What strategy were they following? Clearly not the published one…

Surveillance Scandal Involving U.S. Intelligence Hits Denmark

Morten Butler reports:

Denmark has been rocked by a surveillance scandal in which private citizens’ data was allegedly collected by military intelligence and then shared with foreign powers.

This week, Danes learned that their Defense Intelligence Service, known locally as FE, may have repeatedly broken the law by misleading its watchdog about spying on private individuals.

Read more on Bloomberg News.

Think of facial recognition and hackers pretending to be CFOs. (Please send $1,000,000 to Bob.)

https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/08/28/1007746/ai-deepfakes-memes/

Memers are making deepfakes, and things are getting weird

Grace Windheim had heard of deepfakes before. But she had never considered how to make one. It was a viral meme using the technology that led her to research the possibility—and discover that it was super easy and completely free.

Within a day, she had created a step-by-step YouTube tutorial to walk others through the process. “Making one of these deepfakes and overlaying audio is not as complicated as you may think,” she says in the video

… The phenomenon is not surprising; media manipulation tools have often gained traction through play and parody. But it also raises fresh concerns about its potential for abuse.

Medice, cura te ipsum?

https://thenextweb.com/neural/2020/08/28/google-says-its-going-to-sell-ethics-advice-to-ai-companies/

Google says it’s going to sell ethics advice to AI companies

… According to a report from Wired, the company is considering launching this ethics consultancy service by the end of the year. Reporter Tom Simonite writes:

Initially, Google will offer others advice on tasks such as spotting racial bias in computer vision systems, or developing ethical guidelines that govern AI projects. Longer term, the company may offer to audit customers’ AI systems for ethical integrity, and charge for ethics advice.

Legal AI. (Interesting photo with this article.)

https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/28/what-does-gpt-3-mean-for-the-future-of-the-legal-profession/

What does GPT-3 mean for the future of the legal profession?

One doesn’t have to dig too deep into legal organizations to find people who are skeptical about artificial intelligence.

AI is getting tremendous attention and significant venture capital, but AI tools frequently underwhelm in the trenches. Here are a few reasons why that is and why I believe GPT-3, a beta version of which was recently released by the OpenAI Foundation, might be a game changer in legal and other knowledge-focused organizations.

Perspective. How many square feet would work-from-home spaces total?

https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Pinterest-cancels-huge-SF-office-lease-in-unbuilt-15523170.php

Pinterest cancels huge SF office lease in unbuilt project, citing work-from-home shift

Pinterest terminated a massive 490,000-square-foot lease at San Francisco’s unbuilt 88 Bluxome project, citing a shift toward more remote work amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Like Clearview. Anyone can scrape data. I’ve done it in a small way, but never published the database I created.

https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/major-data-broker-exposes-235-million-social-media-profiles-in-data-leak/

Major Data Broker Exposes 235 Million Social Media Profiles in Data Leak

Social Data, a data broker that appears to have been scraping public social media profiles for information without the knowledge or consent of the host companies, is the latest organization to get caught with an exposed public database. The source of the data leak was an unsecured database sitting unprotected without a password, apparently due to some sort of configuration error.

… This particular data leak contains information harvested from public profile pages of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. These pages can contain full names, links to personal and business websites, email addresses, personal images and videos, the content of posts and information about followers among other items.

I’m getting the impression that this is more significant than reports indicate. What if it is a ‘proof of concept’ attack. Who would be next and when would be the optimum (worst possible) time?

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-nzx-cyber/new-zealand-bourse-resumes-trade-after-cyber-attacks-government-activates-security-systems-idUSKBN25O03Q?&web_view=true

New Zealand bourse resumes trade after cyber attacks, government activates security systems

New Zealand’s stock exchange resumed trading on Friday, after facing disruptions for four consecutive days in the wake of cyber attacks this week, while the government said national security systems had been activated to support the bourse.

No more dilly dallying!

https://www.insideprivacy.com/data-privacy/lgpd-effective-imminently/

LGPD Effective Imminently

On August 26, 2020, the Brazilian Senate rejected an alteration made to Article 4 of Provisional Measure 959/20 — an alteration intended to postpone the effective date of the General Data Protection Law (“LGPD”) until December 31, 2020. Following the removal of Article 4 — and many months of uncertainty — the LGPD’s effective date now reverts to the originally scheduled date of August 16, 2020. The date for enforcement of fines and penalties remains as August 1, 2021, having previously been postponed by Law No. 14.010.

(Related)

https://www.insideprivacy.com/international/inside-privacy-audiocast-episode-3-emerging-data-privacy-issues-in-brazil/

Inside Privacy Audiocast: Episode 3 – Emerging Data Privacy Issues in Brazil

On our third episode of our Inside Privacy Audiocast, we are aiming our looking glass at Brazil’s new data protection statute, Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (or LGPD)

Any process, due or not. Traveler = ‘coming to get me?”

U.S. Customs Opens Mass Searches of Data on Confiscated Traveler Smartphones, Computers

Theodore F. Claypoole of Womble Bond Dickinson writes:

I am an advocate of providing law enforcement officers the newest technology to do their jobs well.

If there is a recording of an event, the police should be able to use it.

If a stingray can capture cell phone conversation, with appropriate procedural limitation, an officer should be able to listen and record.

[…]

But I am concerned about reports that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency is now building a searchable database of all of the data taken off of devices seized from travelers over the years.

Read more on National Law Review.

Will Congress mess it up? (As usual?)

https://news.usni.org/2020/08/27/report-on-artificial-intelligence-and-national-security

Report on Artificial Intelligence and National Security

The following is the Aug. 26, 2020 Congressional Research Service report, Artificial Intelligence and National Security.

… Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing field of technology with potentially significant implications for national security. As such, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and other nations are developing AI applications for a range of military functions. AI research is underway in the fields of intelligence collection and analysis, logistics, cyber operations, information operations, command and control, and in a variety of semiautonomous and autonomous vehicles. Already, AI has been incorporated into military operations in Iraq and Syria. Congressional action has the potential to shape the technology’s development further, with budgetary and legislative decisions influencing the growth of military applications as well as the pace of their adoption.

… Download the document here.

(Related) Another CRS pub.

https://www.bespacific.com/crs-deep-fakes-and-national-security/

CRS – Deep Fakes and National Security

Deep Fakes and National Security, August 26, 2020. “Deep fakes”—a term that first emerged in 2017 to describe realistic photo, audio, video, and other forgeries generated with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies—could present a variety of national security challenges in the years to come. As these technologies continue to mature, they could hold significant implications for congressional oversight, U.S. defense authorizations and appropriations,and the regulation of social media platforms…”

Many links to original sources…

https://www.knowablemagazine.org/article/technology/2020/why-some-artificial-intelligence-smart-until-its-dumb

Why some artificial intelligence is smart until it's dumb

Machine learning — a form of artificial intelligence — has found uses in fields as diverse as particle physics and radiology, and its influence is growing. But so is the understanding of its limits.

… “Machine learning” — a sort of concrete subfield within the more nebulous quest for artificial intelligence — has invaded numerous fields of human endeavor, from medical diagnosis to searching for new subatomic particles. Thanks to its most powerful incarnation — known as deep learning — machine learning’s repertoire of skills now includes recognizing speech, translating languages, identifying images, driving cars, designing new materials and predicting trends in the stock market, among uses in many arenas.

Bold words.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckbrooks/2020/08/27/the-merging-of-human-and-machine-two-frontiers-of-emerging-technologies/#246455171fad

The Merging Of Human And Machine. Two Frontiers Of Emerging Technologies

An amazing aspect of living in The Fourth Industrial Era is that we are at a new inflection point in bringing emerging technologies to life. We are in an era of scientific breakthroughs that will change the way of life as we currently know it. While there are many technological areas of fascination for me, the meshing of biology with machine is one of the most intriguing. It fuses many elements of technologies especially artificial intelligence and pervasive computing. I have highlighted two frontiers of “mind-bending” developments that are on the horizon, Neuromorphic technologies, and human-machine biology.

Perspective.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/world-wide-ai-spending-expected-to-double-in-next-four-years-11598520600

World-Wide AI Spending Expected to Double in Next Four Years

Retail, banking and health care projected to be among the biggest investors in artificial intelligence, researcher International Data Corp. says in a new forecast

… Spending on AI systems is projected to hit more than $110 billion in 2024, up from about $50 billion this year, according to IDC, which released the forecast Tuesday. Demand for AI is expected to rise as companies see an opportunity to boost innovation, improve customer service and automate, IDC said.

A one slide summary for my Architecture students.

https://devops.com/the-4-pillars-of-enterprise-architecture/

The 4 Pillars of Enterprise Architecture

A freebie worth reading.

https://devops.com/downloads/the-automated-enterprise/

The Automated Enterprise

… IT automation helps your business better serve your customers, so you can be successful as you:

• Optimize resources by automating complex and manual processes

• Accelerate service delivery while providing IT operations teams with control and visibility across a dynamic IT environment

• Transform your enterprise into an efficient digital business and rise quickly to meet the evolving demands in your marketplace

https://library.devops.com/the-automated-enterprise

Tools

https://www.bespacific.com/semantic-scholar-search-engine/

Semantic Scholar Search Engine

“Semantic Scholar is a free, AI-powered search and discovery tool that helps researchers discover and understand scientific literature that’s most relevant to their work. Semantic Scholar uses machine learning techniques to extract meaning and identify connections from within papers, then surfaces these insights to help scholars gain an in-depth understanding quickly. Our mission is to empower scholars to save time, make informed decisions that lead to new discoveries so they may have a greater impact in their field. If you’re a new user, check out our 101 tutorial videos to get started.”

I suspect their lawyers would not use the word ‘honor.’

https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/26/21402978/clearview-ai-ceo-interview-2400-police-agencies-facial-recognition

Clearview AI CEO says ‘over 2,400 police agencies’ are using its facial recognition software

More than 2,400 police agencies have entered contracts with Clearview AI, a controversial facial recognition firm, according to comments made by Clearview AI CEO Hoan Ton-That in an interview with Jason Calacanis on YouTube.

The hour-long interview references an investigation by The New York Times published in January, which detailed how Clearview AI scraped data from sites including Facebook, YouTube, and Venmo to build its database. The scale of that database and the methods used to construct it were already controversial before the summer of protests against police violence. “It’s an honor to be at the center of the debate now and talk about privacy,” Ton-That says in the interview, going on to call the Times investigation “actually extremely fair.” “Since then, there’s been a lot of controversy, but fundamentally, this is such a great tool for society,” Ton-That says.

… You can watch the full hour-long interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNLK_f6m4e0

Local AI

https://www.colorado.edu/today/ai-education

New $20 million center to bring artificial intelligence into the classroom

Take a seat in the classroom of tomorrow—where intelligent computers work side-by-side with groups of students to support their engagement in meaningful and productive learning experiences designed by their teachers.

That’s the vision of a new $20 million research collaboration that will be led by the University of Colorado Boulder. The project is called the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) AI Institute for Student-AI Teaming. It will explore the role that artificial intelligence may play in the future of education and workforce development—especially in providing new learning opportunities for students from historically underrepresented populations in Colorado and beyond.

The NSF announced the effort alongside four other AI institutes at a virtual press conference Tuesday.

Sidney D’Mello, an associate professor in the Institute of Cognitive Science and the Department of Computer Science at CU Boulder, will lead the new institute.

Doctorow is often worth reading.

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2020/08/cory_doctorow_o_2.html

Cory Doctorow on The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

Cory Doctorow has writtten an extended rebuttal of The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff. He summarized the argument on Twitter.

Shorter summary: it's not the surveillance part, it's the fact that these companies are monopolies.

I think it's both. Surveillance capitalism has some unique properties that make it particularly unethical and incompatible with a free society, and Zuboff makes them clear in her book. But the current acceptance of monopolies in our society is also extremely damaging -- which Doctorow makes clear.

Another cause for argument?

https://www.bespacific.com/license-plate-tracking-for-police-set-to-go-nationwide/

License plate tracking for police set to go nationwide

cnet – “…On Tuesday, Flock Safety, which makes a license plate reader, announced the “Total Analytics Law Officers Network,” or TALON. The network looks to connect the 400 law enforcement agencies using its cameras, allowing agencies that opt in to view camera data from other regions. You may unsubscribe at any time. The company said it has cameras in 700 cities, essentially creating a nationwide camera network for tracking car movements if they’re all connected. License plate readers are a powerful surveillance tool, raising privacy concerns for people driving on public streets. Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union in March 2019 showed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents used license plate readers to track people’s movements, accessing a database that logs 150 million to 200 million scans every month…”

I was taught that this could be an opening for the competition. Clearly better technology exists, what happens if I start using it in your market?

https://venturebeat.com/2020/08/26/opensignal-u-s-5g-speeds-slump-as-other-countries-leap-ahead/

Opensignal: U.S. 5G speeds slump as other countries leap ahead

It’s no surprise at this point that U.S. rollouts of 5G networks haven’t delivered on the next-generation cellular standard’s promise, as T-Mobile and AT&T launched low-speed 5G service and Verizon’s higher-speed network remains barely available. But the performance gap between U.S. and international 5G deployments is growing, a new Opensignal report shows today, and there’s only one piece of good news for American consumers: 5G service is becoming more widely available across the country, mediocre or not.

Coming soon to an exchange near you?

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/aug/26/new-zealand-stock-exchange-hit-by-cyber-attack-for-second-day?&web_view=true

New Zealand stock exchange hit by cyber attack for second day

Trading halted again, one day after overseas DDoS bombardment that forced stock market to shut down

… The NZX said it had experienced “network connectivity issues” and that the NZX main board, NZX debt market and Fonterra shareholders market were placed on halt.

However it then announced that those areas would resume trading with the rest of the market at 3pm on Wednesday.

The interruption followed a shutdown and trading halt on Tuesday afternoon due to an overseas-based distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.

The incident follows a number of alleged cyber attacks by foreign actors, such as the targeting of a range of government and private-sector organisations in Australia.

Matching budget to threat?

https://www.theregister.com/2020/08/25/british_army_scrap_tanks_cyber/?&web_view=true

Be very afraid! British Army might scrap battle tanks for keyboard warriors – report

The British Army is looking at ditching its tank regiments and spending the money on keyboard warriors instead, according to reports.

Although the proposal to scrap the Army's 200-odd Challenger 2 main battle tanks is clearly a public talking point intended to rally support ahead of long-predicted cuts to defence spending, The Times reported today that "the changing character of warfare demands more investment in cybercapabilities, space and other cutting-edge technologies."

It’s the little things that trip you up...

https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-protection/tracking-the-trackers-cookies-are-subject-to-opt-in-under-gdpr-and-a-sale-under-the-ccpa/

Tracking the Trackers: Cookies Are Subject to Opt-In Under GDPR and a Sale Under the CCPA

… Legislation relating to the use of cookies applies to all types of cookies regardless of use or type. Companies need to be aware of how these data protection and privacy regulations implicate their business goals, what liability exists for compliance failures, and whether and how any exemptions apply.

Not impossible, but success varies widely.

https://www.bespacific.com/facial-recognition-designed-to-detect-around-face-masks-have-varying-results/

Facial recognition designed to detect around face masks have varying results

cnet – “Many facial recognition companies have claimed they can identify people with pinpoint accuracy even while they’re wearing face masks, but the latest results from a study show that the coverings are dramatically increasing error rates. In an update Tuesday, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology looked at 41 facial recognition algorithms submitted after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in mid-March. Many of these algorithms were designed with face masks in mind, and claimed that they were still able to accurately identify people, even when half of their face was covered… While every facial recognition algorithm suffered a higher error rate once masks got added, some error rates were as low as 3%, indicating that it’s not impossible for algorithms to identify people even when their faces are covered…”

The laiwyers are coming, tra la, tra la!

https://www.bespacific.com/autonomous-systems-as-legal-agents/

Autonomous Systems as Legal Agents

Autonomous Systems as Legal Agents: Directly by the Recognition of Personhood or Indirectly by the Alchemy of Algorithmic Entities By Dalton Powell. Cite: 18 Duke L. & Tech. Rev. 306

“At its core, agency law governs fiduciary relationships between two distinct parties (the principal and agent) in interactions with third parties. The three separate relationships within agency (principal-agent, agent-third party, and principal-third party) create binding legal rights and obligations. To be a principal or agent, one must be a person. The Restatement (Third) of Agency’s definition of person attempts to distinguish legally recognized persons from purely organizational entities and mere instrumentalities. The emergence of AI computing, and the ongoing development of truly autonomous computer systems, will test traditional agency law with questions like who or what can be a person. At present, the Restatement views computer programs as mere instrumentalities of the using person and thus not a separate person capable of being a principal or agent. This Note will analyze the tension created within agency law’s definition of personhood by the existence of autonomous systems.”

Download Full Article (PDF)

Another perspective.

https://www.morningbrew.com/emerging-tech/guides/what-is-ai.html

What is AI?

The Human's Handbook to Computers that Think

Toward a unified approach…

https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/regulation-of-artificial-intelligence-53854/

Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in Europe and Japan

Enterprises around the world are rapidly incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into existing and new products and processes. This effort is not just to improve such offerings and services, but to achieve a qualitatively higher level of capability not possible before. It is clear that AI carries the potential for many new opportunities, across all industries, but it is also already recognized that it brings numerous risks as well. As with any technology, senior management and board directors need to be aware of both the opportunity and the risk in order to successfully and responsibly manage the enterprise. The opportunities are great—AI can assist in robotic process automation (RPA), machine learning, natural language processing, finding new drugs and therapies, and will be essential for driverless transportation—but if the risks are downplayed or overlooked, there can be serious reputational and/or legal consequences.

… governing principles are emerging in international fora2, multi-nationally, nationally, and even at the local (state, province, etc.) level. Below we highlight some regulatory initiatives now underway in Europe and Japan.

Interesting background…

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/26/technology/tiktoks-microsoft-deal-soap-opera-trump.html

How TikTok’s Talks With Microsoft Turned Into a Soap Opera

Neither side wanted a big deal. But what began as talks about a small investment ballooned with interventions from President Trump.

For our remote learners?

https://www.freetech4teachers.com/2020/08/how-to-use-remind-to-send-text-messages.html

How to Use Remind to Send Text Messages from Your Computer

Remind is a service for sending text messages to your students without having to reveal your real phone number. I've been recommending and using it for years. One of my favorite aspects of Remind is that I can schedule and send messages from my computer and respond to messages from my computer.

In the following video I demonstrate the basics of getting started with Remind to send text messages to students and their parents from your computer.

Might be useful…

https://www.bespacific.com/microsofts-new-transcribe-in-word-feature-is-designed-for-students-reporters-and-more/

Microsoft’s new Transcribe in Word feature is designed for students, reporters, and more

The Verge: “Microsoft is adding an audio transcription feature into Word for the web today. Transcribe in Word will appear in the online version of Word for Microsoft 365 subscribers, providing an easy way to automatically transcribe audio. Microsoft is supporting existing audio files, or even the ability to record conversations directly within Word for the web and have them automatically transcribed. Once a conversation is transcribed, Microsoft’s AI will separate out each speaker and break the conversation into sections that are easy to play back, edit, and insert into a Word document. Transcribe also supports audio or video that you’ve captured elsewhere, with support for up to 200MB of MP3, WAV, M4A, or MP4 files. Processing time will obviously vary considerably if you’re uploading separate audio, but I’ve been testing the feature for recording meetings and it’s a matter of seconds for transcription to complete if you’ve been recording within Word itself…”

As expected…

https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/24/21399020/tiktok-ban-lawsuit-filed-trump-china-bytedance-executive-order

TikTok sues Trump administration over US ban

TikTok has sued President Donald Trump’s administration for banning transactions with parent company ByteDance. “The [Trump] administration ignored our extensive efforts to address its concerns, which we conducted fully and in good faith,” TikTok wrote in a press release. “We do not take suing the government lightly, however we feel we have no choice but to take action to protect our rights, and the rights of our community and employees.”

The lawsuit alleges that Trump’s order violates due process protections, exceeds the scope of sanctions rules, and offers no evidence for its claims that TikTok presents a national security threat. It also argues that Trump ignored TikTok’s cooperation with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which reviews mergers like ByteDance’s acquisition of the app Musical.ly, later rebranded as TikTok in the US.

For my IT Architecture students.

https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/why-you-yes-you-need-enterprise-architecture/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mitsmr+%28MIT+Sloan+Management+Review%29

Why You — Yes, You — Need Enterprise Architecture

Digital technologies have raised customer expectations for responsive, seamless online services and information-enriched products. Many companies are struggling to meet those expectations and will continue to struggle unless they embrace enterprise architecture.

We define enterprise architecture as the holistic design of people, processes, and technology to execute digitally inspired strategic goals. Every negative customer interaction via a company app, website, telephone call, or service provider exposes your architectural inadequacies. Left unresolved, these issues will destroy formerly great organizations.

If they have access to the data, why do they need a passcode?

https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-privacy/new-jersey-supreme-court-rules-phone-passcodes-are-not-protected-by-fifth-amendment/

New Jersey Supreme Court Rules Phone Passcodes Are Not Protected by Fifth Amendment

In a blow to personal privacy and legal protection from self-incrimination, New Jersey’s highest court has ruled that people do not have a Fifth Amendment right to refuse to give phone passcodes to police.

Perhaps more disturbing is the rationale that the court used to reach this decision, which was that it was a “foregone conclusion” that the government already had access to any data that might be on the phone.

… The ruling does not make clear whether encrypted files on a device are subject to the same demands during searches and seizures. The case seems to hinge on a reasonable expectation that someone known to own a device (in this case having it registered in their name) should also know the passcodes to unlock it. They can thus be legally compelled with an obstruction charge if they claim they do not remember the phone passcodes. However, there is a much more plausible argument to be made that encrypted files on a device might be old and that the owner has forgotten the password with the passage of time. Would it be legally permissible to hold someone in indefinite contempt of court when the possibility exists that they legitimately forgot the password?

(Related)

https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/08/24/the-execution-of-cloud-search-warrants/

The Execution of Cloud Search Warrants

In his Cyber Crime column, Peter A. Crusco discusses the issues raised by search warrants aimed at electronically stored information.

So it’s like a politician?

https://thenextweb.com/neural/2020/08/24/this-philosopher-ai-has-its-own-existential-questions-to-answer/

This Philosopher AI has its own existential questions to answer

A new Philosopher AI could help you find meaning in a meaningless world — as long as you don’t ask it any controversial questions.

The system provides musings on subjects that have plagued humanity since its inception. You can ask it about a topic that’s filling you with existential angst. It then uses OpenAI‘s GPT-3 text generator to analyze your text and spit back a life-affirming/soul-destroying response.

The system is the brainchild of a Vancouver-based programmer called Murat Ayfer,, who describes it as an experiment in “prompt engineering.” Ayfer admits the AI doesn’t have any specific opinions or knowledge of its own. Instead, it “merely mimics opinions,” which means it will sometimes produce conflicting responses to identical questions.

Perspective.

https://www.bespacific.com/why-going-back-to-work-isnt-going-to-work/

Why going back to work isn’t going to work

ZDNet – The COVID-19 virus and our reaction to it have accelerated an emerging shift in our conventional ways of doing things. “Companies that return to the old ways without understanding that shift are likely to fail. The Next Normal is vastly different than the normal before the pandemic… To repeat, as soon as we stopped forming in groups, the economy fell apart. And it wasn’t just the economy. Despite all the obvious differences between commerce, education, healthcare, entertainment, travel and hospitality, religion and other institutions, they were all organized in the exact same way; a commercial, cultural and social world based on physical grouping, aggregation, massing, or centralization of employees, customers, students, patients, worshipers, travelers, fans and spectators, old people, prisoners, and others, into controlled environments where the associated functions (employment, commerce, education, healthcare, religion, etc.) took place. In a nutshell, our economy and our Old Normal were built on and were dependent on centralization. The second part of the story, the part about our current state, is more complicated. It’s complicated because it wasn’t planned, intentional or chosen, and because it isn’t “normal.” We are, in effect, in an extended state of emergency, an abnormal or exceptional set of circumstances. No one believes that this is a way to run an economy or live a social life…”

I could see this being useful for answering questions from children.

https://www.bespacific.com/the-measure-of-things-search-engine/

The Measure Of Things search engine

The Measure Of Things is a search engine for finding comparative or relative measurements of physical quantities. Want to know how much, how long, how many, how far, how large, how tall, how high, or how heavy something is? Want to figure what weighs 5; 500; or 5,000 tons? The Measure Of Things can tell you what you need to know. With the Measure Of Things tool, you can take a physical quantity – like 84 kilograms or 23 cubic meters – and see how it compares to a list of famous or well-known objects. For example, 84 kilograms is the weight of about 17 gallons of paint, while 23 cubic meters is about twice the volume of a cement mixer truck. You can use the Measure Of Things to research equivalent measures for several types of quantities, including weight, length, speed, time, height, area, volume, and computer data..”