It certainly didn't take long for AI's other shoe to drop, what with the emergent technology already being perverted to commit confidence scams and generate spam content. We can now add censorship to that list as the Globe Gazette reports the school board of Mason City, Iowa has begun leveraging AI technology to cultivate lists of potentially bannable books from the district's libraries ahead of the 2023/24 school year. In May, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed, and Governor Kim Reynolds subsequently signed, Senate File 496 (SF 496), which enacted sweeping changes to the state's education curriculum. Specifically it limits what books can be made available in school libraries and classrooms, requiring titles to be "age appropriate” and without “descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act,” per Iowa Code 702.17.But ensuring that every book in the district's archives adhere to these new rules is quickly turning into a mammoth undertaking. "Our classroom and school libraries have vast collections, consisting of texts purchased, donated, and found," Bridgette Exman, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction at Mason City Community School District, said in a statement. "It is simply not feasible to read every book and filter for these new requirements." As such, the Mason City School District is bringing in AI to parse suspect texts for banned ideas and descriptions since there are simply too many titles for human reviewers to cover on their... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2023-08-14 20:25:41 UTC ]
Thanks to algorithms, our digital worlds are created for us, not by us. As a result, libraries are seen by some as scary because they reach an entire community—not just an individual. That, plus this week's book censorship news. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-02-09 12:30:00 UTC ]
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The Raspberry Pi dominated the maker scene for a decade. Supply chain problems then brought the high flying to an end. With the Raspberry Pi 5, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is now attempting to break free. The new Raspberry Pi 5 model is two to three times faster than its predecessors.... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2024-02-07 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Librarians and Archivists with Palestine—a network of information workers in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for self-determination—yesterday released a report detailing the archives, libraries, and museums in Gaza that have been destroyed, damaged, or looted by Israeli armed forces... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-02-06 17:22:05 UTC ]
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Free operating systems based on the Linux operating system kernel invented and published by Linus Torvalds are now a serious alternative to Windows, not least due to the wide range of open source software on offer. We reveal the six most ingenious free applications under Linux, which... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2024-02-01 14:00:00 UTC ]
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The American Booksellers Association has established a partnership with Columbia University Libraries to house its archives at the university's rare book and manuscript library. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-02-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Among the week's headlines: LibLearnX 2024 is in the books; Oklahoma appoints a conservative media provocateur to a key post; and new bills emerge to defend libraries and the freedom to read. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The results are in for three surveys of more than 3,000 parents asking about their perceptions of libraries, librarians, and book bans. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-01-18 16:40:10 UTC ]
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PW spoke with Tony Lutkus, president of Diamond Book Distributors, about the evolution of the graphic novel category over the last two decades, a few of the titles he's excited about dropping in the coming season, and how bringing more graphic titles into bookstores and libraries can subtly... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Engadget readers like yourself are probably more tech savvy than the average person. That means you may get roped into helping older family members with email woes, new phone setups, or deciphering if a message is legit or a phishing scam. In my family, I’ve become my mother’s unofficial IT... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-01-15 14:00:13 UTC ]
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Though they’re sometimes characterized as attention-addled homebodies, younger people see a real value in libraries − one that goes beyond books. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2024-01-12 13:28:57 UTC ]
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Public libraries need to prepare for what's happening at school libraries to happen to them. That, plus this week's book censorship news. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-01-12 11:40:00 UTC ]
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Among this week's headlines: EveryLibrary updates its “legislation to watch” tracker for 2024; Indiana lawmakers take aim at how libraries are funded in the state; and the Los Angeles Public Library gets into publishing. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Another year, another record: OverDrive reps reported this week that 152 libraries around the world reached million-checkout milestone last year, including 23 first-timers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-01-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Connect with book lovers all over the world by following 17 of the best bookstores and libraries on TikTok. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-01-09 11:36:00 UTC ]
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The data supports the work of libraries and library workers far more than it doesn't. That, plus this week's book censorship news. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-01-05 11:40:00 UTC ]
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A federal judge has blocked two key portions of an Iowa law that sought to ban books with sexual content from Iowa schools and to bar classroom discussion of gender identity and sexuality for students below the seventh grade. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-29 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Handheld gaming systems are having a moment. While gaming on the go has been a thing since the Game Boy, the success of the Nintendo Switch and a string of ever-improving processors have brought an eruption of devices that let you play all sorts of games anywhere you want. Because new models... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-12-22 15:00:18 UTC ]
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A federal judge is set to rule before the end of the year on two lawsuits seeking to block a controversial new Iowa law, SF 496, that would ban books with sexual content from Iowa classrooms and school libraries. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bless me, Gaben, for I have sinned. In a moment of weakness I turned off the adult content filters in my Steam search, and now my game library has been tainted by the shame of tender, undulating flesh rendered in Unreal Engine. But fear not, fellow naughty gamers: Steam will soon let you... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-12-21 15:29:02 UTC ]
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95% of parents believe every school should have a library, but 60% also believe those libraries should have restrictions. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-12-20 13:21:21 UTC ]
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