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

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Google redraws the borders on maps depending on who’s looking

Washington Post – The Silicon Valley firm alters maps under political pressure and the inscrutable whims of tech executives – “Google’s corporate mission is “to organize the world’s information,” but it also bends it to its will. From Argentina to the United Kingdom to Iran, the world’s borders look different depending on where you’re viewing them from. That’s because Google — and other online mapmakers — simply change them. With some 80 percent market share in mobile maps and over a billion users, Google Maps has an outsize impact on people’s perception of the world — from driving directions to restaurant reviews to naming attractions to adjudicating historical border wars…”

Find the WiFi Password For Almost Any Airport Lounge Using This Free Map

LifeHacker: “Fortunately, we’re at a point where most of the airports in the United States offer free WiFi in some form. Yes, sometimes you have to watch an ad to get there, but it’s there. That said, sometimes you end up an airport that doesn’t have WiFi, or one that has free WiFi that’s restricted… Continue Reading

Bowdoin LibGuide Congressional Documents on Impeachment

Barbara Levergood. Data Services Librarian, Bowdoin College is the author of a comprehensive, detailed and timely LibGuide resource – Congressional Documents: Impeachment – A selection of materials about and documenting the major events in the impeachment (House) and trial (Senate) of a U.S. President.  She calls out this specific reference – The oath before the… Continue Reading

The thing women struggle with most at work isn’t sexism, it’s ageism

Quartz: “…per a survey conducted by The Riveter, a gender-equal coworking space now in seven cities across the US. According to the whitepaper published today, the organization, along with partners Xerox and YouGov, surveyed 1,550 women “across racial groups, professions and caregiving roles,” and followed up with about 100 interviews. One key statistic: 58% of… Continue Reading

Website privacy options aren’t much of a choice since they’re hard to find and use

The Conversation: “You’ve probably encountered a pair of shoes that won’t stop following you around the internet, appearing in advertisements on different sites for weeks. Today, the vast majority of advertising is targeted – that is, you see an ad because an advertiser thinks that you, specifically, might be interested in what they have to… Continue Reading

Why did librarians remove Dewey’s name from one of their most prestigious awards?

Slate – “…In June, the American Library Association stripped a familiar name from one of its top leadership honors: the Melvil Dewey Medal. As you may recall from grade school, Dewey was the man behind the Dewey Decimal Classification system, the schema of numbers and subject areas used at libraries around the world to categorize… Continue Reading

Smithsonian – The Wild Orchid Mystery

Includes orchid collection photos and a podcast: “You probably know orchids as the big, colorful flowers found in grocery stores and given as housewarming gifts. But those tropical beauties represent only a fraction of the estimated 25,000 orchid species worldwide. While their showy relatives fly off the shelves, North America’s more understated native orchids are… Continue Reading

Reclaim Your Privacy with These Privacy-Focused Alternatives to Google’s Services

make tech easier – “We put up with Google because the apps are awesome. But there are downsides to living in the panopticon. If you’d prefer not to have a corporation and all its buddies breathing down your neck, consider these privacy-focused alternatives to Google’s services [the include: Gmail, Google Maps, Google Docs, Google Calendar,… Continue Reading