Archive for August, 2023

Safety and Security of AI Systems

August 31, 2023 at 9:37 am · Filed under AI, Reports

The Law Library of Congress has issued the Safety and Security of Artificial Intelligence Systems that highlights the current/proposed legislation of various countries utilizing AI. The nations examined are: Canada, Australia, the European Union, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom

Each entry provides an overview of the present situation with regards to AI, relevant laws and possible legislation, policies and guidance from relevant agencies, official definitions of AI, the cybersecurity of AI, and a host of other issues. Numerous references enhance the utility of this report.

This new article – AI policies across the globe – dds additional information.

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Calling Out Misinformation

August 29, 2023 at 9:22 am · Filed under Current Events

Not Real News is a weekly feature from the Associatied Press that debunks widely-circulating misinformation no matter the source. The false claims are subjected to rigorous factchecking (with relevant links included), and the facts themselves are presented as a rebuttal. Each week, several news stories are examined.

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60th Anniversary of the March on Washington

August 28, 2023 at 8:24 am · Filed under African-American, History, Online Primary Sources

This historic gathering of over 250,000 has been memorialized in the following sites:

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (National Park Service; with numerous links);

The March on Washington (from the Library of Congress’ Civil Rights History Project);

Official program for the March on Washington (National Archives);

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (Stanford University. King Institute; with numerous links and access to the King Papers);

1963 March on Washington (Smithsonian Institution, with access to many artifacts); and

“I Have a Dream” speech.

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“Artemis Accords”

August 24, 2023 at 8:44 am · Filed under Foreign Relations, Government, Science

With so many moon landings planned for this year, now is an ideal time to read The Artemis Accords, a document for the peaceful civil exploration of space and signed by almost thirty nations. Based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, “The principles set out in these Accords are intended to apply to civil space activities conducted by the civil space agencies of each Signatory. These activities may take place on the Moon, Mars, comets, and asteroids, including their surfaces and subsurfaces, as well as in orbit of the
Moon or Mars, in the Lagrangian points for the Earth-Moon system, and in transit between these
celestial bodies and locations.” (4)

An informative overview and a brief bibliography can be found here.

FYI, Artemis is the sister of Apollo as the Artemis Program is related to the Apollo Program.

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Papers of Albert Einstein

August 23, 2023 at 10:54 am · Filed under Online Primary Sources, Science

This ongoing project – The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein – now has sixteen volumes online, taking us to May 1929. There are two works per volume, one presents the papers in German while there is also an accompanying supplement with the documents rendered into English. Almost thirty institutions’ libraries/archives were searched to provide as full an enumeration as possible of his writings.

This feature from the Library of Congress, takes the volume including 1905 (The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, vol. 2: The Swiss Years: Writings 1900-1909, Princeton University Press, 1990. English translation supplement) and presents four of his seminal papers written in that year.

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Online Primary Sources for American History: Louisiana

August 22, 2023 at 9:52 am · Filed under History, Online Primary Sources

The five-volume Historical collections of Louisiana embracing translations of many rare and valuable documents relating to the natural, civil and political history of that state (1846-53; repr 1976) contains numerous reports from explorers as well as letters, journals, and grants that pertain to the initial development of Louisiana.

This can be supplemented by Calendar of manuscripts in Paris archives and libraries relating to the history of the Mississippi valley to 1803 (vol.1, 1926); Discovery and exploration of the Mississippi Valley with the original narratives of Marquette, Allouez, Membré, Hennepin, and Anastase Dovay; Athanase de Mézières and the Louisiana-Texas frontier, 1768-1780 : documents published for the first time, from the original Spanish and French manuscripts…; Acts of French royal administration concerning Canada, Guiana, the West Indies and Louisiana prior to 1791; and Mississippi provincial archives … French dominion, 1701-1763 (the first three out of five volumes available).

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New Jersey Death Index (1904-2017), and Marriage Index (1901-2016) Now Freely Available Online

August 21, 2023 at 9:17 am · Filed under New Jersey, Online Primary Sources

From the good folks at Reclaim the Records, the New Jersey Death Index and the New Jersey Marriage Index have been retrieved and digitized for public consumption. Previously sequestered in hard-to-access repositories and behind paywalls, these important resources are now online. Additional New Jersey registers can be found here as well.

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Could A ShopRite Still Be Coming to the West Side?

August 16, 2023 at 7:38 am · Filed under Current Events, New Jersey City University

According to this article, a scaled-down proposal will be reviewed by the Jersey City Planning Board later this month. The revised project would be a two-story building with offices, parking spaces, and loading docks.

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International Population Statistics

August 10, 2023 at 10:01 am · Filed under Databases, Maps, Statistics

Updated population figures for 227 countries and over 15,000 subnational areas have been released from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Internationa Database presents a wide array of statistics and allows one to plot out future growth as well.

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AI and the Future of Work in the United States

August 10, 2023 at 5:09 am · Filed under Business, Technology

What sectors will AI impact the most? What areas will be less affected by AI? These and other questions are explored in a new McKinsey Global Institute survey report – Generative AI and the future of work in America.

Another worthwhile read is Growth trends for selected occupations considered at risk from automation from the Monthly Labor Review; it is replete with graphics and numerous notes.

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Read the 2023 Hugo Finalists for Short Fiction

August 9, 2023 at 5:03 am · Filed under Lists, Science fiction

Just an observation: the number of available short stories to read online is markedly down.

For short story:

“D.I.Y.”, by John Wiswell (Tordotcom)

“On the Razor’s Edge”, by Jiang Bo (Science Fiction World; not available)

“Rabbit Test”, by Samantha Mills (Uncanny Magazine)

“Resurrection”, by Ren Qing. Translated by Blake Stone-Banks (Future Fiction/Science Fiction World; not available)

“The White Cliff”, by Lu Ban (Science Fiction World; not available)

“Zhurong on Mars”, by Regina Kanyu Wang (Frontiers; not available)

For novelette:

“The Space-Time Painter”, Hai Ya (Galaxy’s Edge; not available)

“The Difference Between Love and Time”, by Catherynne M. Valente (Tordotcom)

“A Dream of Electric Mothers”, by Wole Talabi (Tordotcom)

“If You Find Yourself Speaking to God, Address God with the Informal You”, by John Chu (Uncanny)

“Murder By Pixel: Crime and Responsibility in the Digital Darkness”, by S.L. Huang (Clarkesworld)

“We Built This City”, by Marie Vibbert (Clarkesworld)

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Declassified Documents on the Manhattan Project

August 8, 2023 at 6:51 am · Filed under Government, History, Online Primary Sources

While scientists labored under the weight of the lethal aftereffects of the atom bomb, the military commander of the Manhattan Project, General Groves, vigorously denied the consequences of the explosions. These documents and other just-declassified reports this can be found at 78th Anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings: Revisiting the Record.

The above is an update to The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II, a highly referenced compilation of primary sources.

Numerous previously declassified materials can be found Manhattan Project Historical Resources.

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AI Laws at the State Level

August 7, 2023 at 9:46 am · Filed under Law

Various states have enacted legislations to regulate/control this machine-based simulation of human intelligence. Links to the laws, both proposed and active, summaries, and sectors explored are also included. See if New Jersey is active in this area.

This brief CRS report – Artificial Intelligence: Overview, Recent Advances, and Considerations for the 118th Congress – examines federal efforts to date.

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Documents in the News: The August 1, 2023 Indictments Against Donald Trump

August 2, 2023 at 8:28 am · Filed under Documents in the News, Government, Law

You can read the four indictments here. Overviews/explanations of these charges can be found at: AP News, The New York Times, PBS, The Washington Post, and CNN.

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National Security Reports – July 2023 Update

August 1, 2023 at 4:13 am · Filed under Reports, Security

Atlas of Surveillance; Artificial intelligence : risks and opportunities : hearing before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, first session, March 8, 2023; Drone security : enhancing innovation and mitigating supply chain risks : hearing before the Subcommittee on Security of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, first session, June 18, 2019 (released 2023);  Transnational Organized Crime: Actions Needed to Enhance Management and Capabilities of the Watchlist Program (GAO); Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Homeland Security (GAO); Cybersecurity Insights (NIST);  “U.S. Cyber Trust Mark” (The White House); and Climate & Conflict (Climate & Conflict.org).

Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress (updated July 5, 2023); Covert Action and Clandestine Activities of the Intelligence Community: Selected Congressional Notification Requirements; Pipeline Physical Security: Federal Efforts; The National Cybersecurity Strategy—Going Where No Strategy Has Gone Before; Security: Regulatory Implications of Terrorism Risk Assessment Methodology; FBI Headquarters Site Selection Process; and State Department Country Reports on Terrorism: 2001–2021 (all CRS).

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