Something for my Software Architects.
How to Build Great Data Products
Products fueled by data and machine learning can be a powerful way to solve users’ needs. They can also create a “data moat” that can help stave off the competition. Classic examples include Google search and Amazon product recommendations, both of which improve as more users engage.
… The lifecycle of a so-called “data product” mirrors standard product development: identifying the opportunity to solve a core user need, building an initial version, and then evaluating its impact and iterating. But the data component adds an extra layer of complexity.

Stage 1: Identify the opportunity

Stage 2: Build the product

Stage 3: Evaluate and iterate

Perspective.
https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/new-national-id-systems
The New National ID Systems
,,, This paper summarizes the stances of each of the 50 states on various ID systems, including REAL ID, E-Verify, facial recognition, and license-plate scanning. Together, those technologies—along with other initiatives orchestrated at the federal level—are the leading edge of a national identification and tracking infrastructure.






Perspective.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/american-tech-firms-are-winning-the-r-d-spending-race-with-china-1540873318
American Tech Firms Are Winning the R&D Spending Race With China
… U.S. firms, led by Amazon.com Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc., invested more than $5 in R&D for every $1 spent by Chinese companies, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which logged the top 1,000 spenders among publicly traded companies. PwC’s report tracked the year ended June 30.






Apparently, “hate” is a growing academic area.
https://www.bespacific.com/doj-announces-launch-of-new-hate-crimes-website/
DOJ Announces Launch of New Hate Crimes Website
“The Department today released an update on hate crimes and announced the launch of a new comprehensive hate crimes website designed to provide a centralized portal for the Department’s hate crimes resources for law enforcement, media, researchers, victims, advocacy groups, and other related organizations and individuals. The resources include training materials, technical assistance, videos, research reports, statistics, and other helpful information from all of the Department components working on hate crimes. In recent years, the Department has ramped up its hate crimes prosecution program and increased training of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers to ensure that hate crimes are identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. The Department of Justice Law Enforcement Roundtable on Improving the Identification and Reporting of Hate Crimes being conducted today and tomorrow through the Department’s Hate Crimes Enforcement and Prevention Initiative is an example of ongoing efforts to spur communication and cohesion among those in the field working on hate crimes. Over the past 10 years, the Department of Justice has charged more than 300 defendants with hate crimes offenses, including 50 defendants in FY 2017 and 2018. In FY 2018, the Department charged 27 defendants in 22 cases, and obtained 30 convictions. Since January 2017, the Department has indicted 50 defendants involved in committing hate crimes and secured convictions of 51 defendants for hate crimes incidents…”

• See https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes
  

(Related)
https://www.bespacific.com/southern-poverty-law-center-guide-to-hate-and-extremism-in-the-us/
Southern Poverty Law Center – Guide to Hate and Extremism in the US
“The SPLC is the premier U.S. organization monitoring the activities of domestic hate groups and other extremists – including the Ku Klux Klan, white nationalists, the neo-Nazi movement, antigovernment militias and others. We track more than 1,600 extremist groups operating across the country. We publish investigative reports, train law enforcement officers and share key intelligence, and offer expert analysis to the media and public. Our work fighting hate and extremism began in the early 1980s, amid a resurgence of Klan violence that began several years after the end of the civil rights movement. Each year since 1990, we have released an annual census of U.S. hate groups. In the mid-1990s, we also began documenting the number of radical, antigovernment militias and other organizations that comprise the far-right “Patriot” movement. Over the years, we’ve crippled or destroyed some of the country’s most notorious hate groups – including the United Klans of America, the Aryan Nations and the White Aryan Resistance – by suing them for murders and other violent acts committed by their members or by exposing their activities.

• Hate Map: There are 954 hate groups currently operating in the US.
• Extremist Files: A database on prominent extremist groups and individuals
• 100 Days in Trump’s America: A report on white nationalists and their agenda to infiltrate the mainstream
• Terror From The Right: A synopsis of radical-right terrorist plots, conspiracies and racist rampages since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. It includes a roster of murdered law enforcement officials…”
  

Something free for my students.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/30/youve-never-seen-anything-like-my-new-book-james-patterson-says.html
James Patterson on his new Facebook Messenger digital book: 'You've never seen anything like it'
James Patterson, the prolific writer who holds a record for the most No. 1 New York Times bestsellers, says "you've never seen anything like" the new book he has released for free via Facebook Messenger.
"It's just so different," he said on "Squawk Box" Tuesday morning.
Conceding that "people don't read like they used to," Patterson is making a pitch to bring more attention to books and publishing in a world where booksellers like Borders have closed down and Barnes & Noble look to "rebound" in a tech-focused world.
… With the digital release of "The Chef" on Tuesday, Patterson takes a stab at modernizing storytelling by adapting to a text- or instant-message format on Facebook Messenger.
The new story, a murder mystery set in New Orleans, offers an "enhanced" novel experience by delivering readers short messages peppered with multi-media including photos, video and audio clips, maps and other interactive content. The additional content is optional for the reader to engage.
"You're reading text then all of the sudden you see film of what you were reading about," much like an online news article accompanied by photos and videos, Patterson said.