NEW RESOURCES

The Department of Defense has launched a database of nutritional information for its MREs (that’s Meals Ready to Eat, for us civilians) “The Combat Rations Database, or ComRaD, was launched Monday by the Defense Department’s Human Performance Resource Center and Army researchers to give personnel more information on their field rations, from calorie counts and fat content to vitamin information, cholesterol stats and more.”

Yahoo has launched a new digital magazine – Yahoo TV. “Whether you’re looking to plan your weekly watch list or to decide the most binge-worthy shows to stream, our Yahoo TV writers will guide you to must-watch content through expert analysis, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks and more.”

Hawaii’s groundwater and geothermal data are now available in an online resource collection. “… the Geothermal Collection contains more than 1,000 geothermal-relevant documents… The Hawai‘i State Water Wells database shows data for the water wells in Hawai‘i (e.g. name, location, type, and depth) via an interactive map, with downloadable water well files.”

Google got on a zipline to put the Amazon on Street View. “Home to millions of plant, animal and insect species, the Amazon rainforest is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Undiscovered species thrive in the canopies of the primary forests, atop trees that have stood for centuries. Starting today, with the help of our partners at the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation (FAS), you can begin to unlock some of the wonders of the forest, by traveling from the upper canopy to the forest floor with Google Maps’ first zipline Street View collection.”

USEFUL STUFF

A little outside of the ResearchBuzz remit, possibly, but what a fascinating topic: Using FOIA requests for a competitive edge. (From Entrepreneur, no less!)

From the continually-groovy Amit Agarwal – How to create YouTube playlists without logging in.

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Ubuntu 15.04 (Vivid Vervet) beta 1 has been released.

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Yahoo has been unable to sustain the rise in search share since its deal with Firefox. “Yahoo’s share of search in the United States has dropped for the first time since it signed a deal to be the default search engine in Firefox. The drop follows two months of impressive gains. The loss suggests that a ‘high water mark’ has been reached for gains the deal can produce for Yahoo and that ‘switchback’ by Google users may now slowly cause Yahoo to give back share.”

This should be interesting: Google is getting into mobile network operator services.

More Google: Google+ has started splitting up a bit.

More more Google: 14 Australian institutions have joined the Google Cultural Institute. “More than 2000 digitised Australian cultural items will join the Google Cultural Institute collection, among them Aboriginal bark paintings, military hardware, portraits of important Australians and contemporary sculpture. New 360-degree panoramic imagery, captured using Google’s Street View technology, will allow online virtual tours of selected sites and experiences.”

Social network Ello is reacting to recent crackdowns on pornographic material by declaring March NSFW month (PRESS RELEASE). “Those who believe in a censorship-free internet are invited to sign-up for Ello at https://ello.co/freedom-of-speech. They will receive an immediate invitation to join Ello, with a call to post content that symbolizes a stand against censorship on the Internet. Throughout the month Ello will highlight and promote posts by Ello users that represent the current fight for digital freedom of speech.” Good morning, Internet…

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