Monday, August 06, 2018

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Is “over protection” the same as meddling?
Strategists raise alarms about Facebook delays in approving Hispanic political ads
Political strategists say recent moves by Facebook to secure its powerful advertising engine are hampering their ability to communicate with Hispanics and Spanish-speaking audiences ahead of the midterm elections.
New procedures adopted by Facebook in response to Russian meddling and allegations of racially discriminatory ad practices often require several days for the company to review political ads targeted to ethnic groups, while ads that target broader audiences are approved immediately, said strategists for three liberal organizations, Priorities USA, Latino Victory and Win Dem PAC.




Perspective.
Phone and internet use: Number of mobile calls drops for first time
The number of voice calls made on mobile phones in the UK fell for the first time ever in 2017 – despite the fact we seem hooked on our devices.
That is according to the latest report from telecoms regulator Ofcom, which charts what it describes as a decade of digital dependence.
A total of 78% of all adults now own a smartphone.
On average, people check them once every 12 minutes during their waking hours, the study claims.
… A high percentage (71%) say they never turn off their phones and 78% say they could not live without it.
While three-quarters of the British public still regard voice calling as an important function of their phones, more (92%) say web browsing is crucial.
… The average daily time spent on a smartphone is two hours 28 minutes, rising to three hours 14 minutes for 18 to 24-year-olds, the report indicates.


(Related)
High Speed Internet Is Causing Widespread Sleep Deprivation, Study Finds
… The study, published Friday in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization and funded by the European Research Council, suggests that high speed internet access is causing people to lose up to 25 minutes of sleep per night compared to those without high speed internet. It’s the first study to causally link broadband access to sleep deprivation.




Perspective?
Cities’ Offers for Amazon Base Are Secrets Even to Many City Leaders
… Across the country, the search for HQ2, as the project has been nicknamed, is shrouded in secrecy. Even civic leaders can’t find out what sort of tax credits and other inducements have been promised to Amazon. And there is a growing legal push to find out, because taxpayers could get saddled with a huge bill and have little chance to stop it.
… A primary reason for the information blackout is that, in many cases, the bids were handled by local private Chamber of Commerce affiliates or economic development groups that aren’t required to make their negotiations public. Many of the groups are also not covered by Freedom of Information Act or state open-records requests.
But another reason is gamesmanship. Some cities say they want their Amazon proposals to remain confidential to avoid showing their hand to rivals.




Courts are certain they are not certain?
Is Wikipedia A Reliable Legal Authority? (2018 Update)
Associates Mind – Keith Lee: ” Back in 2014, a Twitter exchange with Judge Dillard prompted an article on AboveTheLaw discussing the reliability of Wikipedia as a resource. Last year, I updated my research here, Is Wikipedia A Reliable Legal Authority? (2017 Update). It’s 2018, so let’s see how some recent opinions cite (or reject) Wikipedia as an authority… Is Wikipedia A Reliable Legal Authority? It depends…but it’s increasingly becoming difficult to say that it isn’t. Far too many courts rely on it what is now going on hundreds of opinions. Courts can’t keep saying “Wikipedia is bad! Don’t use it!” Then cite it themselves in an opinion a few months later. At this point, every Circuit has multiple judicial opinions that cite Wikipedia as a reliable source for general knowledge. But then courts within the same Circuit will be dismissive of Wikipedia as a source of general information. There is no definitive answer. Judges seem to make determinations about Wikipedia’s reliability on a case-by-case basis. Your best bet is to know your Court. It will only take you a quick search to determine if a Court has relied on Wikipedia as an authority in the past…”
  • See also Chronicle of Higher Education – Some Colleges Cautiously Embrace Wikipedia – LiAnna Davis remembers when people didn’t want to talk to her at academic conferences: “I had this woman one time who held her folder up over her head and was like, ‘Don’t let my department chair see me talking to you guys, but I’m so glad you’re here.’” Davis works for Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that was once considered anathema to the academic mission. She’s director of programs for its higher-education-focused nonprofit arm, Wiki Education. Academics have traditionally distrusted Wikipedia, citing the inaccuracies that arise from its communally edited design and lamenting students’ tendency to sometimes plagiarize assignments from it. Now, Davis said, higher education and Wikipedia don’t seem like such strange bedfellows. At conferences these days, “everyone’s like, ‘Oh, Wikipedia, of course you guys are here.’” “I think it’s a recognition that Wikipedia is embedded within the fabric of learning now,” she said. One initiative Davis oversees at Wiki Education aims to forge stronger bonds between Wikipedia and higher education. The Visiting Scholars program, which began in 2015, pairs academics at colleges with experienced Wikipedia editors. Institutions provide the editors with access to academic journals, research databases, and digital collections, which the editors use to write and expand Wikipedia articles on topics of mutual interest. A dozen institutions, including Rutgers University, Brown University, and the University of Pittsburgh, are participating. But while feedback from the participating institutions has been positive, Davis said, some are still skeptical of Wikipedia’s presence in academe…”




For my students, who seem to need all the help I can give them.




A quote to remember?


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