Inside the AI Prompts DOGE Used to “Munch” Contracts Related to Veterans’ Health

ProPublica: “When an AI script written by a Department of Government Efficiency employee came across a contract for internet service, it flagged it as cancelable. Not because it was waste, fraud or abuse — the Department of Veterans Affairs needs internet connectivity after all — but because the model was given unclear and conflicting instructions. …

Subjects: AI, E-Government, E-Records, Legal Research

Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go?

Grist – From clean energy projects to bridges, this interactive tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood. “By the time President Donald Trump retook office, lawmakers had announced nearly $700 billion in funding for infrastructure- and climate-related projects under two bills passed during Joe Biden’s administration — the Inflation Reduction Act and the …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Search Engines

Smithsonian to Conduct Wide Content Review Requested by Trump

WSJ via MSN: “The Smithsonian is conducting a thorough review of all of its content in its 21 museums and zoo to eliminate political influence and bias, a move that could have far-reaching consequences for the nation’s flagship art and research institution. The decision by the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents in a closed-door meeting on …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Education, Legal Research

Airlines Don’t Want You to Know They Sold Your Flight Data to DHS

Wired + 404 Media: “A contract obtained by 404 Media shows that an airline-owned data broker forbids the feds from revealing it sold them detailed passenger data. A data broker owned by the country’s major airlines, including Delta, American Airlines, and United, collected US travelers’ domestic flight records, sold access to them to Customs and …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Records, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy, Transportation

Introducing MiniGladys for Fast Wikipedia-Based Search and Research

Tara Calishain – “As you might imagine, I do a lot of web search in the course of my day. Often these queries are quick reference lookups; I need to find a company’s social media, for example, or I want to see how to spell someone’s name. Unfortunately these kinds of searches on Google are …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries, Search Engines

Why Third Amendment memes are suddenly taking over social media

Fast Company: “The First and Second amendments are the rock stars of the Bill of Rights. Everybody knows about them, even if they’re not always big fans, and they frequently pop up in national discourse. The Third Amendment, on the other hand, is more like the Yngwie Malmsteen of the Bill of Rights. Much like …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Legal Research, Social Media

ShadeMap

ShadeMap [defaults to your location – you can set location and also search] simulates sun shadows for any time and place on Earth without installing or buying Google Earth Pro. You can use it for shadow analysis, solar exposure, sunrise and sunset photos, and more. ShadeMap: Shade Profile for Trails – See how much sun …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Search Engines

Why I Still Get My News and Alerts From a 25 Year Old Tool

How to Geek: ” RSS (Really Simple Syndication) lets you subscribe to site feeds and receive new article notifications. RSS is an open and simple format, encouraging publishers to syndicate content for customized reading. Podcasts rely on RSS for syndication, and it’s a great alternative to social media feeds. Catching up on the news means …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, RSS

Five Services That Will Remove Your Personal Information From Data Broker Sites

Likehacker: “We’re living in a post-privacy world. Every time you leave the house you’re probably on camera. Every time you turn on your television, your viewing habits are being logged. And using the internet in any way is basically just spraying a firehose of your personal information at data brokers—companies that compile your personal information …

Subjects: E-Commerce, E-Records, Internet, Legal Research, Privacy, Social Media

Trump quietly throws out Biden’s cyber policies

Axios: “President Trump quietly took a red pen to much of the Biden administration’s in a little-noticed move late Friday. Why it matters: Until now, it has been unclear which Biden-era cybersecurity policies the Trump administration would keep — if any. Cybersecurity is a rare bipartisan area. It’s pretty common for new administrations to keep …

Subjects: Congress, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Economy, Energy, Financial System, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Legislation, Privacy