The Coup We Are Not Talking About

The New York Times – We can have democracy, or we can have a surveillance society, but we cannot have both. Dr. Shoshana Zuboff, a professor emeritus at Harvard Business School, is the author of “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism.” “I have spent exactly 42 years studying the rise of the digital as an economic …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Defense, E-Commerce, E-Records, Economy, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Privacy

Power Outages in Texas

CRS Insight – Power Outages in Texas, February 17, 2021: “Texas’s power outages, many experts argue, are largely a result of policies for electricity independence that the state has pursued for decades. Texas operates its own independent electrical grid, run by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) that serves most of the state. Texas …

Subjects: Congress, Energy, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Now Available on Congress.gov – US Statutes at Large from 1973-1994

In Custodia Legis – “As announced at the Congress.gov Virtual Public Forum, we are excited to bring you more full-text access to legislation in the form of the United States Statutes at Large. Twenty years of law texts, dating from 1973-1994, are now easy to access from Congress.gov. Law texts can be accessed from lists …

Subjects: Congress, Education, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Abortion: Judicial History and Legislative Response

CRS Report – Abortion: Judicial History and Legislative Response, Updated February 8, 2021: “In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded in Roe v. Wade that the U.S. Constitution protects a woman’s decision to terminate her pregnancy. In a companion decision, Doe v. Bolton, the Court found that a state may not unduly burden the exercise …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Legislation

How are bitcoin created?

The Hustle – “An illustrated guide to bitcoin mining, blockchains, and the “minting” process of cryptocurrency’s most popular coin. Bitcoin has had a banner start to the year. Less than 2 months after breaking the $20k barrier for the first time, the digital currency more than doubled in price, hitting a high of $49,344 this …

Subjects: Economy, Energy, Financial System

Can Computer Algorithms Learn to Fight Wars Ethically?

Washington Post Magazine: “Maybe the autonomous weapons being developed by the Pentagon will be better than humans at making moral decisions. Or maybe they’ll be a nightmare come to life…The scale of the exercises at West Point, in which roughly 100 students have participated so far, is small, but the dilemmas they present are emblematic …

Subjects: Defense, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

The coronavirus is here to stay – here’s what that means

Nature – “For much of the past year, life in Western Australia has been coronavirus-free. Friends gathered in pubs; people kissed and hugged their relatives; children went to school without temperature checks or wearing masks. The state maintained this enviable position only by placing heavy restrictions on travel and imposing lockdowns — some regions entered …

Subjects: Economy, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Medicine

Jones Day, Goodwin Breach Highlights Need for Vendor Vetting

Bloomberg Law – “An attack on a file-sharing company used by Big Law firms highlights the importance of vetting third-party vendors to better safeguard confidential client data, privacy and cybersecurity professionals say. Both Jones Day and Goodwin Procter were affected in recent weeks by a breach at Accellion, which provides file transfer and other services …

Subjects: Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Mail, E-Records, Internet

These are the world’s most sustainable fonts

Fast Company – “Sustainability isn’t just measured in pounds, emissions, and material sourcing. It’s also measured in bytes. Amsterdam-based design studio Formafantasma, whose work focuses on sustainable design, has a newly redesigned website that’s better for the environment. The site looks about as plain as you can get: It has lots of white space, few …

Subjects: Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Experts to explore COVID-19’s impact on the air and space industry at virtual meeting

ABA – “U.S. Representative Rick Larsen, the U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee chairman, will give the keynote address, “Seeing the aviation industry through COVID, CARES Relief, and Recovery,” at the American Bar Association Forum on Air & Space Law’s 2021 Virtual Update Conference on Feb. 24 at 12:30 p.m. ET. The online conference will feature leading …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Health Care, Legal Research, Legislation, Transportation