NEW RESOURCES

UK publisher Usborne has put a bunch of its old computer programming books online. “UK publishing house Usborne is giving out its iconic 1980s programming books as free downloads. The books, which are available for free as PDF files, include Usborne’s introductions to programming series, adventure games, computer games listings and first computer series.” The article lists 15 books available as free downloads.

Tilburg University has launched a database about labor migration. “At the moment the labor migration database contains around one hundred scientific publications and policy and advisory reports on cross-border labor migration over the last twenty years or so. Over the next few years significant efforts will be made to expand the database. All publications contain keywords and a short summary with the most important insights.” Tilburg University is in the southern Netherlands and the database appears to be EU-focused.

The New York Times has launched a Spanish-language Web site. It didn’t have one before? “The New York Times en Español features content produced by a dedicated editorial team based in Mexico City, as well as the work of NYT correspondents across Latin America and areas with Spanish-speaking populations, including Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil and Miami, with additional coverage and oversight from the newspaper’s headquarters in New York City.”

The University of Manchester in the UK has begun a project to digitize Iranian newspapers, specifically around the time of the 1953 coup d’état and the 1979 revolution. “Nashriyah: Digital Iranian History, which was funded by The University of Manchester Library, forms the first steps in building a comprehensive digital archive chronicling these periods of modern Iranian history, events that have shaped Iran’s turbulent relations with the West and continue to resonate to this day.”

TWEAKS & UPDATES

Google is making flood alerts available through its public alerts in India. “Users can browse all active alerts at google.org/public alerts, and relevant alerts will also appear on normal Google Maps searches depending on the query.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Twitter has launched The Twitter Trust & Safety Council. “…we are announcing the formation of the Twitter Trust & Safety Council, a new and foundational part of our strategy to ensure that people feel safe expressing themselves on Twitter. As we develop products, policies, and programs, our Trust & Safety Council will help us tap into the expertise and input of organizations at the intersection of these issues more efficiently and quickly.”

Oooh, this could get interesting. Is India going to step into the Google taxes fray? The Delhi High Court is asking Google if YouTube has made money from Indian government content. “[K N] Govindacharya’s lawyer, Virag Gupta, claimed in the court that YouTube generated revenue from contents uploaded by the government, prompting the court to raise the query. Gupta also said that since the entity allegedly earned revenue from government content, it should pay taxes.”

France is ordering Facebook to make chances to the way it collects data about French citizens. “The CNIL [Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés] has ordered Facebook to, among other things, inform people who don’t have Facebook accounts that their Internet surfing is being tracked via like buttons across the Web, and to seek explicit consent for collecting information about users’ religious beliefs, sexual orientation and other sensitive information.” Good morning, Internet…

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