James Neal
Civil Servant: Urban explorer | Access/Equity - Libraries - Technology (Views are my own) - jazz, art, literature, film, food ...
Longform Podcast #584: Ta-Nehisi Coates · Longformlongform.org Ta-Nehisi Coates is an author and journalist. His next book is The Message. “I don’t think we have the luxury as journalists of avoiding things because people might say bad things about us. I don’t ev...
$5.5 Million Grant from Eric and Wendy Schmidt to Expand NPR Collaborative Journalism Networkwww.npr.org The grant will enable public radio stations to reach and serve more communities with local, multi-platform public service journalism.
Kara Walker Is No One’s Robotwww.nytimes.com At SFMOMA, the artist enacts a parable about trauma and healing in Black life — and makes her first foray into robotics. “I went down a little sci-fi rabbit hole the last couple years working on this ...
‘You cannot do mass surveillance privately, full stop’: Signal boss hits out at government encryption-busting moveswww.theguardian.com A ‘legitimate grievance’ with big tech firms is being used by police as a pretext to undermine privacy, Meredith Whittaker says
How Black Librarians Helped Create Generations of Black Literaturewww.nytimes.com Recent scholarship is uncovering the role of the women who ran libraries during the Harlem Renaissance where they built collections and, just as important, communities of writers and readers.
What Happened to Edwin Forrest’s Burned First Folio? The Power of Cataloguing and the Logic of Discoveryacademic.oup.com Before staging its 2011 exhibition, “Fame, Fortune, & Theft: The Shakespeare First Folio,” the Folger Shakespeare Library requested the loan of an unus
“Reasonable” Cybersecurity in Forty-Seven Cases: The Federal Trade Commission’s Enforcement Actions Against Unfair and Deceptive Cyber Practicesdfrlab.org This report examines FTC cases from the past two decades to identify the lessons these cases hold for policymakers considering how to craft consumer cybersecurity standards in the future.
Looking Back to Move Forward - Virginia Humanitiesvirginiahumanities.org In her 16-year journey with VH, Sue Perdue has always strived to connect the past with the present in meaningful and sometimes surprising ways.
Broadband subsidies for rural Americans are ending, putting telehealth at riskwww.npr.org Myrna Broncho relies on broadband for medical care after a bad injury on her ranch. She's among millions facing a jump in costs or lost connections if the Affordable Connectivity Program expires.
U.S. Department of the Treasury, IRS Announce Direct File as Permanent Free Tax Filing Option, All 50 States and D.C. Invited to Join in Filing Season 2025home.treasury.gov New Free Tool Made Possible by Resources from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction ActWASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that Direct File will be a permanent, free tax filing option and invited all 50 states and the District of Columbia to join in Filing Season 2025. This announcement follows a successful Pilot Program that saw 140,000 taxpayers claim more than $90 million in refunds and save an estimated $5.6 million in filing costs. Direct File was made possible by resources from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to invest in the IRS and deliver world-class service to American taxpayers that saves them time and money. The Treasury Department’s goal in the coming years is to expand the reach and tax scope of Direct File to provide an option for working-and middle-class taxpayers nationwide. “President Biden is committed to saving Americans time and money and ensuring families receive the tax benefits they’re owed. Providing a free tool to all Americans who want the option to file directly with the IRS is key to achieving those goals,” said U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. “After a successful pilot, we are making Direct File permanent and inviting all 50 states to offer this free filing option to their residents. The Treasury Department and IRS look forward to working with states to expand Direct File for Americans across the country.”Direct File is central to the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to deliver modern, world-class customer service using Inflation Reduction Act resources. Direct File also advances a goal of the IRS’s Strategic Operation Plan (SOP) to ensure that taxpayers receive tax credits that they are eligible for, like the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. The IRS will continue to improve the product over time and ensure that it remains free, secure, and easy to use.Background on the Direct File Pilot ProgramThe average American spends $270 and 13 hours filing their taxes. (Taxpayer Burden Survey) President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act required the IRS to study the potential for an IRS-run Direct e-File System that would allow taxpayers to file taxes for free, directly with the IRS. After reviewing the report, which showed strong taxpayer interest in a free IRS filing option, the Treasury Department initiated a pilot of IRS Direct File during the 2024 Filing Season.In Filing Season 2024, Direct File was available to taxpayers with simple tax situations in 12 states. The Pilot exceeded expectations with more than 140,000 Americans successfully filing in the five weeks the program was widely available following extensive product testing. These filers claimed more than $90 million in refunds and saved an estimated $5.6 million in tax preparation fees on their federal returns alone.Direct File users also reported a high degree of satisfaction and quick answers to their filing questions. In a GSA Touchpoints survey of more than 11,000 Direct File users, 90 percent of respondents ranked their experience with Direct File as “Excellent” or “Above Average.” A majority of survey respondents who filed taxes in the prior year reported having to pay to prepare their taxes last year. Among survey respondents, 47 percent of users paid to file their taxes last year and 16 percent did not file last year at all. In Treasury and IRS engagements with Direct File users, taxpayers relayed that Direct File was straightforward to use, and they valued features that allowed them to learn more about different tax situations, credits, and deductions. Taxpayers emphasized their appreciation for the fact that Direct File is always free and there are no hidden fees or attempts to upsell users as they moved through the filing process. Taxpayers also shared that filing directly with the IRS gave them confidence and that they were able to quickly fix mistakes and get their taxes filed accurately. After engaging directly with users to hear about their experience, reviewing results from a GSA touchpoints survey, and analyzing additional data, IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel recommended to Secretary Yellen to make Direct File permanent. He cited overwhelming satisfaction from users, improved ease of tax filing, and lower costs for taxpayers among the reasons for his recommendation, which Secretary Yellen has accepted.###
Seattle Public Library Website and Ebook Lending Are Down Following Ransomware Attackgizmodo.com Physical books, CDs, and DVDs can still be checked out using paper forms.
Ransomware Group Claims Responsibility for Christie’s Hackwww.nytimes.com The hacking group RansomHub is threatening to release “sensitive personal information” about the auction house’s clients.
Melinda Gates on tech's 'bro culture' and investing in the next generation of female leadersfinance.yahoo.com Melinda Gates shocked the business world recently by announcing she was leaving the Gates Foundation to pursue a new mission. Yahoo Finance goes inside Gates's leadership journey as she readies to emb...
Congo lawyers say they have new evidence on Apple's minerals supply chainwww.reuters.com International lawyers representing the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo said on Wednesday they had new evidence gathered from whistleblowers, which deepened concerns that Apple could be sourcing minerals from conflict areas in eastern Congo.
Middle Techpress.princeton.edu Why software isn’t perfect, as seen through the stories of software developers at a run-of-the-mill tech company
Businesses in D.C. Blame the Government for the District’s Empty Officeswww.nytimes.com Workers in Washington have returned to the office slowly, with a pervasive and pronounced effect on the local economy.
AI at the British Library (a brief overview, May 2024)zenodo.org The British Library has been working with AI and related approaches –big data, deep neural networks, data science, machine learning, etc – for many years. This presentation will present examples of ex...