New researches

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Chaim Grade, Google Arts & Culture, 911 Legislation, More: Thursday Night ResearchBuzz, February 18, 2021

Chaim Grade, Google Arts & Culture, 911 Legislation, More: Thursday Night ResearchBuzz, February 18, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

Intermountain Jewish News: Works of Yiddish author Chaim Grade digitized. “The Yiddish Book Center has digitized and posted works of the Yiddish writer Chaim Grade, one of the great masters of modern Yiddish literature. The newly digitized works are freely available online for the first time in the Yiddish Book Center’s Steven Spielberg Digital Yiddish Library.”

Google Blog: Learn with Google Arts & Culture. “Google Arts & Culture, in collaboration with more than 2000 cultural institutions, has long offered a range of tools and experiences to inspire those teaching virtually and everyone looking to learn online. To improve the experience and reflect how we’re all learning, today we’re launching Learn with Google Arts & Culture, a dedicated gateway for teachers, parents and students that brings together the stories, knowledge and treasures from cultural institutions around the world.”

New-to-me, from EMS World: Database of Key 9-1-1 State Legislation Now Available. “Since 2012, the 9-1-1 Legislation Tracking Database has served as a resource for states looking to improve their emergency communications operations or gather insight into neighboring legislative efforts. It allows states to easily compare recently enacted—or modifications to existing—laws involving 9-1-1.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Union of Concerned Scientists: Satellite Database Update: More than 3,300 Active Satellites Orbiting the Earth. “An updated version of the UCS Satellite Database, which includes launches through December 31, 2020, is now available on the UCS website. This update includes the addition to the database of 651 satellites and the removal of 66, for a total of 3,372 active satellites.”

Nunatsiaq News: Microsoft adds Inuit language to translation app. “The Inuit language just got a little bit more accessible. Microsoft has announced its Microsoft Translator app now supports Inuktitut. That means anyone using the app will be able to translate more than 70 language to, or from, the language.”

TechCrunch: Google to roll out slate of over 50 updates for Classroom, Meet and other online education tools. “Google today introduced a suite of updates for its online education tools whose adoption and further development have been accelerated by the pandemic, including Google Classroom, Google Meet and the next generation of G Suite for Education, now rebranded as Google Workspace for Education. In total, Google is promising more than 50 new features across its education products, with a focus on meeting educators’ and admins’ needs, in particular, in addition to those of the students.”

USEFUL STUFF

Digital Inspiration: How Spammers Avoid the Gmail Spam Filter through Google Forms. “Gmail is very effective at filtering spam emails but spammers seem to have figured out a new way to bypass the spam filters and send emails that land right in the user’s inbox. The emails are sent through Google Forms and because the messages originate from Google’s own email servers, they do not get caught in the spam filters.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

CNET: Facebook pulled news in Australia. Here’s why that matters everywhere. “Thanks to Facebook’s decision, people and publications in Australia can no longer post news stories. In fact, users can’t even see news stories. Posts from international publishers like the New York Times don’t appear in Australian feeds at all. The implementation has been chaotic. Facebook has accidentally blocked various government pages, including two official health agencies amid a pandemic. Some publications are blank not just in Australia, but around the world. Many of my US colleagues can’t see the posts on CNET’s Facebook page.”

BBC: Trustpilot removed 2.2 million bogus reviews in 2020. “Trustpilot has said it removed more than two million fake or harmful reviews over the past year. The business-review site said the vast majority were dealt with by automated software without human involvement. This marks the first time the Danish company has published a transparency report in its 14 year history.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Bleeping Computer: Fonix ransomware shuts down and releases master decryption key. “The Fonix Ransomware operators have shut down their operation and released the master decryption allowing victims to recover their files for free. Fonix Ransomware, also known as Xinof and FonixCrypter, began operating in June 2020 and has been steadily encrypting victims since.”

CNN: Capitol rioters boasted on social media. Now, they’re scrambling to scrub phones and pictures. “While scores of Capitol rioters flaunted their role in the January 6 attack, a growing number of insurrectionists are accused of covering their tracks by destroying cellphones, wiping social media posts and threatening witnesses.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

BNN Bloomberg: Google to Reorganize AI Teams in Wake of Researcher’s Departure. “Google will restructure its responsible artificial intelligence efforts to centralize teams under a single executive, according to people familiar with the situation, as the internet giant tries to stabilize groups working on ethics research and products after months of chaos.” Good morning, Internet…

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February 18, 2021 at 06:12PM
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Wednesday, February 17, 2021

African-American Military Newspapers, University of Tokyo, Bayeux Tapestry, More: Wednesday Late Night ResearchBuzz, February 17, 2021

African-American Military Newspapers, University of Tokyo, Bayeux Tapestry, More: Wednesday Late Night ResearchBuzz, February 17, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

KGUN: 3 African American military newspapers from Fort Huachuca digitized. “The three newspapers came out of the fort in the 1920s through the 1940s. During that period of history, three infantry divisions at Fort Huachuca were made up of black men. The 25th, 92nd and 93rd. Each had their own unique newsletter designed to keep families of those soldiers up-to-date with what they were doing.”

University of Tokyo Library System: General Library’s Digital Archives Now Available Through the Internet Archive. “The materials from the General Library now available through the Internet Archive include 4180 items from 25 collections, all of which can be used freely without prior permission. At the Internet Archive, these materials can be viewed online as well as downloaded as PDFs. Also available at the UTokyo Academic Archives Portal, these items can now be found through searches of the Internet Archive’s vast range of resources from institutions throughout the world.”

Associated Press: Famed medieval Bayeux Tapestry goes online – every thread. “The world-famous medieval Bayeux Tapestry may be off-limits to visitors because of the coronavirus pandemic, but its keepers have put a digital version online so the public can enjoy its fabled cloth from the safety of home. At nearly 70 meters (77 yards) long, users may have to be skilled at using the scroll function of their computers.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Data Center Knowledge: GitHub Sponsors Expands to Help Open Source Developers Make More Money . “GitHub Sponsors wants to make sure independent open source developers can get paid for what they do, so the project has been expanded by adding corporate patrons.”

CNET: YouTube to roll out Shorts, its TikTok rival, in the US in March. “YouTube on Wednesday said it will begin testing Shorts, a short-form video feature that aims to compete with TikTok, in the US in March. The Google-owned video platform first launched a beta version of Shorts in India in September.”

USEFUL STUFF

The Texas Tribune: How to help and get help in Texas as the winter storm causes power outages. “Millions of Texans are without power, heat and essential services during a winter storm that has led to freezing temperatures and hazardous road conditions throughout the state. City officials, local outreach teams and other organizations are providing warming shelters and support for people seeking help. Many nonprofit organizations are also asking for donations so they can help people experiencing homelessness or those who are in need of support. Here’s a list of the resources being offered in cities across the state.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Arab News: Turkey free speech advocates pin hope on new app. “Clubhouse is a San Francisco-based app that was launched last year and requires newcomers to be invited by existing users before they can join. It offers a selection of audio chat rooms that are divided by topic. Turkish citizens, in particular, have been drawn to the medium for political expression.”

The Crimson: Possible Remains of Enslaved People Found in Harvard Museum Collections. “Harvard has formed a steering committee to catalogue and develop policies around the human remains housed in the school’s museums, University President Lawrence S. Bacow announced in an email to affiliates on Thursday.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Nature: Hundreds of ‘predatory’ journals indexed on leading scholarly database. “The widely used academic database Scopus hosts papers from more than 300 potentially ‘predatory’ journals that have questionable publishing practices, an analysis has found1. Together, these titles contributed more than 160,000 articles over three years — almost 3% of the studies indexed on Scopus during the period. Their presence on Scopus and other popular research databases raises concerns that poor-quality studies could mislead scientists and pollute the scientific literature.” Good evening, Internet…

February 18, 2021 at 10:41AM
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AHEPA History, Çatalhöyük, Wyoming Newspapers, More: Wednesday ResearchBuzz, February 17, 2021

AHEPA History, Çatalhöyük, Wyoming Newspapers, More: Wednesday ResearchBuzz, February 17, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

Hellenic News of America: AHEPA launches new website dedicated to its history. “In addition to [American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association]’s history and extensive accounts and data about Greek immigrants and immigration to America that is well-documented by George Leber’s ‘History of the Order of AHEPA: 1922 to 1972,’ the website provides biographies of important figures of Hellenic descent and philhellenes in American history, lists prominent recipients of AHEPA’s Socrates Award, the highest award the Order bestows; and links to an AHEPA-published book about America’s contributions to Greece’s fight for independence, ‘The 1821 Greek War of Independence and America’s Contributions to the Greek Cause.'”

Stanford Libraries: Çatalhöyük image collection released on Searchworks . “A current effort is underway to archive archaeological research documentation from Çatalhöyük — a 9000 year old neolithic settlement in the central plains of Turkey widely recognized as one of the most important archaeological sites in the world — in the Stanford Digital Repository. We have just achieved our first major milestone and released the image collection of about 144,000 images on Searchworks.”

University of Wyoming: UW Libraries, Wyoming State Library Launch New Digital Historic Newspaper Collection. “University of Wyoming Libraries and the Wyoming State Library have partnered to launch the Wyoming Digital Newspaper Collection online. This collection of historic newspapers combines the digital holdings of both institutions with a new interface that is more robust, providing easier, customizable searches and better results. More than 800,000 pages are now available, with new content added monthly.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Techdirt: Announcing The Winners Of The 3rd Annual Public Domain Game Jam!. “It’s that time again — the judges’ scores and comments are in, and we’ve selected the winners of our third annual public domain game jam, Gaming Like It’s 1925! As you know, we asked game designers of all stripes to submit new creations based on works published in 1925 that entered the public domain in the US this year — and just as in the past two jams, people got very creative in terms of choosing source material and deciding what to do with it.”

Belfast Telegraph: Future of Troubles archive secured with new funding . “The future of a long-running Troubles archive has been secured. Cain is an online collection of information and materials related to Northern Ireland’s troubled past and politics. Now a donation by Initiatives of Change will enable it to be sustainable as a live, curated archive, the Ulster University has announced.”

DJ Mag: ‘90s Rave Podcast, R.O.A.R., To Be Introduced Into British Library. “After being launched by journalist Tom Latchem and former DJ Chrissy Richards AKA Cris.E.Manic in August 2020, the team behind ROAR: The ’90s Rave Podcast has shared that the podcast will be immortalised in the British Library’s Sound Archive.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

The Florentine: The new Alinari Foundation. “The Alinari Archive, with its over five million items from the 1840s to the present day, was purchased by the Region of Tuscany at the end of 2019. It is now under the management of the new Alinari Foundation (Fondazione Alinari), which has the scope of conserving and promoting the archive. Today, the foundation announced its new home and plans for the future, including a museum, although the location has yet to be determined.”

Internet Archive: Bay State College ‘Flips to Digital’ by Donating Entire College Library to the Internet Archive. “Bay State College’s Boston Campus has donated its entire undergraduate library to the Internet Archive so that the digital library can preserve and scan the books, while allowing Bay State to gain much needed open space for student collaboration. By donating and scanning its 11,000-volume collection centered on fashion, criminal justice, allied health, and business books, Bay State’s Boston campus decided to ‘flip entirely to digital.'”

New York Times: Cheech Marin’s Chicano Art Museum Is to Open This Fall. “In the mid-1980s, Marin, buoyed by a burgeoning film career, made the leap from merely admiring Rembrandts and Vermeers in museums to acquiring work. A third-generation Mexican-American, he focuses on Chicano artists, and has amassed one of the largest such collections in the world. Now, his more than 700 paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures will have a permanent home in the former Riverside, Calif., public library.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

India Today: Searching porn on Google in UP? Govt will now monitor and send messages to internet users. UP in this case is Uttar Pradesh, a state in India. “The UP Police on Saturday said that a new team called the ‘UP Women Powerline 1090’ has been set up to monitor people’s internet activities. The team will get alerts if a person searches for porn on the internet. Following this, the Police will reach out to the person to prevent ‘crimes against women’. ”

Wired UK: Anti-human trafficking apps were meant to save lives. They’re failing. “An analysis of nearly 100 anti-trafficking apps by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Tech Against Trafficking initiative reveals problems such as duplication of efforts and an inefficient distribution of funds, as non-profit organisations and research teams develop tools without investing resources in building their user base, sharing expertise or prioritising survivor experience.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Nature: How to shape a productive scientist–artist collaboration. “Art can be a powerful medium for exploring the deeper meaning of scientific endeavours. Collaborations between scientists and artists are under way around the world, and daily postings to social media with the #SciArt hashtag suggest that the often-disparate domains are merging in fresh and exciting ways. Although many such collaborations aim mainly to engage and educate the general public about science, scientists and artists are recognizing that creative partnerships can turn science into captivating art.” Good morning, Internet…

February 17, 2021 at 08:46PM
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Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Global Climate Change, Facebook Hardware, Gamestop Hearings, More: Tuesday Evening ResearchBuzz, February 16, 2021

Global Climate Change, Facebook Hardware, Gamestop Hearings, More: Tuesday Evening ResearchBuzz, February 16, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

University at Albany: PIRE Researchers Launch New Tool to Visualize Global Climate Change. “A new tool developed through the University at Albany Visualization and Informatics Lab (AVAIL) is offering an interactive way to view up to two millennium’s worth of paleoclimate data around the globe. The tool, a result of UAlbany’s ongoing $5 million Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) CREATE project funded through the National Science Foundation, includes three visualization maps, all of which are available now to the public.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Ars Technica: After the failure of the Facebook Phone, get ready for a Facebook Watch. “Here’s a statement that should fill everyone with optimism: Facebook is building an Android smartwatch! That’s according to a new report from The Information, which says the watch should hit the market next year.”

USEFUL STUFF

CNET: GameStop stock hearing: How to watch Robinhood and Reddit CEOs testify before Congress. “On Thursday, Feb. 18, the House Committee on Financial Services is holding a virtual hearing, titled ‘Game Stopped? Who Wins and Loses When Short Sellers, Social Media, and Retail Investors Collide.’ The chief executives of Reddit, Robinhood, Citadel and Melvin Capital will be in attendance, along with the Reddit poster who spearheaded the GameStop buying frenzy. Here’s how to watch the hearing and some background on what led to Congress getting involved.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Grit Daily: Does Google’s Black-Owned Business Search Really Help Black Entrepreneurs? We Asked Them.. “Google first introduced the tool last summer, but is promoting it during Black history month as a reminder that the fight for racial equity is nowhere near over. You may notice it right now on Google’s home page, for example. Now, nearly a year later, we spoke with Black business owners from around the United States on how Google’s tool has impacted their business, as well as how they think major tech companies like Google can continue to help them in the future.”

The Independent: Bebo Coming Back With ‘Brand New Social Network’. “Bebo is returning, in the form of a ‘brand new social network’. But it is not clear whether the new version of the site has any connection to the old one, beyond borrowing its name and its old web address. It has also made clear that it does not have access to the content that was posted on the site.” I actually don’t remember Bebo at all, which is funny because it operated for eight years. Wikipedia has an extensive article.

SECURITY & LEGAL

Techdirt: Hacked Florida Water Plant Found To Have Been Using Unsupported Windows 7 Machines And Shared Passwords. “If you’re not in the IT space, this is base level stuff. Have your computer systems on operating systems that are under active support and are being patched. That is doubly so for any systems that are critical, or which have access to critical systems. And to not have any client security, such as a local software firewall, on such a machine is IT malpractice. On top of the above, it appears that TeamViewer hadn’t been actively used by the staff there for nearly six months.”

Politico: City can publish NYPD discipline files, appeals court rules. “New York City can publish police officers’ disciplinary records, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday — shooting down a lawsuit by law enforcement unions that sought to block the release. The state legislature voted in June to repeal a law that kept police disciplinary files secret as part of a police reform push driven by protests after the death of George Floyd.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Carteret County News-Times: NC Bird Atlas survey begins in March. “Audubon N.C. announced Jan. 15 the launch of the five-year survey. The statewide community science survey will harness the power of thousands of volunteer birdwatchers to map the distribution and abundance of birds from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Outer Banks. The observations will give researchers a comprehensive picture of bird populations across North Carolina and help wildlife officials, land managers and conservation organizations make important conservation decisions about the state’s avian population.”

Victoria Harbor Times: DNA database to track bushfire impact to local wildlife. “The impact of the devastating Black Summer bushfires on native plants and wildlife will be able to be tracked, thanks to a new database being created in Canberra. A DNA database of local flora and fauna is being developed as part of a collaboration between the University of Canberra, the Australian National University and Canberra company Diversity Arrays Technology.”

Phys .org: Internet access spending in public schools increases test scores, but also disciplinary problems. “From 2015 to 2019, public school districts in the United States invested nearly $5 billion to upgrade their Wi-Fi networks, according to EducationSuperHighway. However, in the age of COVID-19-mandated virtual learning, millions of K-12 students still lack the minimal connectivity at home for digital learning. In a new study from the University of Notre Dame, researchers quantify how school district connectivity increases test scores, but underscore the dark side of technology—increased behavior problems.” Good evening, Internet…

February 17, 2021 at 06:46AM
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1918 Pandemic Deaths, Coral Spawning, Swansea Air Raids, More: Tuesday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, February 16, 2021

1918 Pandemic Deaths, Coral Spawning, Swansea Air Raids, More: Tuesday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, February 16, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

The Daily Universe: Database of 1918 pandemic deaths inspires answers for the future. “[Brigham Young University] researchers are using a database of 1918 influenza deaths to draw lessons from the past and make informed decisions going forward. The university’s Family History Technology Lab teamed up with FamilySearch to create this online interactive database. Researchers used machine learning (the same technology used in self-driving cars) to read death certificates.”

EurekAlert: Forty years of coral spawning captured in one place for the first time. “Led by researchers at Newcastle University, UK, and James Cook University, Australia, the Coral Spawning Database (CSD) for the first time collates vital information about the timing and geographical variation of coral spawning. This was a huge international effort that includes over 90 authors from 60 institutions in 20 countries.”

BBC: Swansea unveils digital Blitz archive for anniversary. “Digital archive footage will be seen for the first time in commemoration of 80 years since the Blitz. The three-night raid on Swansea in 1941 killed 230 people, injured almost 400 and left the city centre in ruins. Among the commemorations, an index of Swansea civilians who died in World War Two, called Civilian War Dead, will be digitised for the first time.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

New York Times: TikTok Stars and Social Media Creators Can Now Join Hollywood’s Top Union. “The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has approved an ‘influencer agreement’ that expands coverage and membership options to online content creators. (The term influencer is interchangeable with creator or content creator.) The terms will apply to individuals who are paid to advertise products on social media platforms.”

Prestige: “Borders keep us divided; stories keep us united,” says Ahsun Zafar, the man behind Instagram’s @brownhistory. “Two years and 1,381 posts later, Instagram handle Brown History has a loyal readership of over 400k, along with a podcast featuring interviews and talks with historians, authors, cultural experts, and artists. Started by Ahsun Zafar, an electrical engineer in Canada, Brown History is a digital archive exhibiting anecdotes focused on South Asians from all over the world.”

Wired: An Artist Used 99 Phones to Fake a Google Maps Traffic Jam. “ALMOST THREE YEARS ago, artist Simon Weckert noticed something unusual at a May Day demonstration in Berlin: Google Maps showed there was a massive traffic jam, even though there were zero cars on the road. Soon enough, Weckert realized that it was the mass of people, or more specifically their smartphones, that had inadvertently tricked Google into seeing gridlock on an empty street. And then he decided to do it himself.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Politico: Poland’s ‘anti-censorship’ social media platform gets off to rough start. “A Polish attempt to create a pro-government version of Facebook — but without any of the content moderation — got off to a troubled start [in late January] as critics pointed out numerous bugs that could leak data and expose users’ identity. The platform, known as Albicla — an acronym for the Polish phrase ‘Let all be clear’ — was created by a pro-government journalist in the wake of Donald Trump’s ouster from Twitter and promises a haven from “censorship” on mainstream social media platforms.”

Library of Congress: The Lifecycle of Copyright: 1925 Works Enter the Public Domain. “The year 2021 brings a treasure trove of 1925 works into the public domain. Indeed, the BBC has asked whether 1925 might have been ‘The Greatest Year for Books Ever?’ Following are some of the highlights from 1925. There are also innumerable other works from 1925 worth discovering—such as Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and In the American Grain by William Carlos Williams.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

TechCrunch: Inspirit launches to bring Minecraft creativity to biology class. “The virtual science platform lets students and teachers create and experience STEM simulations, from DNA replication to projectile motion experiments. Similar to how Minecraft empowers users to create their own worlds, Inspirit wants to empower users to low-code their way into personalized science experiments and learning worlds. The core technology is a 3D platform built atop Unity, a game engine used for editing games and creating interactive content.”

News-Medical: New consortium aims to establish the biggest pathology data to advance artificial intelligence. “To take AI development in pathology to the next level, a European consortium combining leading European research centers, hospitals as well as major pharmaceutical industries, is going to develop a repository for the sharing of pathology data. The 6-year, €70 million projects called BIGPICTURE, will herald a new era in pathology.” Good afternoon, Internet…

February 17, 2021 at 01:00AM
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Indigenous Australia, Pacific Northwest Snowfall, Electric Vehicle Policies, More: Tuesday ResearchBuzz, February 16, 2021

Indigenous Australia, Pacific Northwest Snowfall, Electric Vehicle Policies, More: Tuesday ResearchBuzz, February 16, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

Gippsland Times: Telling the stories of our history. “AN online platform has been launched to share stories from Victorian Traditional Owners and Aboriginal people – including a story a local massacre. As negotiations get underway for Australia’s first treaty, the new website, Deadly and Proud, features Aboriginal storytellers from across the state sharing their stories of pride in Aboriginal culture, resilience, community and the historic path to treaty and truth-telling.”

King5: Digital tool shows Pacific Northwest snow depth, past and present. “Weather professionals and outdoor recreationists now have a new tool they can use to compare current and historical snow depths at nine different sites in the Pacific Northwest. The new interactive website lets users compare measurements from nine monitoring sites in Washington and two in Oregon. It allows the user to compare the differences in mountain snow depth from one season to the next and create a graphic of their results.”

Green Car Congress: Electrification Coalition launches online EV Policy Showroom. “The Electrification Coalition has introduced its EV Policy Showroom, offering policymakers, EV advocates, industry partners and other stakeholders online access to easily navigable data and policy information on the deployment and adoption of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.”

National Library of Australia: A Century of Australian Advertising Posters. “What can we learn from the sentiment and imagery used to sell Australians of the past food, excitement and adventure? How are they reflected in the advertising images we still see today? The National Library of Australia holds a vast number of late-19th and 20th-century Australian advertising posters that are now available to explore online. The collection features many famous brands and illustrators of the time, including Bushells, Ever Ready, James Northfield, Gert Sellheim and Norman Lindsay.”

EVENTS

NASA: NASA Invites Public to Share Thrill of Mars Perseverance Rover Landing. “NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities and events as the agency’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover nears entry, descent, and landing on the Red Planet, with touchdown scheduled for approximately 3:55 p.m. EST Thursday, Feb. 18.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

CNN: Parler comes back online one month after going dark . “Parler, the social network favored by conservatives, came back online Monday with a redesigned website one month after it was suspended by Amazon Web Services and effectively driven offline.”

USEFUL STUFF

Popular Mechanics: You’re Constantly Being Stalked Online—and You Don’t Even Know It. “By now, it’s normal to look up a new gaming laptop one time on Amazon, only to see it follow you over to an ad in your mobile game, an ad on your Instagram feed, and yet another ad on your Gmail app…. But it doesn’t have to be this way. With stricter data privacy laws in the European Union thanks to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and backlash against predatory data collection practices in the U.S, some companies are beginning to introduce new features that give back some control to consumers.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

TechCrunch: Early Snapchat employee debuts Yoni Circle, a social storytelling app for womxn
. “An early Snapchat employee who once architected the ‘Our Stories’ product, Chloë Drimal, has now launched her own social app, Yoni Circle. Described as a membership-based community, the app aims to connect womxn using storytelling — including through both live video chat sessions as well as with pre-recorded stories that are available at any time.”

Michigan State University: Collapse and Rebirth: A Living Archive on the Collapse of the USSR and Beyond. “The Living Archive is creating a first of its kind publicly accessible digital archive that documents the events surrounding the collapse of the U.S.S.R. and the severe economic and social challenges that followed. Hosted on The Living Archive website, the collection provides a chronicle of the defining events of the late 20th century. It highlights key events on regional maps containing a time lapse component.”

New York Times: How Getting Canceled on Social Media Can Derail a Book Deal. “Simon & Schuster invoked part of its contract typically referred to as a morals clause, which allows a publisher to drop a book if the author does something that is likely to seriously damage sales. Widely detested by agents and authors, these clauses have become commonplace in mainstream publishing over the last few years. The clauses are rarely used to sever a relationship, but at a time when an online posting can wreak havoc on a writer’s reputation, most major publishing houses have come to insist upon them.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Politico: France identifies Russia-linked hackers in large cyberattack. “France’s cybersecurity agency ANSSI on Monday said ‘several French entities’ had been breached, and linked the attacks to a Russian hacker group thought to be behind some of the most devastating cyberattacks in past years. The agency said it had identified “an intrusion campaign” in which hackers, linked to Russian military intelligence agency GRU, compromised the French software firm Centreon in order to install two pieces of malware into its clients’ networks.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

People: Over Two-Thirds of Parents Have to Use Google to Help Kids with Schoolwork, Study Finds. “A survey of 2,000 American parents with school-aged children asked how sharp their math skills were and how they approach their kid’s assignments. Results found that although 79 percent of parents surveyed can recall the things they learned in school, nearly as many (70 percent) parents said it’s harder for them to solve their kid’s math homework today.” Good morning, Internet…

February 16, 2021 at 06:21PM
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Monday, February 15, 2021

India Social Media, Slack Bots, Podcasts, More: Monday Evening ResearchBuzz, February 15, 2021

India Social Media, Slack Bots, Podcasts, More: Monday Evening ResearchBuzz, February 15, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

SupChina: India permanently bans TikTok and WeChat. “With the border dispute between India and China no closer to a resolution, India has decided to make permanent its ban on 59 Chinese apps, including WeChat, TikTok, and Alibaba’s UC Browser.”

USEFUL STUFF

The Next Web: This Slack bot lets you relive StumbleUpon’s glory days. “Bored’s Slack app is designed to help you pass the time on slow days with your colleagues, through games of trivia, roasting, and Spot the Faker. But my colleagues are super serious executives who don’t have any time to mess around during work hours. So, I explored Bored’s last option: take a break.”

Mashable: The best podcasts on conspiracy theories and disinformation. “Our list below includes some of the best podcast episodes, mini or limited series podcasts, and full-length podcasts that tackle dangerous conspiracy theories like QAnon, COVID-19 misinformation, political disinformation, Big Tech’s culpability for viral spread, and everything in between. From its history and psychology to more immediate current events and personal tolls, we sought out podcasts that covered these complex, interwoven issues from every possible angle.”

Cynthia Brame: Ppt hack: A homemade time-tracking tool for meetings and classes. “Have you ever wanted a timer in class or a workshop that would help speakers track their time—without the stress of an actual clock? I recently found something that served this purpose and think it could be handy for a number of situations where you want a visual reminder of time.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Hereford Times: Belfast archive being used in bid to stem leaking shipwreck off Canadian coast. “National Museums NI is helping the Canadian coastguard’s operation by supplying plans and images from the building of the 483ft cargo ship in Belfast in 1949. Originally a steamship, it was rebuilt in the 1960s to its oil-fuelled form. These plans will help to build a clear picture of the type of oil used and the location and capacity of its fuel tanks.”

Denver Post: Who owns Denver Art Museum’s art? City audit says it’s unclear on some works.. “Who owns Denver Art Museum’s artwork? A recent audit from the city and county of Denver raised questions about the ownership of certain works, even as the city and museum officials deny the need to act on the audit’s conclusions.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Wisconsin State Journal: UW-Madison sued for allegedly hiding critical comments from its social media accounts. “AUW-Madison alumna alleges that the university scrubbed her critical comments about the university’s animal research practices from its social media accounts in a violation of her First Amendment rights. The Animal Legal Defense Fund sued UW-Madison last week on behalf of the former student, Madeline Krasno, who previously worked in a university research lab as an undergraduate animal caretaker.”

CBS News: SolarWinds: How Russian spies hacked the Justice, State, Treasury, Energy and Commerce Departments. “President Biden inherited a lot of intractable problems, but perhaps none is as disruptive as the cyber war between the United States and Russia simmering largely under the radar. Last March, with the coronavirus spreading uncontrollably across the United States, Russian cyber soldiers released their own contagion by sabotaging a tiny piece of computer code buried in a popular piece of software called ‘SolarWinds.'”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Gulf News: Social media is more a bane than boon for protests. “We must not remain blind to the fact that the world had also witnessed numerous powerful movements even before the arrival of social media. People had successfully protested to get freedom from colonial powers in the 1950s and 1960s and had forced dictators to surrender their power leading to a democratisation wave worldwide from 1974 to 1991. So, it is not that social media is a must for people to mobilise successfully. For social media to bring better benefits to protest mobilisation, the country needs a free, fair, and accessible virtual space, a rarity in most of the South and the East. While social media has some positive contributions for mobilising dissent, at the same time, can be a double-edged sword.”

Liam O’Dell: How Facebook’s ‘Fireside’ audio project can rival Clubhouse. “Facebook’s early experiments in the world of live audio has apparently been given the codename Fireside. If it can recognise the key successes and pitfalls of Clubhouse and Spaces, then the tool could set the platform ablaze. Failing or ignoring these lessons, however, would see it cosigned to the same fate as Facebook Stories or Reels – a mounting dumspter fire of social media’s short-lived features.” Good evening, Internet…

February 16, 2021 at 06:54AM
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