1,359 search results

Fake news, filter bubbles and Facebook
Science, Maths & Technology

Fake news, filter bubbles and Facebook

...write, ‘Knowing real news from fake news, discerning fact from opinion and opinion from propaganda — these are learned skills’. Along with the influence of filter bubbles, fake news - and the role this might have played in paving the way for Trump’s victory – has been another major talking point. Everyone from the pope and Hillary Clinton has weighed in on the...
The difference between the Mexican Wall and the Muslim Ban
Society, Politics & Law

The difference between the Mexican Wall and the Muslim Ban

...writes, when the racism label is applied indiscriminately, this de-sensitizes people to this charge. This permits real racism to be smuggled past conservatives who may once have resisted it. It also creates resentment and polarization. Those who feel a wall is justified but are uneasy about Trump’s remarks about Mexicans are pushed into the hardline corner because there...
Does maths offer a better model for multi-candidate elections?
Science, Maths & Technology

Does maths offer a better model for multi-candidate elections?

...writings about voting.) Condorcet suggested that, if an absolute majority – more than half the voters – prefers Candidate X to Candidate Y, then Candidate Y should not be the winner. That seems very reasonable. Why not make the majority happier by making X the winner? Unfortunately, when there are more than two candidates, this principle can easily rule out everyone....
Using digital tools to save languages
Languages

Using digital tools to save languages

...writing systems, and their work allows us today to discover many fascinating stories from those cultures. While it is interesting and advantageous to know more than one language, our native language is particularly important, as it is the tool in which we most easily encode and decode our emotions, our stories, and our secrets. If we don’t start documenting languages...
Stephen Hawking: The tributes
Science, Maths & Technology

Stephen Hawking: The tributes

...writings were inspirational to many scientists and enriched the lives of millions with the latest science and cosmic perspectives. He was also wonderfully funny with a fantastic media savviness that propelled him into A-list celebrity stardom as few other scientists before. Through it all, of course, his illness made his achievements near-superhuman. How he manipulated...
Rare diseases: low numbers, high impact
Science, Maths & Technology

Rare diseases: low numbers, high impact

...writing, around 7,000 rare diseases have been described. Over 80% of those affect less than 1 in 1 million people (so they are very rare). However, new rare diseases are constantly being described, so this number is continuously increasing. In the UK, around 3.5 million individuals have a rare disease. It is estimated that over the whole lifetime, around 1 in 17 people...
Getting started with a Password Manager
Digital & Computing

Getting started with a Password Manager

...an email asking you to authenticate any new computers or phones before it will allow you to use the application on those devices. This is done to help prevent your LastPass details being stored on machines you do not control. In case anyone was worried, I changed my Google password again after writing this – so the password you can see above isn’t my actual password....
28 July 2005: 4 o'clock and all is well
OpenLearn Ireland

28 July 2005: 4 o'clock and all is well

...writing over several decades has chronicled the long transition from conflict to peace. It goes beneath the surface to explore the detailed happenings behind the headlines, and to add understanding to the complexities of peacebuilding. In his latest archive publication, Rowan follows the signposts on the road from 2005 to 2010; that end to the armed campaign, the...