Notes from the Electronic Cottage 5/7/20: COVID-19 and The Census

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

There are two very big things going on in our world right now: the Covid-19 pandemic and the US Census count. What might those two things have in common? The answer is the importance of trust on the part of those involved – trust that electronic efforts to track the spread of the disease will not compromise people’s privacy, and trust that the Census can generate information of great importance for the country as a whole without revealing sensitive data about individuals in the process. Here’s why there can be a problem and why that problem makes lots of people nervous.

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/30/20: COVID-19 and Digital Life 5

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

One of the good things about the Web is the access to information it offers to those with Internet connectivity, which is, unfortunately, not all of us. One of the bad things about the Web is the access to bad information it also makes available. When it comes to Covid-19 information, our lives depend on accurate information. Here are some web sites where we can find it.

Federation of American Scientists

World Association of Medical Editors

macintouch.com/coronavirus/

Covid-19 Date Resource Center

Centers for Disease Control

Maine CDC

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/23/20: COVID-19 and Digital Life 4

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Covid-19 is on everyone’s mind these days, as it should be. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other things happening in the digital world. Before we get back to Covid-19 digital tracking tech, let’s take a quick look at some other headlines that may have gotten missed as we all concentrate on the pandemic

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 4/9/20: COVID-19 and Digital Life

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Most of us are sheltering at home these days. For those with high speed Internet access, there are lots of opportunities to make that sheltering at home experience a bit more bearable. Unfortunately, that is far from everyone in Maine. Here are links to some of the items discussed on today’s program.

Here is some information about the Maine High Speed Infrastructure Bond Issue

Here are some links with info about free streaming options during the pandemic:

Here are some things that Zoom meeting convenors can do to keep their online meetings safer:

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/26/20: Digital Hygiene

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

In these days of the covid-19 virus, we are all hopefully practicing effective hygiene and following the advice of scientists so we can, as a community and country, get through this time minimizing damage as much as possible. Unfortunately, events that stir up our fears bring out all sorts of online low-lifes and trolls so practicing digital hygiene becomes even more important in scary times such as these. Here are some good digital hygiene hints.

And, by the way, the Digital Assistant that many people have in their homes can be a lot less clever about recognizing its “wake up” words than we might think, with not-so-good results. Check out Digital Trends: These Words Can Accidentally Activate a Smart Assistant

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Notes from the Electronic Cottage 3/19/20: Magical Thinking and Tech

Producer/Host: Jim Campbell

Technology is a powerful part of our everyday lives but, although it sometimes seems so, technology isn’t magic. That is something that some of our politicians and government leaders don’t always seem to understand. Two recent examples of that lack of understanding can have real consequences for our everyday lives.

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