1. Annual inflation rate hit 2.6% in October, meeting expectations  CNBC
2. Live: Analysis of US CPI Report for October  Bloomberg
3. Right before the election, inflation rose to 2.6 percent annual rate  The Washington Post
4. CPI Report: Live Updates on Inflation  The New York Times

1. Fact check: Amsterdam video doesn't show attack on Israelis  DW (English)
2. Opinion | A Worldwide ‘Jew Hunt’  The New York Times
3. Dutch lawmaker Wilders wants to deport those convicted of violence against Israeli soccer fans  ABC News
4. VIDEO: Tram set ablaze after violence erupted again in Amsterdam  CNN

1. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns in abuse fallout: All to know  Al Jazeera English
2. Archbishop of Canterbury Resigns Over U.K. Church Abuse Scandal  The New York Times
3. Why did Justin Welby fall so tragically short? Because he was preoccupied with efficiency, not listening  The Guardian
4. Church of England Leaders Kept Evangelical Beatings Secret  ChristianityToday.com
5. UK Priest Who Married Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Steps Down Over Child Abuse Scandal  NDTV

1. Republicans inch closer to US House majority, full control of Congress  Reuters
2. Republicans 2 seats away from House majority, giving Trump leeway to implement agenda  Fox News
3. State of Congress: Republicans near formal House majority  POLITICO

1. Who is Mike Huckabee, the evangelical, pro-settlement envoy to Israel?  Al Jazeera English
2. Mike Huckabee once said that ‘there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian’  CNN
3. Trump nominates Mike Huckabee for US ambassador to Israel  Fox News
4. Trump Picks Mike Huckabee, Former Arkansas Governor, for Ambassador to Israel  The New York Times

1. 'Taking revenge on society': Deadly Zhuhai car attack sparks questions in China  BBC.com
2. Man Upset About Divorce Allegedly Rams Car into Crowd, Killing 35: Reports  PEOPLE
3. Video: 35 killed in mass hit-and-run in Zhuhai, China  CNN
4. Driver rams his car into crowd in China, killing 35. Police say he was upset about his divorce  The Associated Press
5. Zhuhai car attack: China clears memorial as government scrambles to respond  Reuters

1. Why is Elon Musk becoming Donald Trump's efficiency adviser?  BBC.com
2. Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to lead Trump's Department of Government Efficiency  Fox News

Rap songs often come off as effortless, but they actually require a lot of time and effort to write. You need lyrics that are catchy yet real. You also need top-notch rhyme and rhythm. In a way, writing rap is not all that different from writing poetry. If you are struggling to write a rap song, then this wikiHow is for you.

It’s easy to wish you looked like or acted like someone else, or had the cushy job or great boyfriend that someone else has. No matter who you are, you can learn to be happy and fulfilled with your life. Take time to appreciate your talents and characteristics while forming a healthy body image and self-esteem. Focus on the positive aspects of your job, hobbies, and lifestyle. Fostering strong and close relationships can help you feel more satisfied and confident in your lifestyle.

Hoping to learn more about the world of palmistry? The love (or heart) line is a great place to start. Often considered one of the 3 most important lines on your palms, the love line provides a valuable glimpse into a person’s romantic and emotional tendencies. We’ve covered everything you need to know about this essential line, so you can have an easy time reading someone else’s palm—or even your own!

Texting is a fantastic way to connect with a guy that you're into, especially if you're nervous about talking in person. Sure, you can text whenever you want, but there are some key guidelines to follow so you don't overwhelm him or look desperate. Check out the following texting tips so you communicate with confidence.

Look for this symbol of good luck and connect with the spiritual worldDimes can have incredible spiritual meaning. Depending on when or where you found them or what side of the coin was facing up, they can be a sign from a departed loved one, an omen of good luck, a sign that your intentions are bringing the rewards you need, and more. In the article, we have all the answers to your questions. Let’s dive in.

Data gathered from several consulting firms by HT Digital indicated that Bengaluru has maintained its position as the top option for non-resident Indians wishing to invest in India’s residential real estate market, particularly those seeking affordable and mid-segment homes.  The … Continue reading →

The primary demand generators for Bengaluru’s office market are anticipated to be the technology, engineering, manufacturing, and BFSI sectors.  The Confederation of Indian Industry and CBRE report projects that Bengaluru, the country’s IT hub, will maintain its dominant position in … Continue reading →

Bengaluru’s rental housing market saw an average price correction of 5-10% during the April-June quarter of the current calendar year, according to local brokers who spoke with HT.com. This news should cheer up tenants in the city. The primary reasons … Continue reading →

Due to severe downturns in the global economy in 2023, the commercial real estate market saw a 66% annual decline in investments. Significant markets such as the US and Europe saw a 25% decline in leasing activity. The global commercial … Continue reading →

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to present Budget 2024 today, and the real estate industry anticipates that the government will prioritize affordable and middle-class housing in the plan. To increase affordability, it has advocated for an enlargement of the … Continue reading →

This year’s budget, which sets up the housing sector, will not only help the one crore urban poor and middle-class families who lack a place to reside.  It will also boost the real estate market and open new doors for … Continue reading →

The real estate industry in Mumbai has suffered the most as a result of the heavy rains and the numerous cases of waterlogging that have been reported. Real estate experts claim that between July and August, during the monsoon, walk-ins … Continue reading →

Mumbai’s wealthy citizens, who seek forward-thinking and upward-looking homes, prefer a novel idea of ultra-luxury living. In Mumbai, duplex and triplex apartments redefined the definition of living in luxury. Duplex and triplex apartments are becoming increasingly popular in Mumbai’s ultra-luxury … Continue reading →

This budget’s extensive measures demonstrate the government’s dedication to the real estate industry’s overall growth, which makes it a major driver of the country’s economic expansion.  The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, unveiled the 2024 Union Budget, which includes some ground-breaking … Continue reading →

Property in India’s Tier 2 cities has a bright future, presenting residents and investors with unmatched opportunities.  The global real estate market is changing dramatically, and new trends are changing the way cities expand and change. Greater infrastructure, faster urbanization, … Continue reading →

According to officials, the Noida Authority projects that in the fiscal year 2024-2025, it will sell group housing plots for a maximum of Rs 1,080 crore and commercial land parcels for Rs 1,010 crore.  According to people who know the … Continue reading →

Are you trying to find a cozy haven with a view of the city skyline? The desire for luxurious living is growing, and renowned builders like Nitara Projects are fostering this desire by offering strong, innovative, and tastefully designed premium … Continue reading →

By 2026, the SM REIT market could be worth over $60 billion. Over 350 million square feet of commercial office space are ready for investment. Among the top cities, Mumbai leads with 75 million square feet of SM REIT-ready office … Continue reading →

The Beats Solo 4 features enhanced sound quality, up to 40 hours of battery life, and seamless Apple device integration. These on-ear headphones combine style with premium audio performance in a striking Cloud Pink finish. Reasons to Buy What Makes It Stand Out The Solo 4 improves upon its predecessor with enhanced audio quality and stronger build […]

The Epson EcoTank ET-2800 features cartridge-free printing with supersized ink tanks and wireless connectivity. This all-in-one printer delivers exceptional value with up to two years of ink included in the box. Reasons to Buy What Makes It Stand Out The ET-2800 revolutionizes home printing with its refillable ink tank system. The included ink equivalent to about 90 […]

Try these 12 incredible iPhone tips and tricks for 2024 that will change the way you use your iPhone! From a hidden sleep timer in the Clock app to bypassing annoying ads in Safari WITHOUT an ad blocker, these hacks will save you time and headaches!

The Samsung EVO Select 1TB microSD features ultra-fast 160MB/s transfer speeds, comprehensive device compatibility, and Samsung’s 6-proof protection system. This high-capacity card provides reliable storage for mobile devices, gaming consoles, and cameras. Reasons to Buy What Makes It Stand Out The EVO Select combines massive storage with Samsung’s reliability. The included full-size SD adapter extends compatibility to […]

The XFX SPEEDSTER MERC319 features 16GB GDDR6 memory, advanced RDNA 3 architecture, and premium triple-fan cooling. This high-performance graphics card delivers excellent 1440p and 4K gaming capabilities. Reasons to Buy What Makes It Stand Out The MERC319 model represents XFX’s premium cooling solution. The triple-fan design and extended heatsink ensure lower temperatures and quieter operation compared to […]

The Nikon Z50 Two Lens Kit features a 20.9MP DX-format sensor, 4K video capabilities, and two versatile zoom lenses. This mirrorless camera kit provides a complete solution for both photography and videography. Reasons to Buy What Makes It Stand Out The Z50 combines Nikon’s mirrorless technology with a practical two-lens solution. The included VR (Vibration Reduction) lenses […]

The Sony XG300 Portable Speaker features IP67 waterproofing, powerful X-Balanced speakers, and up to 25 hours of battery life. This premium speaker combines durability with Sony’s signature sound quality. Reasons to Buy What Makes It Stand Out The XG300 delivers exceptional sound through Sony’s X-Balanced speaker units and dual passive radiators. The combination of MEGA BASS, ClearAudio+, […]

Doors are usually mundane, but these 16 different doors all hide terrible secrets behind them. Or do they?

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Reporters Without Borders reports today that Chinese authorities have stepped up Internet censorship to include blogging, closing two sites hosting blogs, Blogbus.com and and Blogcn.com.

Summary: The overhead of performing even simple tasks online is getting larger and larger. I question the security of almost all these supposedly "secure" messaging systems. And I'm tired of the 'Utopia of Rules' mindset pervasive in every organization. It's exhausting how they expect customers to constantly adapt to their needs.

I don't know if you recall the game Kerplunk. It's a classic children's game that has been around for decades. I remember playing it with my sister. The basic setup involves a transparent plastic tube, a number of sticks, and marbles. The sticks are threaded through the tube to form a web or nest at the bottom on which the marbles rest. We'd take turns removing a stick at a time, trying not to let any marbles fall through the web and out of the tube. At some point, the remaining sticks can't hold the marbles and everything falls down.

The modern web reminds me more and more of a big Kerplunk game and I think the marbles are about to fall. What started out as an easier way to do things like shop, bank, and get health care information has become increasingly complex over time. More and more of the email I receive seems to be simply directing me to log into some bespoke system to retrieve a message or engage in some workflow. And even with a password manager, the act of logging in is often a chore with different user interfaces, custom MFA requirements, and weird rules for passwords. Once you're on the system, session time-outs induce their own form of anxiety since stepping away for a few minutes to attend to something else might require going through the whole Kafkaesque process all over again. The modern web has turned into a dystopian theater of the absurd where even reading a simple appointment reminder from your doctor requires several minutes of stress-inducing interaction with baroque systems and processes.

And it's not just doctors, of course, banks, government agencies, hospitals, ecommerce sites, and customer service systems all adopt these special purpose messaging systems. If you ask these organizations why they use bespoke messaging systems, they'll list things like "timely and improved communication," "convenience," and "privacy and security." But the real reason is that it's more convenient for them because these systems are integrated with their backends and make their processes more manageable. There's certainly nothing about them that's more convenient, timely, or better than email for their customers¹.

I also question the privacy and security premise. Email can be insecure. And your email provider can see the contents of your emails. But the messaging system run by your doctor or bank is likely less secure than the email systems run by Apple, Google, and the others. And achieving privacy by making everything incompatible so that you have to use a different system for each correspondent is like chopping off your finger to prevent hangnails.

How did we get here? Bureaucracy. Not just government bureaucracy, but bureaucracy of all kinds. In Utopia of Rules², David Graeber talks about how power imbalances force the less powerful group to perform what he calls interpretive labor, the work of understanding and implementing what's better or more convenient for the more powerful partner. People are not equal participants in online interactions. We don't have the tools to be fully embodied online³. Because of this we are forced to play by the rules organizations online who are digitally embodied with servers, identity systems, customer management systems, and so on. And part of that is being forced to use their inconvenient and anemic messaging systems.

What's the answer? People need tools. I think digital wallets (a bad name for an important tool), autonomic (peer) identifiers with strong cryptography, and verifiable credentials are a huge step forward. These tools provide the means for people to be peers online rather that mere ghosts in someone else's machine. That's why I insist on using the term self-sovereign rather than decentralized to describe these systems. Cogito Ergo Sum.

Notes

1. For a deeper dive into why one-off messaging systems are never as good as email, see Rich Sharing and Personal Channels. Email and other useful messaging systems exhibit a property called rich sharing that makes them much more robust that the simple idea of "sharing a message" would bring to mind.
2. If you're interested in power imbalances and how they come about, I can't recommend Graeber's book highly enough. He had such a keen understanding of this problem and wrote about it in a way that's both informative and entertaining.
3. I talk about this in more detail in Chapter 17 of Learning Digital Identity when I discuss authentic digital relationships.

Photo Credit: Playing Kerplunk from DALL-E (public domain) Prompt: Draw a picture of a boy and girl playing kerplunk that's 1200x500 pixels

Tags: web identity authentication authorization verifiable+credentials

Summary: People aren't digitally embodied. As a result, their online relationships are anemic. As we think about the kinds of digital identity systems that will help people live authentic online lives, we must build identity systems that give people tools to operationalize rich digital relationships.

Identity is the ability to recognize, remember, and react to people, organizations, systems, and things. In the current web, companies employ many ponderous technological systems to perform those functions. In these systems, we are like ghosts in the machines. We have "accounts" in companies' systems, but no good way to recognize, remember, and react to them or anyone else. We are not digital embodied.

One of the great benefits of embodiment is the ability to form and operationalize rich digital relationships. I've written a lot about the nature of digital relationships.

• Relationships and Identity
• Authentic Digital Relationships
• Ephemeral Relationships
• Operationalizing Digital Relationships
• Relationships in the Self-Sovereign Internet of Things
• The Architecture of Identity Systems
• Are Transactional Relationships Enough?
• Fluid Multi-Pseudonymity

One of the discussions at VRM Day caused me to think about a feature of digital relationships I hadn't considered before. Someone said that if you think about a graph with people (or things, organizations, and so on) as the nodes, the relationships are the edges, like so¹:

In this figure Alice and Bob have a bi-directional relationship. This is how I've normally thought about it and how I'd have drawn it. But in today's discussion, someone said that the relationship is shared and that Alice and Bob both control it. But I realized that viewpoint is too simple. Specifically, Alice and Bob each have a different perspective of that relationship and will use it separately.

For example, imagine that Alice is the cashier at a grocery store and Bob is a customer. Alice gives great service, so Bob seeks her out when he shops. Alice on the other hand has no particular recollection of Bob from encounter to encounter. For Alice, the relationship is ephemeral, but for Bob, it's longer term. The nature of each relationship is different. So, we might look at it like this:

But after discussing it some more, I realized that these relationships aren't independent. They're entangled like this:

In the example I gave above, as Bob seeks out Alice more and more, Alice might come to recognize him and call him by name, changing the nature of her relationship with Bob. And that may influence the nature of Bob's relationship with Alice. Over time, these interactions influence both relationships. So, while Alice and Bob both have control over their relationship with the other, actions by one influence the other.

I frequently say that we don't build identity systems to manage identities, but rather to manage relationships. The problem with contemporary identity systems is that they are all one sided, controlled by one party—almost always a company. As I've said before, people are not digitally embodied and thus have no good way to manage their online relationships. As we strive to build better digital identity systems, I think it's paramount that we build systems that provide people with tools that embody them and provide them with the ability to operationalize their online relationships. These are more than decentralized; they are self-sovereign.

Notes

1. Peer decentralized identifiers (DIDs) are a great technology for creating bi-directional relationships.

Tags: identity relationships

Summary: The abundance of X.509 certificate authorities who already perform identity proofing for businesses provides a rich resource that can be leveraged to boot the verifiable data ecosystem.

When you used a verifiable credential to prove something about yourself, the verifier can know cryptographically: (1) the identifiers for the issuer, (2) the credential hasn't been tampered with, (3) the credential was issued to you, and (4) the credential hasn't been revoked. These four checks are important because their establish the fidelity of the data being transferred. They don't, however, tell them whether they can trust the issuer. For that, they need to take the issuer's decentralized identifier (DID) that they got from credential presentation and determine who it belongs to.

At the most recent Internet Identity Workshop, Drummond Reed gave a session on how X.509 certificates could help with this. The first step, like always, is to resolve the DID and retrieve the DIDDoc that associates keys and endpoints with the DID. The endpoint can be an HTTP server and, of course, should have an X.509 certificate providing TLS security. That certificate, at the very least, has a a domain name to bind that to the certificate's public key. It can, if you pay for the feature, also include information about the entity that applied for the certificate. The certificate authority proofs that information and is vouching for it when they sign the certificate.

The key to making the X.509 certificate useful for checking the provenance of a DID lies in one key change. X.509 certificates can contain and extended field called a Subject Alternative Name. This following figure shows how it can help.

In this figure:

1. The issuer (Attestor) creates the DID they will use to issue the certificate along with its associated DIDDoc, including an HTTP endpoint for DID verification.
2. Attestor applies for a X.509 certificate for that endpoint, including in the application the DID they created in (1).
3. The certificate authority does it's usual proofing of the application and issues a certificate that includes the DID in the Subject Alternative Name field.
4. The issuer creates a credential definition in the usual way that includes their DID and writes it to whatever Verifiable Data Registry their DID method dictates.
5. Attestor issues a credential to a holder (Alice) using that credential definition.
6. At some later time, Alice presents the credential to the verifier (Certiphi).
7. Certiphi resolves the DID to get the DIDDoc and retrieves the verfication endpoint from the DIDDoc
8. Certiphi retrieves the certificate for that endpoint¹.
9. Certiphi verifies the certificate by checking it's signature and ensures that the DID in the DIDDoc for the credential matches the one in certificate.²

The issuer's DID has now been tied in a verifiable way to whatever information is in the certificate. Provided the certificate includes information about the entity beyond the domain name, the verifier can use that information to determine whether or not the credential is authentic (i.e., issued by who the credential definition purports issued it). That might be all the evidence they need to determine whether to trust the entity. Certificate authorities could also issue verifiable credentials to the customer attesting the same verified claims—after all, it's one more product they can offer.

The benefit of doing issuer validation using X.509 certificates is that there are already many trusted X.509 certificate authorities in business who already do proofing of attributes about businesses. That's a huge chunk of the verifiable data ecosystem that doesn't need to be built because it can be leveraged. To make this work, digital certificate authorities would need to start offering to validate DIDs and include them in a certificate as a Subject Alternative Name. I don't discount that this will take some bureaucratic maneuvering. Certificate authorities will need to see a business opportunity. I'd love to see Digitcert or someone do a pilot on this.

Notes

1. Note that this step might be combined with the previous step if the Verifiable Data Registry is the same server as the endpoint, but that's not necessarily going to be the case for a number of reasons.
2. Note that this does not create a call back wherein Attestor can determine which credential was used, preserving the privacy of the presentation. Attestor does know one of its credentials has been presented to Certiphi. If this information leakage bothers you, then any web-based DID method is potentially a problem.

Tags: identity ssi decentralized+identifiers verifiable+credentials x.509

Summary: I'm fairly certain that what I write here won't change the minds that need changing. But I feel like I need to make a statement anyway: your vote is secure.

There's a lot of fear mongering about the security of elections. I've wanted to discuss this for a while. I have several things in my background that have given me insight into how elections work. I was the CIO for the State of Utah. I was a member of the Lt Governor of Utah's voting equipment selection committee. And I've been involved in identity and security for several decades.

Let me give you the headline up front: committing election fraud in a way that changes the result is difficult, nearly impossible. Let's examine how elections are run and how fraud could happen to see why.

First a caveat: there is no single way that US elections are run. Elections in the US are quite decentralized. Each state has different election laws and in most cases the mechanics of running an election are given over to county clerks who must follow state law, but also have freedom to create their own workflows and processes within that law. There are 3244 counties in the US. The analysis that follows is generalized and likely more true of Utah, which I'm very familiar with, than other places. Still, I think the big ideas are largely the same everywhere.

The process of voting is divided into two parts: (1) voter registration and (2) voting. This is important because most people who make up scenarios to convince you that voting is insecure usually ignore voter registration. Registration requires that you provide an address. This is an important piece of information because if you're voting by mail, it's where the ballot will be mailed. If you're voting in person, you need to vote at a specific polling place depending on your address.

When you vote, you either mail back the ballot that was mailed to you at the address you provided or you go to your assigned polling place and fill out a ballot (usually via a voting machine). In either case, the ballot presented to you depends on your address since the candidates listed on your ballot depend on your voting precinct. Also, as of 2024, 35 states require voters to present identification at the polling place in order to vote. Of those that don't, many require it for voters who are voting for the first time after their registration.

Now, let's examine voting fraud and how it might work. One important factor is scale. You need to commit fraud at a scale necessary to impact the outcome. For small elections (say a single state legislative race or a small school board election) you don't need to change a lot of votes to change the outcome in a tight race—hundreds of votes might do it. For larger elections, like the presidential election, scale is a significant issue. I'm going to focus on presidential elections since they are the most consequential. Less consequential elections are not likely to attract the kind of money and talent necessary to commit election fraud.

A second factor is stealth. You have to keep the fraud from being discovered so that it's not reversed. Proving consequential fraud would likely result in the election being challenged and rerun. You don't have to identify who did it, just prove that it was done. So election fraud is much more dependent on not being discovered than commercial transaction fraud where the loss is likely to only be recoverable if the identity of the perpetrator is known.

The nature of presidential elections is greatly influenced by the electoral college system. You need to influence the votes in enough states to swing that state's electoral votes to the candidate you favor. You don't want to commit fraud where it's not needed because you'll waste money while increasing your chances of discovery. So, selecting the states where you want to commit fraud is critical. Each of those states will have different requirements, so you'll have to tailor your attack to each of them. Furthermore, you'll have to tailor your attack to each voting precinct within the counties you determine are the most likely to impact the election.

There are a few ways to attack an election:

• Sending your people to vote—for this to work, your fake voters have to have been registered and, in most cases, provide some form of ID. To register, they need a plausible address. The election office might not notice if one or two extra people with different last names are registered at a specific address, but they might if this is systematic or if an unreasonable number of people register at the same address. Remember that elections are run at the county level, so you have to assume that the election workers have a good understanding of the local environment. These fake voters now have to go to many different polling locations and cast a vote. They can't easily cast multiple ballots at the same polling location since the poll workers might remember them. So, you need lots of people going to lots of different polling locations.
• Intercepting mail-in ballots—for this to work, you have to register at someone else's home address and then get to the mail before they do or steal their ballots after they've filled them in and change the vote. This requires lots of people. You can't do this remotely. It requires "boots on the ground" as the saying goes. Furthermore, those people are exposed since they're looking in mailboxes in neighborhoods where they don't live. Doable, but not very stealthy.
• Paying people to vote—for this to work, you have to contact a lot of people, convince them to commit fraud, and then be satisfied with the fact that you'll never know if they voted for your candidate or not because ballots are secret. They could take your money and vote for whoever they want. Or just not vote at all unless you're supervising them, an activity that will call attention to you and your agents.
• Replacing real ballots with fake ones—for this to work, you have to create realistic facimiles of real ballots for many different polling places (remember they're different because of overlapping jurisdictions), intercept the ballots somewhere in transit or on delivery, and replace the real ballots with ones that you've filled out for your candidate. This likely involves subverting county election workers. Not just one, but many. Again, the risk of discovery goes up with each contact.
• Destroying ballots—for this to work, you need to destroy ballots that are for the candidate you don't want to win. You could simple destroy ballots without regard to how they're filled, but this won't assure you'll meet your goal. To be effective, you have to just destroy the ones for the other candidate and leave the ones for your candidate. Again, you will have to subvert election workers to get your hands on the ballots and determine who the ballot is for.
• Changing the results after the ballots are counted—for this to work, you have to either hack the machines that record the vote or hack the machines that are tabulating the vote. Hacking the machines won't work if the machines keep a paper audit trail and it's used to audit results. Hacking the tabulators means getting access to those machines. Recall those are kept at the county level, so you have to hack many in different locations unless a single county can swing the election your way.

I hope all of this has at least given you a feel for the scale and scope of the problem. Pulling it off successfully without anyone knowing it happened is a difficult problem. Each method involves many people being let in on the secret—in some cases a lot of people. This isn't an operation that a small group of hackers can reliably pull off. Having lots of people involved increases the chances that you'll be discovered. The decentralized and distributed nature of how elections are run is a feature and makes elections more secure and trustworthy.

On top of all this, election officials aren't stupid, lazy, or inept. Sure, you're going to find a few who are. But as a rule the elections officials I've interacted with at the state and county level are professionals who are attuned to these dangers and take active steps to protect against them. They are usually happy to talk about how they operate and will respond to polite requests for information about how they audit systems and the processes they have in place to protect the vote.

As an aside, do you know what's easier than committing election fraud? Using social media to convince people that election fraud is happening to reduce confidence in the election and sow discontent. Then you can use that discontent to challenge a legitimate election and maybe change the outcome. Ask yourself which is more likely.

Successfully changing the results of a presidential election isn't impossible. But the odds of doing so and not leaving any evidence—the perfect crime—are vanishingly small. I have confidence in the security of the US election system.

Photo Credit: Voting from DALL-E (public domain) Prompt: Draw a horizontal picture of a woman casting a ballot with a ballot box

Tags: voting identity security government

Kyra Wilson, Aylin Caliskan, Proceedings of the AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society, Nov 13, 2024

The topic of AI-based recruitment and hiring has been discussed here before and research continues apace. This item (13 page PDF), despite the characterization in GeekWire, is a fairly narrow study. It looks at three text-embedding models based on Mistral-7B-v0.1, and tests for gender and racial bias on applications containing name and position only, and name and position and some content (the paper discusses removing the name but does do it). The interesting bit is that intersectional bias (ie., combining gender and race) is not merely a combination of the separate biases; while separate biases exaggerated the discrimination, "intersectional results, on the other hand, do correspond more strongly to real-world discrimination in resume screening." Via Lisa Marie Blaschke, who in turn credits Audrey Watters.

Anna Mills, Bluesky Social, Nov 13, 2024

The most interesting migration in social media these days is from twitter to Bluesky. Here are two approaches to making it easier: the first is a 'starter pack' on people in AI and education. It makes use of the Bluesky Lists feature or the Bluesky Starter Pack. In the same genre, here's a Tech Media Starter Pack. The second, via Miguel Guhlin, is based on a hashtag with members listed on a Google Docs spreadsheet. It's cleverly done. You have to apply to be listed on the spreadsheet, and to be accepted you have to use the #Edusky hashtag in your account on Bluesky. Viral. Here's the Edusky feed.

Paula MacDowell, Kristin Moskalyk, Katrina Korchinski, Dirk Morrison, Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, Nov 13, 2024

This paper reports on a process where thirty-five teachers enrolled in an elective three-credit multimedia design course "engaged in experiential activities focussed on developing artificial intelligence (AI) literacy, alongside a collaborative assignment to co-author an open-access textbook, Teaching and Creating With Generative Artificial Intelligence." In the process, "the Student Artificial Intelligence Literacy (SAIL) framework was developed (illustrated)." The paper concludes with the usual recommendations ('do no harm', 'develop communication skills', etc.). Each participant wrote a chapter, though a common template was used. I very much like the idea of producing a useful open resource as part of class activities. Oddly, the article doesn't provide a link to the textbook, but I found it here. It's a nice selection of 'how-to' articles that readers, I think, will find useful. One chapter (chapter 20 1/2?) is missing.

Alexandra Mihai, The Educationalist, Nov 13, 2024

Interesting commentary on the state of research in educational technology today and what's missing. What's missing? Research that links theory through technology to needs and practices (so I summarize). Thus, Alexandra Mihai looks for "insights into how educational technology can enhance the learning process" and "how technology can contribute to addressing the increasing diversity of our learner population." Mihai also considers the impact of AI on the research process, suggesting "it's so important to maintain our agency in the research and writing process." I don't think education as a discipline has come to terms enough with how people actually learn, which (to me) explain the persistence of the sort of teacher- and institution-focused approaches Mihai asks for here.

Michael Franco, New Atlas, Nov 13, 2024

The depth and detail in this paper (8 page PDF) are daunting, but the gist, as summarized in this post, is straightforward: provided only with observations of a human cleaning (" using a so-called instrumented tool, which is a standard tool equipped with additional sensors") the front of an ordinary sink, a robot arm learn to clean entire sinks with varying surface topology. "The model implicitly learned the correct
tool orientation and position w.r.t. the freeform 3D surface." Michael Franco speculates, "a fleet of robots could learn the basic moves from each other through what's known as 'federated learning' and then they could apply those moves to their individual, specified tasks."