NEW RESOURCES

MedicalXPress: New online database has answers on mitochondrial disorders. “Michigan State University biochemist Laurie Kaguni and her team have created a new tool—the POLG Pathogenicity Prediction Server – to help clinicians and scientists better diagnose POLG disorders and more accurately predict their outcomes. The tool is featured in BBA Clinical. Because of their central role in cellular energy production and multiple metabolic processes, mitochondrial diseases can affect organs, motor function and the nervous system. The wide spectrum of symptoms presented by these disorders poses significant challenges to their diagnosis. The database contains 681 anonymous POLG patient entries gathered from publicly available case reports. Each patient entry includes data on age of diagnosis and symptoms present.”

Yale News: Crowd-sourced project to build Yale theater history database. “Ensemble @ Yale is a crowd-sourced project to create a database of Yale theater history. Modeled on the New York Public Library’s (NYPL) crowd-sourced endeavor to transcribe data from its collections of historical theater programs, the project invites people to browse through digital images of Yale programs and mark and transcribe various data, such as the titles of plays, production dates, the directors, and the names of cast and crew members.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

TechCrunch: Twitter for Apple TV adds live, 360 degree video and Periscope’s global map. “Twitter launched a version of its service on Apple TV and other media player platforms last fall in order to deliver its live video content to the big screen. Today, the company is updating its Apple TV app with a couple of new features, including support for Periscope’s Global Map and the ability to watch live 360 degree videos.”

The Next Web: Facebook redesigns Trending topics to make news easier to find. “Facebook is introducing a couple of changes today that make it easier to spot trending topics and the coverage around them.”

Reuters: Facebook signs BuzzFeed, Vox, others for original video shows – sources. “Facebook Inc (FB.O) has signed deals with millennial-focused news and entertainment creators Vox Media, BuzzFeed, ATTN, Group Nine Media and others to make shows for its upcoming video service, which will feature long and short-form content with ad breaks, according to several sources familiar with the situation.”

USEFUL STUFF

MakeUseOf: How to Fill Out PDF Forms Using Google Drive . “Are you having trouble figuring out how to fill PDF forms? You aren’t alone. This isn’t just a common question — it’s an important micro-skill that every computer user should learn. While there are many ways to do this, and many of those ways are easy, one of the simplest and most convenient ways is to fill PDF forms using nothing more than Google Drive. Since Google Drive is free for all, anyone can use this method, and since Google Drive is accessible on the web, you can do this from anywhere.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

CBC News: Government accused of hoarding Canadian history in ‘secret’ archives. “Some of Canada’s leading historians say the federal government is putting the country’s historical record at risk by hoarding piles of documents inside secret archives that together would make a stack taller than the CN Tower.”

Columbia Journalism Review: Social media fills vacuum left by China’s ‘hollowed out’ press. “China… was recently ranked the fifth-worst country in Reporters without Borders’ annual press freedom index. That’s largely thanks to President Xi Jinping, whose clampdown on free speech has included increased restrictions on domestic media, stepped-up censorship across the board, and draconian punishments for anyone—journalist or civilian—who steps out of line….But for all Xi’s efforts, there’s one variable that could thwart his careful calculations: social media, which, in the vacuum left by China’s decimated press, has created surprising openings for debate, foreign influence, and even citizen reporting.” Excellent article. Please read.

CNET: Google AI AlphaGo wins again, leaves humans in the dust. “Two days ago in the Zhejiang Province of China, Google’s Go-playing artificial intelligence AlphaGo bested current world Go champion Ke Jie in the first game of a three-part match, sliding by on a half-point victory. Now the second game has taken place — and once again, AlphaGo has emerged the winner.”

SECURITY/LEGAL ISSUES

Oh gross. From The Guardian: How Facebook flouts Holocaust denial laws except where it fears being sued. “Facebook’s policies on Holocaust denial will come under fresh scrutiny following the leak of documents that show moderators are being told not to remove this content in most of the countries where it is illegal. The files explain that moderators should take down Holocaust denial material in only four of the 14 countries where it is outlawed, if reported.”

Techdirt:
Turkish President Demands Google Delist A Bunch Of Websites Comparing Him To Hitler. “The world’s most thin-skinned ‘leader’ is at it again. Perpetually-insulted Turkish super-villain Recip Erdogan is still firing off court orders to Google, expecting the immediate banishment of anything he finds offensive.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Harvard: Learning about nutrition from ‘food porn’ and online quizzes. “Many of our social media feeds are dominated by beautiful, mouth-watering photos of food. These photos inspire some serious food envy but could they also educate and encourage healthier eating? That was the question explored by a team of researchers from the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia University and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).” Good morning, Internet…

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