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Swedish Women, Whaling Records, Kazakhstan, More: Saturday Buzz, March 10, 2018

NEW RESOURCES

Chicago Evening Post: New Online Dictionary Brings Attention to Historically Important Swedish Women. “The Biographical Dictionary of Swedish Women (SKBL), a dictionary of 1 000 Swedish women and their contributions in Swedish society from the Middle Ages to the present, is set to be launched today, on International Women’s Day. And another 1 000 women – at least – will soon be added.” This is a press release of some sort.

Mystic Seaport: World’s Most Comprehensive Whaling History Database Released. “Mystic Seaport, in partnership with the New Bedford Whaling Museum, has developed the world’s most comprehensive whaling history database… Researchers, genealogists, students, teachers, and history buffs alike will find it to be the most robust and useful repository of whaling history documentation and scholarship. The data presented combines many sources including logbooks, journals, ship registers, newspapers, business papers, and custom house records. Users will be able to find and trace whaling voyages and ships to specific logbooks, as well as the list of crew members aboard most of the voyages.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Astana Times: Kazakhstan to launch music, theatre and literary initiatives to modernise country’s global image. “As part of Kazakhstan’s national effort to modernise its image globally, the country plans to launch a Theatre Laboratory initiative, a Literary Belt initiative and a radio station about local music geared toward a foreign audience, said Head of the Internal Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Aida Balayeva.”

NextGov: Google Will Soon Let You Easily Download All of Your Chrome Passwords. “If you use Google Chrome and want to get your passwords and personal security in order, there is a new feature that can help you. Google is coming out with a new tool that lets users export all of their saved passwords in a text file in just a few steps, reports Engadget. This would replace Google’s current password extraction process, which is much more convoluted.”

DPLA: Announcing the Launch of our New Website. “The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is pleased to unveil its all-new redesigned website, now live at https://dp.la. Created in collaboration with renowned design firm Postlight, DPLA’s new website is more user-centered than ever before, with a focus on the tools, resources, and information that matter most to DPLA researchers and learners of all kinds. In a shift from the former site structure, content that primarily serves DPLA’s network of partners and others interested in deeper involvement with DPLA can now be found on DPLA Pro.”

Google Blog: Putting Mario on the Map. “We know a true Mario fan when we see one. They hum the Super Mario Bros. background music on repeat, daydream about collecting gold coins and 1-UP mushrooms, and want nothing more than to traverse the Mushroom Kingdom with Luigi, Toad, and Yoshi to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. To celebrate our favorite mustachioed plumber-turned-racer on his special day—MAR10 Day—we’ve collaborated with the team at Nintendo to let Mario accompany you on all of your driving adventures on Google Maps this week.”

USEFUL STUFF

Library of Congress: New Webinar Series: Discover the Library’s Ancient Mesoamerican Manuscripts. “The Library of Congress holds three of fewer than 100 surviving Mesoamerican pictorial manuscripts that predate 1600: the Huexotzinco Codex (1531), the Oztoticpac Lands Map (1540) and the newly acquired Codex Quetzalecatzin (1570–95). On three Wednesdays this spring, starting on March 14, John Hessler of the Library’s Geography and Map Division will host webinars exploring the subject matter and construction of these rare indigenous manuscripts, illuminating ways in which they reflect the daily lives of the Nahua people who created them and the cultural, political and economic negotations between the Nahua and their Spanish colonial administrators. Hessler is curator of the Library’s Jay I. Kislak Collection of the Archaeology and History of the Early Americas.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

New York Times: How Russian Trolls Crept Into the Trump Campaign’s Facebook Messages. “When the message from Matt Skiber arrived in the mailbox of the Facebook account for Donald J. Trump’s Florida campaign in early August 2016, it raised no flags, despite its slightly awkward attempts at colloquial American English.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

The Register: Ex-stream action: YouTube slays Zombie horde in AdSense battle. “Google has had a class-action lawsuit in the US over last year’s changes to its AdSense advertising system thrown out of court. Judge Edward Chen of the California Northern District Court dismissed (PDF) with prejudice (meaning the case may not be re-filed) the complaint brought by Zombie Go Boom, a YouTube broadcaster that had accused Google and YouTube of unfair practices and breach of contract.”

CNET: Your smart camera may have been spying on you. “At the Kaspersky Security Analyst Summit, researchers from the cybersecurity company said they discovered security flaws with Hanwha Techwin America’s surveillance cameras. Vladimir Dashchenko, head of Kaspersky Lab’s vulnerability research team, said there were 13 vulnerabilities with the cameras and how they connected online.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

UC San Diego: Scientists Construct Google-Earth-like Atlas of the Human Brain. “The researchers said their ultimate goal is to construct an online surface-based atlas containing layered maps of multiple modalities that can be used as a guide map to understand the topological organization, functions, and disorders of the human brain. This online atlas will be constructed for searching and browsing brain areas and functions, they said, include interactive multi-layer features similar to ‘Google Earth.'”

Slate: Lies Travel Faster Than Truth on Twitter—and Now We Know Who to Blame. “A major new study published in the journal Science finds that false rumors on Twitter spread much more rapidly, on average, than those that turn out to be true. Interestingly, the study also finds that bots aren’t to blame for that discrepancy. People are.” Us Terry Pratchett fans knew this already: “A lie can run around the world before the truth can get its boots on.” (Actually the article specifically addresses this kind of perspective but I will always quote Terry Pratchett if given the opportunity.) Good morning, Internet…

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