Gen Zers are bookworms but say they’re shunning e-books because of eye strain, digital detoxing, and their love for libraries

Insider: “There’s no doubt that Gen Z loves to read.  This generation, defined as people born between 1997 and 2015, is often considered phone-obsessed and addicted to technology. But when it comes to reading, Gen Zers say they prefer to pick up a printed book over an e-book. Book sales in the US and the …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Education, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Amazon sued for not telling New York store customers about facial recognition

CNBC: “Amazon did not alert its New York City customers that they were being monitored by facial recognition technology, a lawsuit filed Thursday alleges. In a class-action suit, lawyers for Alfredo Perez said that the company failed to tell visitors to Amazon Go convenience stores that the technology was in use. Thanks to a 2021 law, New …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Legal Research, Privacy

Can chatbots remember what you type? NCSC issues warning

TechHQ: “Being careful with whom you share your secrets is always good advice. And that tip applies to advanced chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT. In fairness, OpenAI does provide user guidelines in its FAQs. “We are not able to delete specific prompts from your history,” writes the developer. “Please don’t share any sensitive information in …

Subjects: AI, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, E-Records, Internet, Knowledge Management

16 Agencies Create One Confidential Data Process to Rule Them All

NextGov: “Through three years, 16 federal agencies, more than 1,300 datasets and a cascade of privacy laws and interagency agreements underpinned by decades-old entrenched processes, a team of federal employees launched the Standard Application Process in December, creating for the first time a single portal for U.S. researchers to request access to the mountains of …

Subjects: E-Records, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

FCC orders phone companies to block scam text messages

Ars Technica: “The Federal Communications Commission today finalized rules requiring mobile carriers to block robotext messages that are likely to be illegal. The FCC described the rules as the agency’s “first regulations specifically targeting the increasing problem of scam text messages sent to consumers.” Carriers will be required to block text messages that come from …

Subjects: Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

Why Vermont State’s digital library idea is so controversial

Higher Ed Dive: “…Vermont State University — a new institution to be formed from three existing Vermont public colleges — has announced that it will be transforming its libraries to be “all-digital. Alhough the physical spaces will continue to serve students, administrators said print materials will no longer be procured for students who do not …

Subjects: Digital Rights, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Authors risk losing copyright if AI content is not disclosed, US guidance says

Ars Technica: “As generative AI technologies like GPT-4 and Midjourney have rapidly gotten more sophisticated and their creative use has exploded in popularity, the US Copyright Office has issued guidance today to clarify when AI-generated material can be copyrighted. Guidance comes after the Copyright Office decided that an author could not copyright individual AI images …

Subjects: AI, Copyright, Digital Rights, Government Documents

Design notes on the 2023 Wikipedia redesign

“Hey, I’m Alex Hollender. For the past few years I led the redesign of the Wikipedia desktop interface, which launched this past January. Below are some notes on the project and process….Wikipedia — a major, legacy website (top 10 ranked, for 10+ years) — had an interface that hadn’t been changed for 15 years. And …

Subjects: Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce

Environmental Working Group – EWG’s 2023 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™: Nearly 75 percent of non-organic fresh produce sold in the U.S. contains residues of potentially harmful pesticides, EWG’s 2023 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ finds. In this year’s guide, blueberries and green beans join our Dirty Dozen™ list of the 12 fruits …

Subjects: Education, Food and Nutrition, Health Care

This Is Why You Feel Existential Dread When You Open Instagram and TikTok

Gizmodo: “In Meganets: How Digital Forces Beyond Our Control Commandeer Our Daily Lives and Inner Realities, David Auerbach argues the the distinctly modern feeling of a loss of control over our lives is the result of these new online forces. The vast influence of Facebook, Google, TikTok, and other tech giants is neither in the …

Subjects: Economy, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Recommended Books, Social Media

Sold out Jan Vermeer exhibition Amsterdam goes online

DW: “When the large-scale exhibition of works by the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) opened on February 10 at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, all 450,000 tickets quickly sold out. The museum is showing 28 of the 37 or so existing works by the painter from Delft until June 4, 2023. This is the first that time that …

Subjects: Internet