NEW RESOURCES

Now available: an online archive about India’s culture. “Sahapedia aims to educate the people of India about the traditions, visual arts, performing arts, literature and languages that is scattered across the country. The portal is accessible to all and is a strong initiative towards the digitisation and research on the traditional art forms of India and their importance in the modern era.”

A new Web site documents the stories of those in New Zealand who opposed World War I. “The website covers the anti-conscription movement prior to World War One; conscription and those who objected; women supporting Conscientious Objectors; the response of the Labour movement to conscription; and the legacy of the World War One Peace movement.”

TWEAKS & UPDATES

Iowa Publications Online has reached a milestone of 20,000 documents digitized. “IPO provides a one-stop-shop to search for state documents. Agencies that partner with IPO receive a permanent online archive with 24/7 access and a static link that will never change. Staff no longer need to spend time maintaining or tracking documents on internal webpages, and agencies that use IPO for their digital archival needs are meeting requirements outlined in Iowa Code.”

USEFUL STUFF

For the Linux nerds: 5 Best Linux Distros for Installation on a USB Stick.

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Hoping to get more likes on Instagram, this young man did something very stupid at a temple in Cambodia. And I got angry reading the article. But it’s clear he learned something, and he wrote very articulately about the feelings that drove him. You find great articles in the oddest places, and I think I just found one on POPSUGAR. “One after another after another. I didn’t step 10 feet without snapping a selfie or picture of a golden Buddha. Hundreds and hundreds of clicks. I could feel my heart racing. My anxiety level was up. I had to get the perfect pictures. In my head, each tap on my iPhone was one picture closer to Instagram domination. It was horrible. I was walking through this gigantic masterpiece and instead of feeling awe, I was feeling like nothing was good enough. The lighting isn’t right here. My eyes don’t look as blue there. I knew it was wrong. I knew what I was doing was beyond ridiculous, and I couldn’t help it.”

From The Verge: Nothing Twitter is Doing Is Working. “Individually, most of the changes Twitter has made to its core product have been welcome, if overdue. The company has not alienated the service’s core users in large numbers — no small feat. And Twitter still feels as culturally relevant as ever. But collectively, changes to the product have failed to broaden the appeal of the core service, even as its rivals continue to grow.” The first thing that needs to happen IMHO is Jack Dorsey choose between Twitter and Square. Nobody’s going to commit fully to Twitter if the CEO doesn’t.

Funny: hunting the elusive Facebook Perfume.

SECURITY/LEGAL ISSUES

It looks like the latest big data leak might be from Qatar. “A 1.4GB trove of internal documents, files and sensitive financial data purporting to be from the Qatar National Bank (QNB) has been leaked online. The massive data dump appears to contain hundreds of thousands of records including customer transaction logs, personal identification numbers and credit card data.”

I’ve heard of DNA databases, and fingerprint databases, but never voice sample databases. “According to a statement from Korean Prosecution Services on April 27, its Forensic Science Division (director Young-dae Kim) will develop what is being called the ‘Korean Voice Sample Database’, which will be used to identify subjects and informants, conduct voice comparisons, and verify vocal evidence. The project, which began in 2014, will be completed by the end of this year.”

Snapchat wants you to be able to take selfies in the voting booth. “Sharing an image of your ballot is illegal in Pennsylvania. In New Hampshire, a ban was overturned, and a legal battle is under way. Snapchat recently filed a brief in New Hampshire arguing that this is bullshit, and people should be allowed to snap their vote.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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