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

Arctic tundra becoming source of carbon dioxide emissions

NOAA: “After storing carbon dioxide in frozen soil for millennia, the Arctic tundra is being transformed by frequent wildfires into an overall source of carbon to the atmosphere, which is already absorbing record levels of heat-trapping fossil fuel pollution.  The transition of the Arctic from a carbon sink to a carbon source is one of… Continue Reading

Location data firm helps police find out when suspects visited their doctor

Ars Technica: “A location-tracking company that sells its services to police departments is apparently using addresses and coordinates of doctors’ and lawyers’ offices and other types of locations to help cops compile lists of places visited by suspects, according to a 404 Media report published today. Fog Data Science, which says it “harness[es] the power… Continue Reading

Quits and layoffs

Data is Plural: “Minneapolis Fed–affiliated economists Kathrin Ellieroth and Amanda Michaud have constructed a new dataset on monthly quits and layoffs. Using Current Population Survey (CPS) microdata going back to 1978, the dataset estimates the proportions of employees who, after quitting or being laid off, transition to unemployment versus exiting the labor market. In a… Continue Reading

Dow Jones negotiates AI usage agreements with nearly 4,000 news publishers

NiemanLab: “…Last month, Factiva announced it had signed generative AI usage agreements with nearly 4,000 publishers around the world. The agreements are for the business intelligence platform and news database, which houses articles by online outlets, newspapers, magazines, and transcripts of radio shows. Among the thousands of publishers who signed the agreements are The Associated… Continue Reading

6 Gmail Mistakes That Can Get You Fired (and How to Avoid Them)

How To Geek: “Whether you’ve used email a lot in your personal life, or if your first encounter with emails is in the workplace, you need to take special care with this fundamental web communication format, or you could find yourself in hot water!” Sending Sensitive Files Without Encryption Hitting “Reply All” to a Mass… Continue Reading

Why is printer ink so expensive?

Digital Rights Bytes – “Few liquids are more precious than printer ink, but that’s not because ink is expensive to make. How can HP— and its handful of competitors in the highly concentrated printer market—get away with charging these kinds of markups? Simple: It’s a combination of monopoly power, wacky laws, and consumer-hostile tech… So… Continue Reading

Plastic Pollution and Policy Considerations: Frequently Asked Questions

CRS – Plastic Pollution and Policy Considerations: Frequently Asked Questions, December 5, 2024. “Global and domestic plastic production has increased substantially since the mid-20th century—doubling in the last two decades. The durability, moldability, and versatility of plastic have led to its ubiquitous use, benefiting many aspects of society, including the food, medical, technology, textile, and… Continue Reading

PopSci 50 greatest innovations of 2024

Now, in 2024, we continue our decades-old tradition of honoring big ideas. We even see hints of our original honorees in this year’s list: Sea-Doo and Ford made both lists, 36 years apart. We’re proud to bring you promising innovations—from things that make life at home easier to literal out-of-this-world explorations. This is the Best… Continue Reading

CREAT: Census Research Exploration and Analysis Tool

The Census Research Exploration and Analysis Tool CREAT is a data tool from the Center for Economic Studies (CES) at the US Census Bureau that uses natural language processing and artificial intelligence tools to analyze, categorize, and sort the economic research contained in the CES working paper series. The goal of this project is to… Continue Reading

The Ocean Investigations Guide

Via Ian Urbina:  “Investigative reporting about activities at sea is a unique specialty requiring distinct tools and tactics. How can I find open-source footage evidence of human rights abuses or illegal fishing on ships? Is it possible to connect ships to the specific seafood buyers?  Is there a way to track ships even when they… Continue Reading