home.social

#publicgood — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #publicgood, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Scientific Reports: How to detect information voids using longitudinal data from social media and web searches. “The model of the attention economy, where content producers compete for the attention of users, relies on two key forces: information supply and demand. This study leverages the feedback loop between these forces to develop a method for detecting and quantifying information voids, […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/09/13/scientific-reports-how-to-detect-information-voids-using-longitudinal-data-from-social-media-and-web-searches/
  2. The Conversation: Meta‑backed research finds exposure to ‘untrustworthy’ social media is rare. The fine print is less reassuring. “A new study published today in Science Advances offers the most rigorous answers yet. It comes from a collaboration between Meta and academic researchers who studied the 2020 United States election. It was run from inside the machine – on the live feeds of […]

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/31/the-conversation-meta-backed-research-finds-exposure-to-untrustworthy-social-media-is-rare-the-fine-print-is-less-reassuring/
  3. Associated Press: YouTube joins Meta in appealing a jury verdict that faulted them for users’ social media addiction. “YouTube has appealed the verdict of a landmark social media addiction lawsuit in Los Angeles, seeking to challenge the jury’s determination that the company designed its platform to hook young users without concern for their well-being.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/07/17/associated-press-youtube-joins-meta-in-appealing-a-jury-verdict-that-faulted-them-for-users-social-media-addiction/
  4. Watching A #NOAA #Webinar on Flash Droughts
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    noaaresearch.webex.com/wbxmjs/ <-- shared NOAA Summer Science Series individual webinar
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    drought.gov/what-is-drought/fl <-- shared NOAA overview technical article
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    star.nesdis.noaa.gov/star/NOAA <-- subscribe to the NOAA Summer Science Series
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    doi.org/10.1038/s41612-024-006 <-- shared paper
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    communities.springernature.com <-- shared technical article (derived from paper above)
    H/T @Jeffrey Basara PhD, MBA | Chair and Professor - Department of Environmental, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell | Co-Founder - American Prime Sustainable Solutions
    [Flash floods? not TOO hard to conceptualise.
    Flash drought? harder to 'get my head around', but H/T / presenter does an excellent job!]
    "Not all droughts are the same. In some cases, drought rapidly intensifies at subseasonal to seasonal scales with significant impacts to agriculture and water resources along with the increased propensity for heatwaves and wildfires. Like all droughts, flash drought begins with a precipitation deficit. However, both evaporative demand and soil moisture are critical flash drought variables, and identifying and monitoring the desiccation of the terrestrial surface is key for determining flash drought development and associated impacts. While recent advances in knowledge and monitoring of flash drought have occurred, fundamental questions remain in the state of the science. What are the overall mechanistic relationships between atmospheric demand, evaporative stress, terrestrial desiccation, and precipitation that drive the progression of flash drought? Do regional characteristics of the environment impact the evolution of flash drought? What are the scales of predictability for flash drought? Finally, how will flash drought frequency and intensity evolve in a changing climate system"
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    "Flash drought intensifies rapidly due to changes in precipitation, temperature, wind, and radiation. These changes in the weather increase evapotranspiration and lower soil moisture. Flash droughts can cause extensive damage to agriculture, economies, and ecosystems if they are not predicted and discovered early..."
    #water #hydrology #fedscience #publicgood #hydrologicdrought #waterdeficit #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #watersecurity #risk #hazard #humanimpacts #streamflow #riverflow #groundwater #surfacewater #climate #weather #climatechange #extremeweather #atmosphere #metrology #regional #global #farming #agriculture #fluvial #pluvial #rainfall #precipitation #cloudcover #energy #heat #temperature #ET #evapotranspiration #farming #agriculture #foodsecurity #waterresources #dynamicsystems #watermanagement #flashdrought #drought #susceptibility #monitoring #prediction #model #modeling
    @noaa

  5. If Acts Happened Today, Would We Call It Communism?

    For many, "communism" has become less a political philosophy and more a conversation stopper. But is every effort to use our shared resources to care for the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable really communism? This article examines the difference between political labels and biblical principles, comparing the teachings of the early Church with today's political rhetoric.

    polymathchristian.wordpress.co

  6. Reuters: Meta faces New Mexico trial that could force changes to Facebook, other platforms. “The case, which will be tried before a judge in Santa Fe, stems from ‌a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, accusing the social media giant of designing its products to addict young users and failing to protect ‌children from sexual exploitation on its platforms.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/05/02/reuters-meta-faces-new-mexico-trial-that-could-force-changes-to-facebook-other-platforms/
  7. Associated Press: Jurors wade through daunting evidence in high-stakes Meta trial about social media risks to children. “A daunting stream of testimony and evidence has been presented in a New Mexico case that explores what the social media conglomerate Meta knew about the effects of its platforms on children.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/03/21/associated-press-jurors-wade-through-daunting-evidence-in-high-stakes-meta-trial-about-social-media-risks-to-children/
  8. Associated Press: Lawyers in landmark social media addiction trial make final appeals to the jury. “After about a month of hearing from addiction experts, therapists, platform engineers and executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, 12 jurors heard closing arguments before deciding whether social media companies should be liable for harms caused to children using their platforms.”

    https://rbfirehose.com/2026/03/13/associated-press-lawyers-in-landmark-social-media-addiction-trial-make-final-appeals-to-the-jury/
  9. USGS topoBuilder Milestone of 1 Million Maps Delivered
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    usgs.gov/programs/national-geo <-- USGS topoBuilder Open Source / Open Data creation page, make your own custom USGS ‘topo map’!
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    “Each year, [the #USGS has] seen steady growth in map requests, underscoring the public’s trust and appreciation for these innovative products.
    This [USGS topoBuilder Milestone of 1 Million Maps Delivered] is a testament to the dedication and expertise of colleagues across the National Geospatial Program and the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center. The success of topoBuilder is built on the collective efforts behind The National Map...
    [The USGS] has modernized and advanced #topographic mapping…”
    #GIS #spatial #mapping #NGP #NGTOC #usecase #fedscience #fedservive #topomap #ondemand #custom #USGS #topobuilder #opendata #publicservice #publicgood #milestone #TNM #NationalMap #free #recreation #usecase #agriculture #hiking
    @USGS

  10. @mittechreview @mit-technology-review-mittechreview
    As we have observed from the #oligopolistic #BigTech in the past two decades, these unbridled #capitalistic endeavors do not lend themselves to #selfregulation for the #publicgood. Likewise, it will be naive to carry-on hoping that #OpenAI and the other #generativeAI players will #selfregulate. That's the #duty of elected #governments and #public #agencies, and the promulgation of effective #AI #regulations is now #longOverdue!