18 work-from-home tech products that will level up your office

Happy birthday James 

The past few days have seen a flurry of tech companies file to go public, taking advantage of investors’ hunger for high-growth, high-tech businesses in an increasingly digital world — a shift accelerated by the pandemic. Here’s what to know about some of the most important offerings in the pipeline

 Palantir, Ant and the Tech Listing Boom

NadHim Zahawi: The dam is beginning to break. Two segments on Today, and BBC News online now running the story.

Plutus tax fraud trial drawing to close Jack Gramenz

The origins of the ‘household analogy’ Tax Research UK

Drug-addled Hunter Biden lived at Delaware home where classified docs were kept NY Post. Paying $50,000 a month to the family laundry business

Former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi ‘pays millions to settle tax row’ after investigation It comes after The Independent first revealed the inquiry into the Tory chair’s tax affairs last year

Center for Progressive Reform: “In Biden’s New Open Government Plan Lays Out a Progressive Regulatory Reform Agenda Center for Progressive Reform you missed it, the Biden administration capped off 2022 with the release of a new “open government” plan that aims to improve access to federal data and information, better engage the public in the regulatory process, and streamline delivery of government services and benefits. 

While the 21-page document — the fifth installment of the U.S. Open Government National Action Plan — doesn’t unveil any new policy proposals, it is a useful compendium of actions the administration has taken or is planning to take to make the executive branch more accessible to and inclusive of the public. 

Importantly, many of these actions are consistent with the progressive regulatory reforms that my colleagues at the Center and I have long been calling for. The plan is built around five themes: (1) Improve Access to Government Data, Research, and Information; (2) Increase Civic Space to Engage the Public; (3) Transform Government Service Delivery; (4) Counter Corruption and Ensure Government Integrity and Accountability to the Public; and (5) Ensure Equal Justice Under the Law. Of those, the first, second, and fourth are most relevant to progressive regulatory reform

Judge Williams said Potnis had no criminal record until his involvement in the criminal enterprise which involved impersonating the Australian Taxation Office. 

“The first victim received an email coming from either the offender or another member of the group, pretending to be from the ATO, telling him he had tax debt,” he said.

“He transferred a significant amount of money (totalling $11,000) into an account.”

Australian Taxation Office scam sees Vageesh Potnis steal thousands of dollars from Australians

A Sydney council led by the former Howard government minister Philip Ruddock is spearheading a high court case arguing that GST levied on local councils is unconstitutional.

AFP’s new forensic testing uses silver and gold to help catch criminals

Precious metals are proving to be worth their weight in gold when it comes to helping the AFP track down suspects involved in large-scale organised crime

 WIDER Working Paper 2022/121 Global profit shifting, 1975–2019 Ludvig Wier1 and Gabriel Zucman2 

“Making the switch from the office to working from home has become the new normal, but some users might feel like their setup is not as well-appointed or productive as at the office. It’s time to change that. With the proper equipment and gear, you can turn your boring old home setup into a workstation powerhouse—ensuring you’ll never need to return to the office. At PCWorld, we’ve had to adjust to remote work just like the rest of the world. Our staff has spent countless hours testing and reviewing hardware, which means we’ve been lucky enough to find the best gear and accessories available. Below you’ll find our favorite work-from-home essentials.”

Why Britain’s (Severely) Underestimating British Collapse Umar Haque, Eudaimonia 

Are Britain’s striking public sector workers underpaid? FT

Ministers have created a conspiracy of silence, matched by a veil of ignorance and a deep denial of the truth when talking about public sector pay deals Tax Research UK

Gizmodo slideshow: “Before they inevitably murder us all in a genocidal campaign that can only be stopped by John Connor, robots will probably just get us all fired. Yes, it’s not exactly news that automation is coming for large swaths of the global labor force, but just when and how this automation will strike is still a hanging question. 

For years, automation has been killing low-wage jobs and hollowing out blue collar industries. Now, with the advent of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, white collar jobs also appear to be under threat. What careers are in danger of being axed, according to experts’ projections? Here’s a quick look.” [h/t Pete Weiss]

 Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, January 8, 2022 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. 

On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly complex and wide ranging ways technology is used to compromise and diminish our privacy and online security, often without our situational awareness. Four highlights from this week: The Hidden Cost of Cheap TVs; Cloud email services bolster encryption against hackers; Did ChatGPT Write That? College Kid Creates AI Essay Detector; and the FBI’s Perspective on Ransomware.