NEW RESOURCES

Earlier this month I pointed to a resource for citizens of New York to find beds for substance abuse treatment. Now residents of Kentucky has a similar service. “The website GetHelpLex.Org provides information about drug treatment services where you live. It also includes faith based organizations, insurance questions and how to find free services.” The domain name sounds like the treatments centers are around Lexington, but they’re all over the state. And if you’re interested in “behind the scenes” type stuff, GetHelpLex is also on GitHub.

TWEAKS & UPDATES

Instagram is rolling out two-factor authentication. Yay! “The tool allows Instagram users to verify a phone number. Then, if anyone tries to log into your account with your email and password, you’ll be texted an authentication code that must also be entered to gain access to your account…”

Looks like Yahoo Labs is being dismantled. Back in the day Yahoo had some terrifically talented researchers and programmers. This is just sad. “In a blog post, Yahoo wrote that the researchers will integrate with product teams and two of its long-time leaders, Ron Brachman and Ricardo Baeza-Yates, will leave the company. There will also be a small independent research team that will work autonomously and closely with the product teams. The combined efforts will be called Yahoo Research and be led by Yoelle Maarek, the current VP of research.”

Google Ideas is now Jigsaw. “Google Ideas, one of the pet projects of former Google CEO and current Alphabet Chairman Eric Schmidt, will now be called Jigsaw, becoming the tenth unit inside of Google’s holding company, Alphabet.”

USEFUL STUFF

Thanks to Marsha B, aka The only reason I get notifications from Google+, for the heads-up about an article from Aaron Tay: 5 Alternative ways to get scholarly material that don’t involve the library. There are a couple of mostly-legal ways listed in the article, but after that it gets grayer…

TechCrunch breaks it down: Instagram Spotlights vs Snapchat Stories vs Twitter Moments. “Last night we got a rare chance to directly compare Instagram Spotlights, Snapchat Live Stories, and Twitter Moments since they all featured The Grammys. Here’s a look at their strengths, opportunities, and shortcomings.”

From Digital Trends: 15 Common Problems With Chrome OS, and How to Fix Them. I use a Chromebox on occasion and a Chromebook regularly. The printer problem is a pain. Also, taking screenshots is not intuitive. Happily Digital Trends also has an article to walk you through that. PROTIP: If you’re trying to edit a screenshot and you can’t find the editing tools, move your mouse to the bottom menu bar, right-click, and choose “Autohide Shelf”. You might find your editing tools are magically revealed.

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

NASCAR and Twitter are teaming up. “Plans to promote DAYTONA 500 weekend include a new Twitter emoji, Vine and Periscope content from Daytona International Speedway and the first-ever Hashtag 500, a Twitter race among fans that will reward winners with memorabilia from Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™ race (1 p.m. ET on FOX).” Promotional hashtags? What could POSSIBLY go wrong?

Hey, is Google Street View wishing on a star? “A guest with a Google Street View backpack was spotted with a team of Cast Members walking around the [Disney] Magic Kingdom earlier this month. Numerous social media reports mentioned that the Google Street View backpack was spotted in the riverfront area (mostly Frontierland) of Magic Kingdom and on a boat going to Tom Sawyer Island.” Go on a ride!

GIF search engine Giphy is valued at $300 million. I’m mentioning it here because Giphy’s media right now reminds me of the early days of Tumblr. You’d see a mention here, and a mention there… and suddenly BOOM, they were everywhere. Good afternoon, Internet…

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