I suspect that “Oops!” will not be an adequate response. What happened to testing updates on a standalone system first?

https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/19/24201864/crowdstrike-outage-explained-microsoft-windows-bsod

What is CrowdStrike, and what happened?

… The July 19th outage is tied to CrowdStrike’s flagship Falcon platform, a cloud-based solution that combines multiple security solutions into a single hub, including antivirus capabilities, endpoint protection, threat detection, and real-time monitoring to prevent unauthorized access to a company’s system.

The update in question appears to have installed faulty software onto the core Windows operating system, causing systems to get stuck in a boot loop. Systems are showing an error message that says, “It looks like Windows didn’t load correctly,” while giving users the option to try troubleshooting methods or restart the PC.

Tools & Techniques. Perhaps this could be useful for more than homework…

https://www.makeuseof.com/notebooklm-google-ai-custom-language-model-supercharge-my-studies/

How I Use Google's Custom Language Model to Supercharge My Studies

Google has a little-known AI tool called NotebookLM that’s perfect for students. It’s a free tool that uses Google Gemini to power its processing and output. NotebookLM can be a bit complicated to use effectively, but you can use it to supercharge your studies and research.

NotebookLM is a self-contained large language model (LLM) that uses the notes and documents you provide as sources. When you upload files—PDFs, Google Drive documents, web URLs, and more—it creates a summary of each source, which you can read by clicking on the source in the left menu.

If TSA says it’s optional, what they really mean is that it is not not mandatory.

https://pogowasright.org/opting-out-of-facial-recognition-at-airports/

Opting out of facial recognition at airports

Because a lot of people are stuck at airports today due to a CrowdStrike glitch affecting software, this might be a good time to talk about opting out of facial recognition at airports. Ed Hasbrouck recently wrote:

Next week the Algorithmic Justice League will be launching an awareness and sousveillance campaign focused on the use of facial recognition in airports by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its airport and airline partners.

The #freedomflyers campaign includes efforts to make travelers aware that the TSA claims that submitting to facial recognition is “optional”. The campaign also includes a free online Freedom Flyers Summit on “Resisting Airport Face Scans” on July 19th and — perhaps most importantly — a scorecard for travelers to report what actually happens when they try to opt out of facial recognition at airports.

In many cases, staff or contractors of airlines, airport operators, or the TSA tell travelers that facial recognition is required. In other cases, facial recognition turnstiles are unattended by any staff, leaving no apparent way to opt opt. Some facial recognition turnstiles are attended only by “line-minders” or security guards or subcontractors with no authority to allow travelers to pass through without submitting to mug shots.

Read more on Papers, Please!

But use this to review your recovery plans…

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/global-technology-outage-crowdstrike/3597367/

Global technology outage: Flights impacted, businesses offline, what to know

The head of CrowdStrike, the company responsible for an update that took millions of people offline, said Friday the massive global outage was not a cyberattack nor a security incident

Tools & Techniques. More detail than reasonable? Not just for realtors.

https://www.bespacific.com/forewarn-app-real-estate-homebuyer-data/

How a little-known tool is sweeping the real estate industry by giving instant access to vast amounts of homebuyer data

The Record: “…Forewarn is primarily marketed to and used by the real estate industry, and it has been penetrating that market at a rapid clip. Although some real estate agents say the financial information it returns saves time when finding clients most likely to have the budget for the houses they’re looking at, most agents and associations tout it primarily as a safety tool because it also supplies criminal records. In addition to those records, the product — owned by the data broker red violet — also supplies a given individual’s address history; phone, vehicle and property records; bankruptcies; and liens and judgements, including foreclosure histories. Although such data could generally be gleaned from public records, Forewarn delivers it at the press of a button — a function real estate agents say allows them to gather publicly available information without having to visit courthouses and municipal offices, a process which would normally take days. The power of Forewarn’s technology has led to rapid adoption, but the company is still largely unknown outside the real estate industry. Several fair housing and civil rights advocates interviewed by Recorded Future News weren’t aware of its existence. The individuals whose data it sells also have no idea their information is being shared with real estate agents, who potentially might choose not to work with them because of what they discover on the app. Forewarn did not respond to multiple requests for comment, however, statements made by one of its executives suggest that the company intentionally keeps a low profile.

Do not tell the prospect that they are not permitted or unqualified to purchase or sell property because of information you obtained from Forewarn,” a company executive said at a recent training webinar with Illinois real estate agents. She emphasized that potential buyers “do not get notified” when they are screened with the app, a question she said many real estate agents ask. Real estate agents who, for example, discover a client has a lien filed against them, should consider telling the prospect they “obtained this information from a confidential service that bases their information on available public record information,” the executive added. As Forewarn continues to penetrate the real estate industry, one of the biggest questions for the company is whether it will be able to evade scrutiny and pushback by privacy advocates who say it is essentially mass profiling renters and potential homebuyers in silence, as well as regulators who have cracked down on similar practices…”

Tools & Techniques. I wonder if teachers could use this to play Defense? (Drop student essays into it and run the checkers.)

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/this-ai-writing-tool-could-be-a-students-best-friend-and-biggest-temptation/

This AI Writing Tool Could Be a Student's Best Friend, and Biggest Temptation

… Created as an AI writing tool to help students, Smodin has since added features like a plagiarism checker, which verifies that text is unique, as well as an AI content detector, which tells you whether the text is likely to be identified as AI-generated, and a homework helper, which provides answers for questions in subjects like geography, math, physics, biology and history.

I add this more for the source than this article…

https://www.bespacific.com/making-sense-of-rumors-about-the-trump-assassination-attempt/

Making sense of rumors about the Trump assassination attempt

2024 U.S. ELECTIONS RAPID RESEARCH BLOG This is part of an ongoing series of rapid research blog posts and rapid research analysis about the 2024 U.S. elections from the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public.

Sounds good. Let’s see how they comply.

https://pogowasright.org/detroit-takes-important-step-in-curbing-the-harms-of-face-recognition-technology/

Detroit Takes Important Step in Curbing the Harms of Face Recognition Technology

Tori Noble writes:

In a first-of-its-kind agreement, the Detroit Police Department recently agreed to adopt strict limits on its officers’ use of face recognition technology as part of a settlement in a lawsuit brought by a victim of this faulty technology.

Robert Williams, a Black resident of a Detroit suburb, filed suit against the Detroit Police Department after officers arrested him at his home in front of his wife, daughters, and neighbors for a crime he did not commit. After a shoplifting incident at a watch store, police used a blurry still taken from surveillance footage and ran it through face recognition technology—which incorrectly identified Williams as the perpetrator.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Detroit Police can no longer substitute face recognition technology (FRT) for reliable policework. Simply put: Face recognition matches can no longer be the only evidence police use to justify an arrest.

Read more at EFF.

Access to some encrypted phones now seems possible.

https://pogowasright.org/investigators-raced-to-crack-into-phone-used-by-trump-rally-gunman/

Investigators Raced to Crack into Phone Used by Trump Rally Gunman

Devlin Barrett and Emily Davies of The Washington Post report:

New, faster phone-cracking technology was used to access the phone of the Trump rally gunman, according to people familiar with the investigation who described the ongoing race to find any clues to the 20-year-old’s motive for trying to kill the former president.

Officials said Monday they were able to access a cell phone belonging to Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pa., but they did not describe the technology behind that effort. Investigators are also exploring the possibility the gunman may have used two phones, after agents recovered a cellphone in Crooks’s house with a dead battery, according to the people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe details of an ongoing investigation.

Read more at The Japan News.

(Related)

https://www.404media.co/leaked-docs-show-what-phones-cellebrite-can-and-cant-unlock/

Leaked Docs Show What Phones Cellebrite Can (and Can’t) Unlock

Cellebrite, the well-known mobile forensics company, was unable to unlock a sizable chunk of modern iPhones available on the market as of April 2024, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media.

The documents, which also show what various Android handsets and operating system versions Cellebrite can access, provide granular insight into the very recent state of mobile forensic technology. Mobile forensics companies typically do not release details on what specific models their tools can or cannot penetrate, instead using vague terms in marketing materials. The documents obtained by 404 Media, which are given to customers but not published publicly, show how fluid and fast moving the success, or failure, of mobile forensic tools can be, and highlights the constant cat and mouse game between hardware and operating manufacturers like Apple and Google, and the hacking companies looking for vulnerabilities to exploit.

Ah, but the trick is knowing how to deal with the tip…

https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2024/07/17/ai-can-predict-tipping-points-before-they-happen

AI can predict tipping points before they happen

Anyone can spot a tipping point after it’s been crossed. Also known as critical transitions, such mathematical cliff-edges influence everything from the behaviour of financial markets and the spread of disease to the extinction of species. The financial crisis of 2007-09 is often described as one. So is the moment that covid-19 went global. The real trick, therefore, is to spot them before they happen. But that is fiendishly difficult.

Tools & Techniques.

https://www.bespacific.com/descrybe-ai-on-a-mission-to-democratize-legal-research/

Descrybe.AI On A Mission To Democratize Legal Research

Artificial Lawyer: “In this week’s AL TV Product Walk Through we take a tour of descrybe.ai a free genAI-powered legal research tool built by Richard DiBona and Kara Peterson, a husband and wife team who share an interest in technology, the law, and the democratization of information. By April 2024 they already had over 3 million judicial opinions from across the United States summarized and searchable. The aim is to have all available state supreme and appellate plus federal district, appellate, and supreme court cases loaded and searchable. DiBona brings deep experience in using emerging technology to solve complex problems, while Peterson is a communications expert with a special focus on social justice…”

Understanding before application? What a concept!

https://www.bespacific.com/artificial-intelligence-ai-large-language-models-and-law/

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Large Language Models, and Law

Surden, Harry, ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Large Language Models, and Law (March 31, 2024). Fordham Law Review, Vol. 92, 2024, Available at SSRN: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4779694 – “This Article explores Artificial Intelligence (AI) Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT/GPT-4, detailing the advances and challenges in applying AI to law. It first explains how these AI technologies work at an understandable level. It then examines the significant evolution of LLMs since 2022 and their improved capabilities in understanding and generating complex documents, such as legal texts. Finally, this Article discusses the limitations of these technologies, offering a balanced view of their potential role in legal work.”

Tools & Techniques.

https://www.bespacific.com/examples-of-ai-prompts-written-by-subject-matter-experts/

Examples of AI Prompts Written by Subject Matter Experts

31 authors posted a lesson on how to write AI prompts via Vanderbilt University. The authors are all SMEs and include law students, health care professionals, data scientists, educators and engineers. The document is in Word, and the prompts are listed by author and include follow up prompts. An interesting document for your review.

Is this what we need, or what we want? (I’m thinking it’s neither.)

https://www.bespacific.com/governing-in-the-age-of-ai-a-new-model-to-transform-the-state/

Governing in the Age of AI: A New Model to Transform the State

Governing in the Age of AI: A New Model to Transform the State is a joint report by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and Faculty.”… In this report, we describe an AI-enabled model of government in which every citizen has their own digital public assistant to help manage their relationship with the government, freeing up their time. Every public servant works alongside a team of AI co-workers and helpers, freeing them up to work on tasks that need their skills and dedication. Every minister or policymaker makes agile, aligned, strategic decisions with the help of a National Policy Twin, freeing them up to focus on unlocking prosperity and growth. Amid worry about the state of the public finances, a stagnant economy and crumbling public services, this moment might seem like the most limiting in living memory to be in government. In fact, considering the opportunities now presented by technology, it might yet be the most transformative. AI makes it possible to reimagine the state. The UK can again show leadership by demonstrating to the world what it means to govern in the age of AI…”

See also The Guardian UK: TechScape: Want to know how AI will affect government and politics? The bots have the answers. “Tony Blair’s powerful thinktank asked ChatGPT how AI might affect public sector jobs. Critics say the results were … wonky.”

Tools & Techniques.

https://venturebeat.com/ai/microsofts-new-ai-system-spreadsheetllm-unlocks-insights-from-spreadsheets-boosting-enterprise-productivity/

Microsoft’s new AI system ‘SpreadsheetLLM’ unlocks insights from spreadsheets, boosting enterprise productivity

Microsoft researchers have unveiled “SpreadsheetLLM,” a new AI model designed to understand and work with spreadsheets, in a significant development for the world of enterprise AI.

The research paper, titled “SpreadsheetLLM: Encoding Spreadsheets for Large Language Models,” was recently published on arXiv and addresses the challenges of applying AI to the widely used but complex spreadsheet format.

Resource.

https://www.kdnuggets.com/learn-computer-science-with-princeton-university-for-free

Learn Computer Science with Princeton University for FREE!

… In this blog, I will go through 6 courses that will provide you with the knowledge and skills required to develop a career in computer science.

 The pendulum swings again…

https://pogowasright.org/geofence-warrant-decision-exposes-hole-in-fourth-amendment-law/

Geofence Warrant Decision Exposes Hole in Fourth Amendment Law

Cassandre Coyer and Tonya Riley report:

A split appeals court opinion clearing the government’s acquisition of users’ mobile-device location data from Google of constitutional scrutiny will likely spark more friction between emerging technologies and the scope of law enforcement searches, attorneys warned.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit’s ruling in US v. Chatrie concluded, over a dissent, that the use of such geofencing doesn’t constitute a search under the Fourth Amendment.

It comes six years after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Carpenter v. United States, which held the government has to obtain a search warrant to access historical cell site location records covering a period of more than seven days. In that time, courts have continued to struggle with questions of digital surveillance and the scope of Fourth Amendment protections in the age of mobile devices.

Read more at Bloomberg Law.

Must we “dumb down” everything for the next generation because learning is hard?

https://nypost.com/2024/07/13/us-news/reading-for-idiots-app-simplifies-vocab-of-classic-books/

New app uses AI to dumb down, whitewash classic books

It’s McLiterature.

A newly-launched iPhone and iPad artificial intelligence app is abbreviating iconic literary works like “Moby Dick” and “A Tale of Two Cities” — while whitewashing classics like “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”

Magibook‘s website claims it utilizes artificial intelligence to simplify the language of books like “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “Crime and Punishment,” making them more accessible to all readers, “no matter your English level.”

… Seminal lines such as “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” are reduced to “It was a time when things were very good and very bad.”

The 219 now-controversial occurrences of the N-word in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” are replaced on Magibook with the noun “Helper.”

At this point, users of the free app, which launched July 1, can access five different versions of 10 classic books, including “Dracula,” “Robinson Crusoe,” “The Three Musketeers,” “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” and “The Great Gatsby” — from their original versions down to an “elementary version.”