Basically Begging You to Get a Heat Pump
Wired [read free]: “You need a heat pump, ASAP. Now nine states are teaming up to accelerate the adoption of this climate superhero. Nine states have signed a memorandum of understanding that says that heat pumps should make up at least 65 percent of residential heating, air conditioning, and water-heating shipments by 2030. (“Shipments” here… Continue Reading
Good AI Legal Help, Bad AI Legal Help: Establishing quality standards for response to people’s legal problem stories
Hagan, Margaret, Good AI Legal Help, Bad AI Legal Help: Establishing quality standards for response to people’s legal problem stories (November 21, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4640596 “Much has been made of generative AI models’ ability to perform legal tasks or pass legal exams, but a more important question for public policy is whether AI… Continue Reading
“We Buy Ugly Houses” Company Overhauls Policies in the Wake of ProPublica Investigation
ProPublica: “HomeVestors of America, the self-described largest home buyer in the country, is continuing to reform some of its business practices in the wake of a ProPublica investigation last year that revealed predatory tactics used by the company’s franchises toward homeowners in vulnerable situations. The company’s 1,100 “We Buy Ugly Houses” franchises will now be… Continue Reading
Businessweek Jealousy List 2023
“News flash: We are kind of awesome! In these increasingly weird, anxious, foreboding times, what we make—some of the best journalism around—matters. A lot. And we don’t thank you nearly enough for tuning in to our coverage and for letting us claim your attention. But as awesome as we are, on occasion we’re reminded that… Continue Reading
Writing Documentation for Your House
Luke Hsiao: “Have you considered writing technical documentation for your house? As a first time homeowner, there have been numerous times where I wish I had some documentation to reference for a whole slew of scenarios. As an engineer, I write documentation all the time to answer these questions and build up a knowledge base… Continue Reading
EU Fundamental Rights Report 2023
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights Report 2023 reflects on the developments and shortfalls of human rights protection in the EU in 2022. Its focus section covers the fundamental rights implications of the aggression in Ukraine for the EU and the challenges that arose. For example, the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive provided welcome access to… Continue Reading
The Fifth National Climate Assessment
“The Fifth National Climate Assessment is the US Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses. It is a congressionally mandated interagency effort that provides the scientific foundation to support informed decision-making across the United States. The more the planet warms, the greater the impacts. Without rapid and deep reductions in global greenhouse… Continue Reading
Special Flood Hazard Area and Fill Interim Report
Technical Mapping Advisory Council – FEMA: “TMAC 2023 -Special Flood Hazard Area and Fill Interim Report. “There is general agreement that changes in our Nation’s land surface and climate, due to both human and natural causes, are resulting in increased flooding and damage. The best way to combat both the current and future threat of… Continue Reading
