NEW RESOURCES

I have posted about children’s books before but this one is new-to-me. From MyModernMet: UCLA’s Virtual Library Hosts Over 1,800 Vintage Children’s Books for Free. “If you’re a fan of children’s books, prepare to lose hours browsing through the virtual UCLA Children’s Book Collection. The digital archive hosts over 1,800 children’s fiction, poems, and educational books dating from 1728 to 1999. From fairy tale classics such a Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this collection will take you right back to your childhood.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Last May I wrote an article about Nuzzel Pro, which I use to monitor links on Twitter and Facebook. I haven’t seen this on the Nuzzel Blog, but apparently Nuzzel Pro is now free. I got this e-mail this afternoon: We will no longer be charging for Nuzzel Pro. The features will continue to work for you, but you will not be billed further. If you receive a notice from Stripe, Apple or Google indicating your subscription is ending, note that only payment is ending, the features of Nuzzel pro will continue to be available to you.

Make Tech Easier: Microsoft Finally Introduced Long-Delayed Timeline Feature . “Though it was delayed time and time again, the Timeline feature finally made its entry in the new Windows 10 insider build 17063, along with a host of other features and improvements. Timeline is considered one of the main features for the upcoming April 2018 Windows 10 upgrade. It allows you to go back in time and open apps you were working on in the past. The best part of Timeline is that it lets you resume your work where you previously left off from all your devices connected to the Microsoft account. Yes, that includes other Windows 10 PCs, iOS, and Android devices.”

Ubergizmo: Apple’s Lisa Operating System To Be Released As Open Source. “The computer was released back in 1983, nearly 35 years ago, and now it looks like the Computer History Museum has plans to release the operating system found on the Lisa as a free open source platform. What this means is that if you’re interested in taking the platform for a spin and check it out for yourself, you’ll be able to as the Museum will be releasing the source code behind it.”

The Next Web: Snapchat launches Your 2017 Story retrospective feature. “2017 is (mercifully) almost over, and the social giants are ever eager to recap your year. For the past few years, Facebook has offered users a ‘Year In Review’ video, and now it’s Snapchat’s turn.”

USEFUL STUFF

Mozilla Blog: Firefox Extensions for New Year’s Resolutions. “It’s that time of year again where we endeavor to improve ourselves, to wash away poor habits of the past and improve our lot in life. Yet most of us fall short of our yearly resolution goals. Why? Maybe we just haven’t found the right Firefox extensions to assist our annual renewals…”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

BBC News: Vietnam army hires censors to fight ‘internet chaos’. “The Vietnamese military has built up a force of more than 10,000 internet censors, according to local reports. A People’s Army leader is quoted as having said that the ‘cyber-troops’ had been tasked with tackling “wrongful views” and anti-state propaganda.”

Wired: Why Teens Aren’t Partying Anymore. “Kevin is not the most organized student: He initially neglects to have his dad sign the back of the permission slip, and when I talk to the class later, he forgets his question by the time I call on him. But when I ask him what makes his generation different, he doesn’t hesitate: ‘I feel like we don’t party as much. People stay in more often. My generation lost interest in socializing in person—they don’t have physical get-togethers, they just text together, and they can just stay at home.'”

The Ringer: Roundtable: What Happened to Tumblr?. “Before Tumblr was sucked into the purple-paned corporate labyrinth that is Yahoo, it was a hotbed of excellent online content: a lovely, creative community that pumped out original GIFs, memes, and niche-interest blogs at an impressive rate. People went there to be entertained, to connect with like-minded peers, and to ogle pics of hungover owls. But over the years—as competitors like Facebook and Instagram have grown—that creative energy has slowly drained from the site. It’s likely only a matter of time until Verizon shutters the company and dissects it for parts. The question now: How did we get here? Ringer staffers Katie Baker, Hannah Giorgis, Alison Herman, Kate Knibbs, Victor Luckerson, and Molly McHugh weigh in.”

CBC: Facebook apologizes for blocking posts selling sealskin crafts. “A new Facebook policy that bans the sale of animal products caused frustration for vendors in Nunavut, who were blocked from posting sealskin crafts in the lead up to Christmas. The commerce policy launched in Canada this fall, but it was only in the last few weeks that vendors noticed their posts being removed from the Iqaluit Sell/Swap Facebook group.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

eWeek: Digmine Cryptocurrency Miner Spreads via Facebook Messenger. “As the value of cryptocurrency has grown over the course of 2017, so too have the methods used by hackers to get unauthorized mining code running on end-user systems. Security firm Trend Micro last week disclosed the latest method, issuing a warning about a campaign that abuses Facebook Messenger to help deliver and control a cryptocurrency miner to victim systems.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Gizmodo: Let’s Make Tech CEOs Moderate Their Own Hellish Websites. “In what’s becoming a depressing genre, The Wall Street Journal published a story today profiling the very human moderators who prevent the internet from becoming a completely murder-filled terror and abuse machine. Usually hired as contractors, these workers do the dirty work of reviewing flagged posts for internet giants, spending their days plugged into a non-stop feed of graphic violence, child pornography, animal abuse, and terrorism. In return, they say they’re often left with lasting psychological damage, including PTSD, for low wages and limited counseling—if they’re given any healthcare resources at all.” Good morning, Internet…

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