NEW RESOURCES

Now available: an online archive of a million Luxembourg birth certificates. “More than one million Luxembourg birth certificates from 1600 to 1923 have been made available online thanks to a voluntary project. Since Luxroots.com launched in 2004, its 50 volunteers have analysed and uploaded 1 million birth certificates to its database, 800,000 of which were from communes currently in Luxembourg. ”

Now available: an online database of geroprotectors. “Geroprotectors are interventions that aim to prevent, slow, or reverse the processes of aging in model organisms or humans such that the lifespan, and especially the healthy lifespan, can be extended….The database does more than simply list geroprotectors, it catalogs over 250 experiments involving over 200 known or candidate geroprotectors. Each compound has a comprehensive profile complete with biochemistry, mechanisms, and lifespan effects in various model organisms with information ranging from chemical structure, side effects, and toxicity to FDA drug status.”

USEFUL STUFF

Lifehacker has a quick writup on TechBoomers, which are very, very simple lessons for folks who want to learn to use popular Web sites. There are many sites included here, though a couple of them made me raise an eyebrow (Groupon?) I liked this a lot; it’s nice to see a site that does very simple step-by-step instructions with a lot of screen shots. There’s still a place for that.

How-To Geek: How to use the new Google Hangouts in your browser. “The days of scrambling around in Gmail with a bunch of different plugins for four different browsers is over, because Google has finally taken the veil off their brand new, browser-based Google Hangouts platform. The messaging app has proved wildly popular with the professional set, offering a quick and simple way to get in touch with all your email contacts in an instant. But now that Hangouts has its own browser window, there a few new tips, tricks, and settings you should know about before you dive in.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

The American Library Association’s Facebook page got hacked this weekend, but the librarians handled it because LIBRARIANS. “The librarians made the best of a bad situation by posting jolly responses to the articles including call numbers for various books on esoteric topics including the female soldiers above and the odd differences in style of dress in Dubai.”

Hey! Using Periscope to promote alpacas. “‘People can look at them (via Periscope) and see that they’re actually really cute and they’re not spitting or anything.'”

There’s a weird, WordPress-breaking bug in Chrome 45. “Within the last five weeks, several people have reported an issue in Chrome that breaks the WordPress admin menu. If you hover the mouse cursor over menu items in the sidebar, they’ll occasionally fall out-of-place.” The article has a fix that should work until a patched version of Chrome comes out.

Google is getting all fashionable. “Today, as New York’s Fashion Week kicks off, fashion and technology are coming together in a new way. Made with Code and ZAC Zac Posen are teaming up to show how computer science can push the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of fashion. A dress designed by Zac Posen and with designs coded online by teen girls will debut as the finale look of Zac’s show—and hopefully inspire young girls who have an interest in fashion to see what code can help them create.”

Is Google getting into grocery delivery? “Google is opening an online grocery store. According to Bloomberg, the company is planning to begin delivering fresh food and groceries later this year. Google already delivers some food products via its Google Express service, but these are dry foods with a long shelf life.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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