Archive of ‘information technology’ category

Getting the most out of Wikibase4Lib

Getting the most out of Wikibase4Lib


Jim Hahn, Timothy Ryan Mendenhall, Esther Jackson

Monday May 23, 2022 | 9am-12pm EDT | Hayes Hall, University at Buffalo | Conference Website


Workshop Summary

This three hour session will provide an introduction to getting Wikibase, the software that powers Wikidata, configured on your local machine by way of Docker Desktop. The session includes an accessible and newbie friendly introduction to using Docker on your laptop, followed by a necessary (though not overly technical) delineation of the unique technology stack that makes up the Wikibase linked data system.

digital transcripts

The Pandemic Has Increased Interest in Digital Transcripts. Will They Displace Degrees?

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-02-15-the-pandemic-has-increased-interest-in-digital-transcripts-will-they-displace-degrees

Proponents of digital credential systems argue that giving students ownership over a digital wallet of what they’ve learned that includes a broader and more reflective range of personal achievements could help them better communicate with future employers, if hiring managers start to take them seriously.

 

the Platform Transparency and Accountability Act

Meta, TikTok and YouTube may finally have to start sharing data with researchers

A Senate hearing this week and a new law in Europe show how “transparency” advocates are winning

the Platform Transparency and Accountability Act, was introduced in December by (an ever-so-slightly) bipartisan group of senators.

“YouTube, TikTok, Telegram, and Snapchat represent some of the largest and most influential platforms in the United States, and they provide almost no functional transparency into their systems. And as a result, they avoid nearly all of the scrutiny and criticism that comes with it.”

When we do hear about what happens inside a tech company, it’s often because a Frances Haugen-type employee decides to leak it.

Cruz expressed great confusion about why he got relatively few new Twitter followers in the days before Elon Musk said he was going to buy it, but then got many more after the acquisition was announced.

The actual explanation is that Musk has lots of conservative fans, they flocked back to the platform when they heard he was buying it, and from there Twitter’s recommendation algorithms kicked into gear.

As usual, though, Europe is much further ahead of us. The Digital Services Act, which regulators reached an agreement on in April, includes provisions that would require big platforms to share data with qualified researchers. The law is expected to go into effect by next year. And so even if Congress dithers after today, transparency is coming to platforms one way or another. Here’s hoping it can begin to answer some very important questions.

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