Microsoft’s Dream of Decentralized IDs Enters the Real World

For years, tech companies have touted blockchain technology as a means to develop identity systems that are secure and decentralized. The goal is to build a platform that could store information about official data without holding the actual documents or details themselves. Instead of just storing a scan of your birth certificate, for example, a decentralized ID platform might store a…

Amazon Gives Code.org $15 Million To ‘Reimagine’ Advanced Placement CSA

theodp writes: Amazon on Wednesday announced it has lined up the support of Governors and State School Superintendents from five ‘key states’ for a pilot that aims to reimagine the Java-based Advanced Placement Computer Science A (AP CS A) course taken by high school students for college credit. By doing so, Amazon indicated it hopes to address “the diversity gaps in…

Why does this galaxy look older than its years?

To the extent that we can see them, galaxies in the very early universe should look relatively young and unformed. But galaxy ALESS 073.1 is a surprise to astronomers: it looks more mature than we’d have any reason to expect. Why? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/galaxy-looks-older-than-its-years-aless-073-1…

Children are getting long covid and being left with lasting problems

UK officials have called the lack of support for children with long covid a “national scandal” and parents are raising alarms about the risks posed by school reopening Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933233-600-children-are-getting-long-covid-and-being-left-with-lasting-problems/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…

FCC Proposes Rules for Emergency Broadband Program To Keep Struggling Families Online

The FCC has taken a major step toward offering financial support for people struggling to pay broadband bills during the pandemic. If approved, the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program could provide $50 per month to millions of households, and more in tribal lands. From a report: The EBBP was created in the budget passed by Congress earlier this year, which earmarked $3.2…

Twitter’s Misinformation-Fighting Tool ‘Birdwatch’ Makes Mistakes

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a non-profit journalism school and research organization, analyzed Twitter’s 1,000-user pilot test of its Birdwatch fact-checking platform. Their conclusion? It makes mistakes. On February 5, Twitter flagged a post from controversial YouTuber Tim Pool that said the 2020 U.S. presidential election was rigged. The platform noted that the claim was disputed and turned off engagement…

Our interview with 5-time NBA All-Star Chris Webber about his Sports Activism online course, new on Coursera

By Shantelle Williams-Valadié, BOLD ERG Chair and Associate Director, University Partnerships, Coursera In the 1968 Olympics, medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos punched defiant fists into the summer air, decrying oppression of Black communities in the country whose colors they wore on their tracksuits. The act seized the world of sports and was widely condemned […]
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Bosnia village with link to Mars enthralled by rover landing

Bosnian villagers are preparing to gather in front of a video screen in the yard of their community’s only school to watch NASA’s Mars rover attempt a difficult landing Thursday in a crater on the Red Planet named after their small village. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-bosnia-village-link-mars-enthralled.html…

Lancet Study Finds 40% of US COVID-19 Deaths Could Have Been Avoided

phalse phace shares a report from Slate: The British medical journal the Lancet, on Wednesday, published a damning assessment of Donald Trump’s presidency and its impact on Americans’ health, concluding that 40 percent of the nearly 500,000 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. over the past year were avoidable. The journal came to the conclusion by comparing the U.S. health outcomes on…

Daniel’s inspiring story shows how learning new skills can benefit your own career as well as your community!

Meet Daniel, an undergraduate student at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He’s currently pursuing a bachelor of science in medical laboratory science, but as a passionate learner, he also has many other interests. Daniel came to Coursera to explore topics outside of his field of study such as IT, computer science, and more. Today, […]
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