NEW RESOURCES

Cornell: Library manages Queers for Economic Justice records. “Queers for Economic Justice (QEJ), founded in 2002, was among the first LGBTQ groups to advocate for equality by fighting systems that create poverty. Now Cornell University Library is preserving and organizing the group’s records, to make their trailblazing policies and strategies available to researchers interested in the intersections of gender, sexuality, class and inequality.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Ubergizmo: Update To Google Trips Makes It Easier To Plan Your Holiday. “One of the nifty features we love about Inbox by Gmail is that it can automatically sort your emails for you and bundle them together. For example if you booked flights and a hotel to a particular destination, the platform is smart enough to bundle it all together under a single trip for easier access. However if you’d rather not keep opening your email, not to worry as Google also has a separate app in the form of Google Trips, and the good news for users is that Google has recently made an update to the app that will make it easier for users to plan and manage their next holiday.”

Mashable: Twitter update adds emoji capabilities to its search. “If you spend a lot of time on Twitter, then you know there are two things that are incredibly important: liberal emoji use and knowing how to put Twitter’s search tool to good use. Now, the service’s latest update brings those two things together.”

TechCrunch: Google launches a virtual reality artwork gallery on the web. “Google’s virtual reality sketching/painting/modeling Tilt Brush program has amassed a following amongst novice VR users as well as artists looking to explore virtual reality as a new medium. Starting today, you’ll be able to peer into the 3D virtual reality canvases of other Tilt Brush users on the web while also gaining the ability to share your own work online. If you see a work you like you also can dive into it inside the app and add your own style to the existing creation.”

ZDNet: GitHub open sources OctoDNS, new tool for managing DNS records. “The frailty of the DNS system became all too evident last year, when DNS host Dyn was hit by a major Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that brought down large swaths of the internet. With the threat of DDoS attacks only expected to grow, experts urge organizations to build redundancy into their DNS services. GitHub, the online code-sharing and development platform, is introducing a new open source tool to make it easier to create that redundancy.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Reuters: Facebook says it will act against ‘information operations’ using false accounts. “Facebook Inc acknowledged on Thursday that it has become a battleground for governments seeking to manipulate public opinion in other countries and outlined new measures it is taking to combat what it calls ‘information operations’ that go well beyond the phenomenon known as fake news.”

Ars Technica: The secret lives of Google raters. “Who are these raters? They’re carefully trained and tested staff who can spend 40 hours per week logged into a system called Raterhub, which is owned and operated by Google. Every day, the raters complete dozens of short but exacting tasks that produce invaluable data about the usefulness of Google’s ever-changing algorithms. They contribute significantly to several Google and Android projects, from search and voice recognition to photos and personalization features.” (And remember, Google just posted $5.43 billion in profit. Not revenue. PROFIT.)

The Jakarta Post: Tourism Ministry to hold gathering with social media influencers, bloggers. “With ‘Click! The Heritage of Indonesia’ as the theme, the event will be attended by Tourism Ministry secretary Ukus Kuswara, Tourism Ministry communication department special staff member Muh. Noer Sadono, Yogyakarta Tourism Department employees and about 100 travel bloggers, community members and social media enthusiasts.”

Search Engine Land: Is Google testing its own jobs search engine? . “Google seems to be testing a new search feature. This one is designed to help searchers find new job openings. Dan Shure spotted this test for queries on Google that include [jobs online], [data entry jobs online], [newbury street jobs] and so on. Google shows job listings and takes you into what appears to be their very own job search portal to drill down deeper.”

Oh, Google Maps. The Age: Google Maps has shifted Collins Street to the middle of Africa. “Google Maps has moved one of Melbourne’s busiest streets to the outskirts of Ghana, Africa. But don’t take our word for it – try it for yourself. Open up a new window and type ‘Collins Street’ into Google.” Just typing Collins Street didn’t work for me here in the US – I got a bakery in Texas – but typing Collins Street Melbourne – hey, it’s Ghana!

SECURITY/LEGAL ISSUES

New York Times: N.S.A. Halts Collection of Americans’ Emails About Foreign Targets. “The National Security Agency has halted one of the most disputed practices of its warrantless wiretapping program: collecting Americans’ emails and texts to and from people overseas that mention foreigners targeted for surveillance, according to officials familiar with the matter.”

CNET: Malaysia may prosecute WhatsApp group admins over fake news. “Being a WhatsApp group chat admin is getting riskier in Malaysia. The country’s government may use an existing law to investigate WhatsApp group admins if they fail to curb the distribution of fake news (factually incorrect or misleading information), said the country’s Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Johari Gilani.” Good morning, Internet…

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