NEW RESOURCES

The Unification Ministry of Korea has launched an online archive of information on the German unification. “The archive … is a collection of 2,152 documents, reports and other material on the German unification, including 926 items transferred from the German government, according to the ministry.”

TWEAKS & UPDATES

Google is adding reminders to its calendar. Yes, I need this. “Every time you add a new task to your to-do list, it will show up on your Google Calendar every day until you swipe it as complete. (Because Google knows that sometimes the only way to get you to send that thank you card or schedule your next dentist appointment is to remind you constantly.)”

Twitter is doing some upgrades to its photo sharing. “Twitter is today revamping the way photos posted to its service will look, with a greater focus on a more media-heavy experience that now features uncropped photos and improved multi-photo displays. The update, arguably a minor tweak in the grand scheme of things, is aimed at helping Twitter continue its transition from the text-based service it has been in the past to one that better supports rich media.”

USEFUL STUFF

Hey! Want to make your own advent calendar? Here ya go. “When you’re making your calendar, you get to choose what’s behind each door. You can use GIFS, links, photos, videos, sound clips or notes. You can also add a cover photo to the calendar or even link to a Spotify playlist for any of the days.”

Want to increase the audience for your Instagram posts? Appaction looks useful. “AppAction allows users to drive traffic from Instagram by sharing posts directly to Facebook and Twitter using a trackable URL, which drives people back to the app to view the post.”

Do you miss the “old days” of the Web? Maybe a trip to Oldweb will help you take off your nostalgia glasses. “Oldweb.today lets you revisit websites in their days of yore. Of course, it’s not the first to do so – the Internet Archive is an excellent resource – but the difference is Oldweb lets you recreate what it actually felt like navigating the Web back in the day. To do so, the tool emulates old Mac, Windows, and Linux platforms, including browsers like early versions of Safari, Internet Explorer and even Netscape.” Oooo Netscape!

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Apple has open-source its Swift programming language. “Apple introduced the Swift programming language at WWDC in 2014, touting it as the best language going forward for building apps for Apple platforms — which include iOS, OS X, tVOS and watchOS. In some ways, Swift can be seen as a successor to Objective-C.

Engadget reviews Google’s Project Fi and really, really loves it. “…when Google announced its own Fi wireless service earlier this year, I was pretty excited. Finally, there was a real challenger to the throne of the Big Four that promised to offer a more affordable and more reasonable experience. I hopped on board, got an invite, and have been using it for the past six months with a loaner Nexus 6 and, eventually, a 5X. In sum: If Fi were compatible with my iPhone (or even more Android phones), I’d switch in a heartbeat.”

Who really loves Periscope? Comedians. “THE MORNING AFTER Halloween, Tom Lennon found a dirty diaper on the street in front of his house. As a self-respecting professional comedian, he saw it as an opportunity to be funny. Lennon put on goggles, a mask, and bright orange safety gloves, and he proceeded to livestream from his iPhone a comically careful disposal of the diaper.”

HUH? Is Verizon thinking about buying Yahoo? “Verizon is walking a fine line amid rumors that it might bid for some of Yahoo’s key properties. At an industry conference in New York on Monday, Verizon chief financial officer Fran Shammo said it was too early to say whether Verizon would buy, but that ‘if Yahoo is right,’ it could be interested.” I think “is right” is corporate speak for “is at a fire-sale price”.

An unexpected part of the Super Bowl advertising campaigns? Snapchat. “This week, media planners, top agencies and brands were asked how they would spread their spending on campaigns around the Super Bowl. Unsurprisingly all the usual suspects made the list, from Facebook to Twitter to YouTube. But new to the top tier: Snapchat, which 31 percent said they planned to include in their Super Bowl campaigns, according to a survey conducted by AdParlor, a social marketing technology company.”

OTHER THINGS I THINK ARE COOL

Need a little love on Twitter? Keep an eye out for The Nice Bot. “Every 30 seconds, The NiceBot picks a random Twitter user and sends them a nice thing. So far, it has sent 40,000 compliments, making everyone’s day slightly better.”

Londonist! Inanimate London objects to follow on Twitter. Stuffed badgers, stuffed cats — y’all are having too much fun in London. Good morning, Internet…

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