New researches

Monday, June 21, 2021

Theater Diversity Data, Kansas City Roses, Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre, More: Monday ResearchBuzz, June 21, 2021

Theater Diversity Data, Kansas City Roses, Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre, More: Monday ResearchBuzz, June 21, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

Backstage: Exclusive: Years of Theater Diversity Data Now Housed in 1 Place With Launch of Counting Together Website. “What is the racial and ethnic makeup of actors hired in theater? How many female playwrights have been produced on Broadway? Previously, if a person wanted the answer to those questions, they would have to use Google and ask other industry professionals. Now, a new website called Counting Together is gathering theater industry reports around gender, race, and disability in theater dating back to 2006 and putting them in one place.”

Fox 4: Kansas City’s famous rose garden goes high tech to celebrate 90th anniversary. “Visitors to the rose garden in Loose Park may notice something new as they stop to smell the flowers. The Kansas City Rose Society launched a new website that categorizes every variety in the garden by name, color and classification.”

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Songs, stories, pottery: Refugees preserve their heritage in digital archives. “Solima Khatun has been a refugee six times in her long life. She first left her home in Myanmar during the Second World War, and most recently in 2017 – when relatives had to carry her as they fled to Bangladesh with nearly one million other Rohingyas…. Khatun’s story – along with pictures of her and her loda – are among scores of exhibits featured in the Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre (RCMC), a new digital archive of the art, literature and treasured belongings of refugees in Cox’s Bazar.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

TechCrunch: Facebook officially launches Live Audio Rooms and podcasts in the U.S.. “In April, Facebook announced a series of planned investments in new audio products, including a Clubhouse live audio competitor as well as new support for podcasts. Today, Facebook is officially rolling these products with the launch of Live Audio Rooms in the U.S. on iOS, starting with public figures and select Facebook Groups, and the debut of an initial set of U.S. podcast partners.”

Mashable: Google Assistant debuts new Black history feature for Juneteenth . “On Saturday morning, Google unveiled the addition of a Black history function, available to users of any Assistant-enabled smart speaker, smart display, or phone. Just ask ‘Hey Google, what happened today in Black history?’ and the voice assistant will recite daily history content curated by Google with the help of civil rights activist and scholar Dr. Carl Mack.”

Search Engine Journal: Google Announces New Ads Creative Studio. “Google announced the launch of a new tool for creative advertising tools, called ‘Ads Creative Studio’, which aims to unify multiple creative tools.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Europeana Pro: Curious, smart and resourceful: the BnF’s new digital roadmap. “The National Library of France (BnF) has recently launched a new digital strategy – we speak to Céline Leclaire, Strategic content production officer, to explore the strategy and what it means for the organisation’s digital transformation.”

Getty: Archive of Celebrated Stage Director Peter Sellars Comes to the Getty Research Institute. “For over 40 years, Peter Sellars has pushed boundaries within the theater and performing arts communities—from unconventional reimaginations of classic plays to politically charged operas, to festivals that celebrate art around the world. The acclaimed stage director, UCLA Distinguished Professor and MacArthur Fellow has donated his vast personal archive to the Getty Research Institute. Along with a related donation—the Los Angeles Festival records—his papers will greatly enhance the Research Institute’s holdings related to developments in the history of performing arts.”

Fashion United: When virtual fashion stands up to the physical world. “In the press and across social networks, the subject of virtual fashion is becoming increasingly more popular. But are these non-physical clothes the future of fashion? And where exactly can you find them? To find answers, FashionUnited took a look at the latest collection of Amsterdam-based digital fashion house The Fabricant.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

CBC: Why an Italian museum unleashed bacteria on Michelangelo’s marble masterpieces. “When it came time to clean sculptures by Michelangelo at the Medici Chapels in Florence, Italy, conservators knew they needed a new approach. For nearly a decade, teams have been working to clean the marble works in the New Sacristy — searching for solutions that wouldn’t damage the fragile stone Michelangelo worked with to sculpt the room’s elaborate tombs. So rather than applying chemicals or using abrasives, the experts made a ‘bold decision’ to use bacteria-infused gel to clean away centuries worth of dirt and grime.”

Monga Bay: What’s the cost of illegal mining in Brazil’s Amazon? A new tool calculates it. “Illegal gold mining caused an estimated $429 million (2.2 billion reais) in social and environmental damages on the Yanomami Indigenous Reserve in Brazil’s Roraima state last year, according to a new impacts calculator launched this week by the Federal Public Ministry in partnership with the Conservation Strategy Fund Brazil (CSF-Brazil), the nonprofit organization responsible for the creation of the tool.”

Tech Xplore: Facebook to launch NetHack Challenge at NeurIPS 2021. “Due to its unforgiving nature requiring players to start an entire game over in a new dungeon once their characters die, many regard NetHack as one of the most challenging games out there. In fact, even at the expert level, successfully completing the game requires an average of 25-50 times more steps than a typical StarCraft II game. Furthermore, as players’ engagement with their environment and related objects are wholly intricate, users must often think outside the box or consult an outside source such as NetHack Wiki in order to win.” Been playing this game on and off for ~30 years and I’ve yet to win. Good morning, Internet…

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June 21, 2021 at 08:57PM
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Saturday, June 19, 2021

California Wildfires, Wyoming Drought, Birds in Europe, More: Saturday Evening ResearchBuzz, June 19, 2021

California Wildfires, Wyoming Drought, Birds in Europe, More: Saturday Evening ResearchBuzz, June 19, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

KTVU: New tool consolidates fire information into zones for California residents. “As dry conditions lead to growing fear, a new tool is emerging to help first responders and the public: The real-time resource, called Zonehaven, is designed to be the single place for sending and receiving information during hazardous events.”

Local News 8: Wyoming launches new drought resources website. “The site provides resources and information for specific sectors impacted by drought, including agriculture, tourism, recreation, municipalities and water utilities. It also offers information on federal and state resources and assistance available to those impacted by drought. Information on wildfire conditions and restrictions plus links to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) drought disaster designations for Wyoming are also available on the website.”

Bird Guides: Website launched to track non-native birds across Europe. “The Introduced Bird Interaction Survey (IBISurvey) is a citizen science project from the University of Évora with the main objective of assessing the environmental, societal and economic impacts of introduced birds in European countries, with everyone encouraged to get involved.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Google Blog: Now it’s easier to show what your business offers on Google. “Last year, we added ways for you to change basic business information, message your customers and see detailed insights. And now, as we head into International Small Business Week, we have even more ways for you to update your Business Profile — all directly from Search and Maps.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Getty: How Getty Archivists Support Racial Justice. “As archivists at the Getty Research Institute, it’s our job to describe and organize the materials in Getty’s collection to make them easy for researchers, scholars, and historians to find. Our work largely takes place indoors, is often solitary, and far removed from the action of protests of social justice movements. But as we help shape the historical record, there is reparative work that we can do as archivists to support communities fighting for justice.”

Muslim Mirror: An Indo-American’s pursuit for vanishing Islamic heritage sites. “Chennai: Mr. Siraj Thakor, from Toronto, Canada, has undertaken the monumental task of creating an online database of all the Islamic Heritage Sites of India. He likes to preserve it digitally and make it available to all to cherish the Islamic past of this great country. Mr. Siraj is looking for volunteers to assist him with the information on Islamic Heritage Sites in India.”

NPR: Welcome To Froggyland, The Croatian Taxidermy Museum That May Soon Come To The U.S.. “The sounds of a lily pad pond piped through outdoor speakers greet visitors. Inside, it’s quiet, because the 507 frogs on display have been dead for more than a century. But they look very much alive, thanks to the work of Ferenc Mere, a mustached Hungarian taxidermist who lived from 1878 to 1947 and spent 10 of his years catching frogs, killing them and stuffing them — before arranging them into a variety of exhibits that showed them living out human lives.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Arab News: Fraudulent ad promoters on social media could face hefty fines, jail in Saudi Arabia. “Those who promote and advertise fraudulent goods on social media sites have been warned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution that they could face up to three years in prison or a SR1 million ($267,000) fine, or both.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

National Geographic: Virtual reality travel: is it more than just a gimmick?. “Being able to step into a 3D space, be it a hotel room or museum, natural beauty spot or city street, isn’t only a useful tool at the planning stage, but a means to augment your experience on the road, and a way to relive it afterwards. VR also offers opportunities to explore with a lighter carbon footprint and, right now, while international travel remains limited, it caters to both those hungry for new horizons and travellers seeking a way to revisit favourite haunts.”

Liam O’Dell: Hey Twitter, where are all the verified disabled people?. “I had already written about my hopes that impersonation would be an important factor for consideration when it comes to verification (after another account chose to impersonate me once I called out ableism), but in a Twitter Space on 4 June, an employee from Twitter’s trust team revealed that ‘impersonation is not something we’re taking into consideration’. This is despite the fact that this act of malice is often deployed against marginalised creators. Up until this point, this article may read as an exercise in self-pity, except it soon became clear that I wasn’t the only disabled person who had had their verification request rejected.” Good evening, Internet…

June 20, 2021 at 05:48AM
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Curvy Pattern Database, IEEE, LGBTQ TikTok, More: Saturday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, June 19, 2021

Curvy Pattern Database, IEEE, LGBTQ TikTok, More: Saturday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, June 19, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

New-to-me: the Curvy Pattern Database. From the About page: “I started sewing when I was young – my grandmother is an award winning quilter and my mother is a well versed garment sewer. I picked sewing back up in early 2020 (like many) and realized that garment patterns that I didn’t have to alter extensively to fit my body (most commonly by grading up a TON to fit my butt and belly) were very hard to find. When I did find a pattern or designer made to fit my body I started keeping it in a spreadsheet. Thus, the designer database was born!” The database is available in Imperial or Metric measurement and includes filters for bust, waist, and hip size. Excellent work.

IEEE Spectrum: Introducing the New IEEE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Website. “The platform lists a variety of IEEE resources such as its nondiscrimination policy, code of ethics, and accessibility statement. The new site also highlights ongoing efforts by various IEEE groups that are taking action toward building a diverse, equitable, and welcoming environment such as IEEE regions and geographic units, technical societies, the IEEE Board of Directors, Technical Activities Board committees, and IEEE Women in Engineering.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

San Francisco Chronicle: The pandemic hit LGBTQ youth hard. Many turned to TikTok. “Especially during the pandemic, TikTok — and the queer internet at large — have been lifelines for LGBTQ youth experiencing the most isolating effects of lockdown, according to research published last fall in the Journal of Adolescent Health and a more recent survey by the Trevor Project, which offers crisis services to LGBTQ youth.”

The College Post: Getty Images Offering $500,000 Toward HBCU Archive Digitization. “Getty Images will commit $500,000 to digitize the rich visual history of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The British-American visual media company will partner with philanthropic organization Stand Together to launch the ‘Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs.'”

HyperAllergic: Smithsonian Returns a Pre-Incan Gold Ornament to Peru. “In a ceremony today, June 15, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian returned a pre-Incan gold ornament from its collection to Peru’s government. The item, an ‘Echenique Disc,’ is recognized as the symbol of the city of Cusco in Peru, once the capital of the Inca Empire.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

AP: AP says it will no longer name suspects in minor crimes. “The Associated Press said Tuesday it will no longer run the names of people charged with minor crimes, out of concern that such stories can have a long, damaging afterlife on the internet that can make it hard for individuals to move on with their lives.”

Reuters: Exclusive: Google’s adtech business set to face formal EU probe by year-end – sources. “Alphabet unit Google could face its biggest regulatory threat, with EU antitrust regulators set to open a formal investigation into its lucrative digital advertising business before the end of the year, said people familiar with the matter.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Ricochet: Catholic Church residential school records belong to survivors and their families. “Beyond base self-preservation, we can imagine Church administrators assure themselves behind closed doors that the decision to keep the records private is morally defensible. Thorny issues of privacy and confidentiality, and the terrifying (if unsubstantiated) prospect of mob justice enacted upon named perpetrators, may foster a paternalistic desire to keep documents hidden. Better to keep the door locked than to expose survivors and staff alike to an onslaught of public scrutiny. But this is not a morally defensible position. These records belong to the people about whom they were written: residential school survivors and their families.”

Just Style: New tool assesses impact of apparel and footwear. “The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), along with its technology partner Higg, has announced the completion of a new tool that evaluates the comprehensive environmental impact of products. In addition to developing greener products, companies can also use the new tool to credibly communicate their performance, demonstrate progress towards sustainability and circularity goals, and address anticipated regulation.”

GPS World: Earth Archive project aims to create digital twin of entire planet. “The Earth Archive Initiative is an unprecedented scientific effort to create a digital twin of the entire surface of the Earth – and everything on it. By scanning the planet’s land surface with very high-resolution lidar, the Earth Archive will create a true three-dimensional digital twin of our world — an open source, digital record of the Earth that will reflect the landscape exactly as it was at the time of scanning.” Good afternoon, Internet…

June 19, 2021 at 11:53PM
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Government Spending, Carbon-Capturing Materials, Kosovo War Refugees, More: Saturday ResearchBuzz, June 19, 2021

Government Spending, Carbon-Capturing Materials, Kosovo War Refugees, More: Saturday ResearchBuzz, June 19, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

University of New Hampshire: New Mobile App from Carsey School Allows for Easy Exploration of Federal Government Spending. “Curious how much U.S. government spending goes toward the military, health care, or education? Want more information on how the federal budget breaks down and the programs funded by it? The newly released FedGovSpendTM Explorer App, available from the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire, offers a user-friendly interface that does exactly that – allows you to easily navigate U.S. federal spending by purpose and spending type. The app is available for free from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.”

DeZeen: “One tonne of olivine sand can take in up to one tonne of CO2” says Teresa van Dongen. “Dutch designer Teresa van Dongen has launched Aireal, an online library showcasing materials that can capture atmospheric carbon. The fledgling library contains images and descriptions of materials developed by companies and institutes around the world.”

Balkan Insight: Virtual Museum Preserves Kosovo War Refugees’ Memories . “A new online ‘museum’ showcases the stories of some of the hundreds of thousands of people who fled their homes to avoid violence during and after the Kosovo war in 1999-98.”

EVENTS

Getty: 24-Hour Performance T.V. to See the Sky, Inspired by Yoko Ono’s Sky T.V.. “In collaboration with Yoko Ono, the Getty Research Institute and the Feminist Center for Creative Work will join more than 50 arts institutions around the world to present a live 24-hour video streaming of the sky via Zoom to audiences at home in celebration of the Solstice and Strawberry Moon Eclipse.” The livestream will be available free on YouTube and starts early June 21.

USEFUL STUFF

Library Journal: Organizing the Books in Your Home, Part 1: How to Shelve Like a Librarian . “The following is the first of a multipart weekly series designed to help readers make the most of their home collections. This week, we look at the traditional Dewey Decimal Classification system and how it might work for you. Future installments will tackle the pros and cons of ‘genrefying’ fiction (separating distinct genres like romance, horror, sf/fantasy, etc.); how to ‘weed’ your collection, including when to throw away or recycle outdated information; and how to best organize books for young children.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Harvard Magazine: Can Disinformation Be Stopped?. “MISINFORMATION IS EVERYWHERE, an inherent part of communication that does not imply intent. Accidentally telling someone Independence Day falls on July 3 is misinformation. When misinformation becomes deliberate—deception on purpose—that’s disinformation. The purpose varies. Sometimes disinformation is spread for political or financial gain—convincing constituents that a rival candidate has a sordid history, or exploiting people’s interest in a made-up scandal to increase website traffic and sell merchandise. But often the reason is less clear: vague intentions to sow discord and muddy the waters around any given subject.”

Facebook: Removing Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior From Ethiopia. “We removed a network of accounts, Pages and Groups in Ethiopia for coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB). It targeted domestic audiences in its own country.”

NBC News: Colorado’s 1st LGBTQ curator is uncovering the state’s hidden queer history. “Since [Aaron Marcus] started the two-year position in October, he has collected more than 360 artifacts and other objects, as well as more than 24 hours of oral histories from LGBTQ Coloradans. His efforts — which are being funded by the Gill Foundation, a Denver-based LGBTQ fundraising organization — will culminate in a six-month exhibition scheduled to open next year at History Colorado’s main museum in Denver. A traveling version of the exhibit can be displayed throughout the state, Marcus said. And if the main exhibit proves popular enough, he said, it could become permanent.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Greek Reporter: Greek Antiquities Removed by Occupying Germany, US Archives Reveal. “A 47-page document in the US National Archives recently unearthed by an English historian reveals the damage caused to Greek antiquities during Germany’s occupation of the country in 1941-1944. The document, by the Directorate of Civil Affairs of the United States War Office was written between November 1944 and March 1945. It was discovered by Graham M. Simons, an English historian and author who has written well over sixty books on aviation history.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

South China Morning Post: Lost to China for decades, ancient classics get a new lease on life through artificial intelligence. “In China’s modern history, many precious classical texts were lost overseas during wars and turmoil, but many of these were preserved in research libraries and museums around the world.”

NASA: NASA Launches Mission Equity, Seeks Public Input to Broaden Access. “NASA is launching Mission Equity, a comprehensive effort to assess expansion and modification of agency programs, procurements, grants, and policies, and examine what potential barriers and challenges exist for communities that are historically underrepresented and underserved.”

EurekAlert: AI app could help diagnose HIV more accurately. “Pioneering technology developed by UCL (University College London) and Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI) researchers could transform the ability to accurately interpret HIV test results, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Academics from the London Centre for Nanotechnology at UCL and AHRI used deep learning (artificial intelligence/AI) algorithms to improve health workers’ ability to diagnose HIV using lateral flow tests in rural South Africa.” Good morning, Internet…

June 19, 2021 at 05:41PM
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Friday, June 18, 2021

Benin Bronzes, Sammy Hagar, LGBTQ Travel, More: Friday Evening ResearchBuzz, June 18, 2021

Benin Bronzes, Sammy Hagar, LGBTQ Travel, More: Friday Evening ResearchBuzz, June 18, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

ARTNews: Germany Unveils Comprehensive Database of Its Benin Bronzes. “This week, Germany unveiled a digital database for its Benin Bronzes that offers provenance and images for more than 1,100 objects. Titled the German Contact Point for Collections from Colonial Contexts, it will continue to be updated, and is meant to offer greater transparency.”

106.3 The Buzz (no relation): Sammy Hagar + Michael Anthony Launch ‘Van Hagar’ Era Online Archive. “Former Van Halen members and current Sammy Hagar & The Circle rockers Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony have jointly launched an archival social media destination saluting their time together in Van Halen, the period known as the ‘Van Hagar’ era to fans of the rock band co-founded by the late Eddie Van Halen.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Travel Weekly: Orbitz users can now search for LGBTQ-friendly accommodations. “The tool highlights more than 35,000 independent, boutique and branded hotels that have signed an Orbitz Inclusivity Pledge against discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual identity. At a minimum, lodging partners that have signed this pledge are committed to enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for hateful, disrespectful or discriminatory behavior from staff at any level.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

The Guardian: ‘This is our cultural heritage’: Spanish photographers seek national archive. “Spain’s best-known photographers have thrown their weight behind a new campaign to establish a national centre to catalogue, share, protect and promote the country’s rich and diverse photographic history.”

Nerdist: You Can Get Vintage Video Game Magazines Sent To Your Door. “Before the internet, gamers turned to magazine stands to learn more about their favorite titles. Now the world wide web has made it possible for you to own those retro publications again. The Video Game History Foundation is working to preserve vintage video game magazines with a subscription service that puts certified copies in your hands.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

TechRadar: Google Docs is being weaponized by hackers. “Web-based word processor Google Docs is being actively exploited to disguise dangerous web domains, security analysts have warned. As discovered by security firm Avanan, cybercriminals have found a way to conceal attacks behind standard Google Docs URLs, which can be delivered to victims via email without triggering security software.”

ShareCast: FCA warns Google to stop accepting scam adverts . “UK regulator the Financial Conduct Authority has warned tech giant Google that it will take legal action if it continues to accept advertisements for online financial scams.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Tech Policy Press: Study of social media, collective behavior should be a “crisis discipline,” researchers say. “Social media, message apps and other digital communications technologies restructure the ways in which information flows, and thus how humans interact with one another, how they make sense of the world and how they come to consensus on how to deal with problems.”

CNBC: Google searches for new measure of skin tones to curb bias in products. “Alphabet’s Google told Reuters this week it is developing an alternative to the industry standard method for classifying skin tones, which a growing chorus of technology researchers and dermatologists says is inadequate for assessing whether products are biased against people of color.”

Daily Mail is not one of my usual sources, but I’ll make an exception. Daily Mail: Conservators find QUILL inside Queen Elizabeth I-era document. “A quill with ink still its nib has been found in between the pages of an official document dating from the rule of Queen Elizabeth I. The writing implement was discovered by conservators when they were carrying out repair work on the manuscript, a draft land lease agreement, at the National Archives’ headquarters in Kew, West London, yesterday.” Good evening, Internet…

June 19, 2021 at 06:26AM
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Google Maps, Yahoo Groups, LGBTQ Photographers, More: Friday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, June 18, 2021

Google Maps, Yahoo Groups, LGBTQ Photographers, More: Friday Afternoon ResearchBuzz, June 18, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

The Wire Science: Is the Google Maps Island off Kochi Really an Island?. “According to The News Minute, the tourism development organisation had also been aware of the mass’s existence for ‘four years’ and that its members hadn’t seen it ‘growing in size’. However, Raj Bhagat Palanichamy, a geo-analytics expert at WRI India, tweeted on June 18 that ‘the mystery holds no water’.”

USEFUL STUFF

Data Horde: How to recover your Yahoo! Groups from the Internet Archive. “Yahoo! Groups, once upon a time a hub to many online communities, was shut down in 2020. Yahoo! Groups used to host mailing lists going as far back as 1997, and perhaps you may have once been a part of it yourself. Users were offered a Get Your Data tool to download their messages and other data, prior to the shutdown, but many people were unable to respond on short notice. Thankfully, owing to the efforts of the Save Yahoo Groups Project and Archive Team the data of many groups has been preserved. If you missed out on the GYD tool, you might still be able to retrieve your groups’ data by following the steps below.”

Vogue: 8 Brilliant Queer Photographers To Follow On Instagram. “As we once again take to the streets (Covid-19 restrictions permitting) for this year’s Pride celebrations to honour our LGBTQIA+ siblings, eight queer photographers share their hopes for the future, from the funding of trans healthcare to the building of new physical safe spaces.” Some of the images in the article would probably be considered NSFW.

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

The Guardian: UK libraries and museums unite to save ‘astonishing’ lost library from private buyers. “From the British Library to the Brontë Parsonage Museum, a consortium of libraries and museums have come together in an ‘unprecedented’ effort to raise £15m and save an ‘astonishingly important’ set of literary manuscripts for the nation.”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: National Archives grant will fund Pittsburgh records digitization, ‘a real boon’ for genealogy. “Just under $134,000 from the National Archives and Records Administration will fund the processing of 751 cubic feet of historical government records that contains seven collections from City Council, City Planning, the Planning Commission, the Department of Public Works, the Historic Review Commission and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Wired: A New Tool Wants to Save Open Source From Supply Chain Attacks. “RUSSIA’S HISTORICALLY DESTRUCTIVE NotPetya malware attack and its more recent SolarWinds cyberespionage campaign have something in common besides the Kremlin: They’re both real-world examples of software supply chain attacks. It’s a term for what happens when a hacker slips malicious code into legitimate software that can spread far and wide. And as more supply chain attacks emerge, a new open source project is angling to take a stand, making a crucial safeguard free and easy to implement.”

NBC News: Dozens of women sue Pornhub, alleging it published nonconsensual clips. “More than 30 women sued Pornhub on Thursday, accusing it of violating federal sex trafficking laws, distributing child pornography, racketeering and other crimes. The suit alleges that Pornhub’s parent company, MindGeek — and its constellation of porn brands — is a criminal enterprise that purchases, launders and uploads illegal content often obtained through human trafficking and sexual assault.”

Reuters: Vietnam introduces nationwide code of conduct for social media. “Vietnam introduced national guidelines on social media behaviour on Friday which encourage people to post positive content about the Southeast Asian country and require state employees to report “conflicting information” to their superiors.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

CNN: Facebook is testing AI to get you to stop fighting in its groups. “Conversations can quickly spiral out of control online, so Facebook is hoping artificial intelligence can help keep things civil. The social network is testing the use of AI to spot fights in its many groups so group administrators can help calm things down.” If it works as well as the AI content moderation, I’m sure it’ll work fine. And by “fine,” I mean head for the hills.

Open Access Government: Social media data for social and behavioural research . “Guangqing Chi and Junjun Yin from The Pennsylvania State University discuss how social media data has become a gold mine of information for both academic and non-academic use.” Good afternoon, Internet…

June 19, 2021 at 03:16AM
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Nutrition of Fish, Workplace Inequities, Snapchat, More: Friday ResearchBuzz, June 18, 2021

Nutrition of Fish, Workplace Inequities, Snapchat, More: Friday ResearchBuzz, June 18, 2021
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

Phys .org: Fish nutrition database to help combat malnutrition across the globe. “Despite fish being an essential component in the diet of more than 3 billion people around the world, and an essential source of micronutrients for over a billion people in low-income countries, many of these populations lose their very nutritious fish through exports and foreign fishing and, in turn, import lower-quality fish and fish products, creating a net loss of essential nutrients. In fact, up to 70% of fish caught in the fishing zones along the coasts of African nations such as Namibia and Mauritania are exported or monopolized by wealthier foreign nations.”

NBC 5: Vermont group launches free tool aimed at rooting out workplace inequities. “Advocates for equity in the workplace launched a new online toolkit and resource manual that offer ways for employers to look at the pay they’re giving workers to see if men, women and people of color are on level playing fields professionally.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

CNET: Snapchat removes ‘speed filter’ amid safety concerns over reckless driving. “The app, introduced in 2013, has been linked to several deadly or near-fatal car accidents, many of which involved teens. The company has faced lawsuits from families of people who have been injured or killed in car accidents in which drivers were allegedly using the app and driving too fast to brag to friends.”

Neowin: Facebook is testing ads inside its Oculus Quest headset. “Facebook announced today that it is testing in-headset ads in its Oculus Quest virtual reality platform over the next few weeks. The company will kick off the test with Resolution Games’ Blaston along with other developers.”

Sydney Morning Herald: Decision ‘imminent’ on future of National Archives. “The federal government insists a decision on the future of the National Archives is imminent, but as the institution faces the prospect of important records being lost to degradation, one documentary maker has suggested they hand their audiovisual records to the National Film and Sound Archives.”

USEFUL STUFF

Screen Rant: How To Create A Group Fundraiser On Instagram. “Instagram has introduced the functionality for groups of users to run Group Fundraisers together on its platform. It was already possible for an individual to run a fundraising campaign on Instagram, but the new feature will make it easier for friends and family members to raise money for a cause.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Chicago Crusader: Proposed ‘house museums’ continue to get momentum. “Museums have the power to share the history, lived experiences, culture, myths and voices of a community, era or people. With that in mind, many are keeping a watchful eye on proposed developments slated in the former Bronzeville homes of blues legend Muddy Waters and journalist Lu Palmer and his activist wife, Jorga.”

Iowa City Press-Citizen: ‘There’s some really interesting stories here:’ New archive chronicles Iowa’s LGBTQ community. “Aiden Bettine, a community and student life archivist in the University of Iowa’s Department of Special Collections and an oral historian with the Transgender Oral History Project of Iowa, opened the LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library in January in the basement of Iowa City’s Wesley Center at 120 N. Dubuque St. The project acts as a community resource, showcasing published texts alongside collected memories from older members of the community like [Craig] Esbeck.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

NBC News: 50,000 security disasters waiting to happen: The problem of America’s water supplies. “…of all the country’s critical infrastructure, water might be the most vulnerable to hackers: the hardest in which to guarantee everyone follows basic cybersecurity steps, and the easiest in which to cause major, real-world harm to large numbers of people.”

Mongabay: Unregulated by U.S. at home, Facebook boosts wildlife trafficking abroad. “In a matter of seconds, anyone can find evidence of wildlife trafficking on Facebook, according to independent researchers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) experts. Even using simple search terms returns thousands of posts that offer wildlife and body parts up for sale. Elephant ivory from Thailand, pangolin scales from Vietnam, and sun bears from Malaysia. Tigers, walrus, tortoises, rhinos, sea turtles and shark fins have all been found for sale on the world’s biggest social media platform, even though it says it has banned the trade on its site.”

The Asahi Shimbun: Apple, Google in government sights over antitrust issues. “Japan is moving to join global efforts to hold giant IT companies accountable for their dominance in key segments of the marketplace, specifically with regard to the use of operating software in smartphones. Google Inc. and Apple Inc. account for about 90 percent of all operating software installed on smartphones in Japan.”

The Tennessee Tribune: Google’s Gangland Lawyer Suit Appeal Fails in Australia. “A court has refused Google’s application for leave to appeal an AU$ 40,000 ($30369) defamation payout to a Victorian lawyer known for representing underworld crooks. George Defteros had clients including gangsters Alphonse Gangitano and Mario Condello and gangland identity Mick Gatto. He successfully sued Google, arguing its publication of a 2004 article about his arrest on conspiracy to murder charges – which were later dropped – defamed him.” Good afternoon, Internet…

June 19, 2021 at 12:54AM
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