NEW RESOURCES

Business in Vancouver: B.C. isoHunt founder resurfaces to launch online search tool. “Gary Fung has always had a healthy fascination for how people search online. His first venture, the controversial torrent site isoHunt, worked as a search engine for those looking to illegally download movies, TV shows and music through a shared network. But now the 35-year-old Richmond man wants to rethink how we do our Google searches — this time promising not to push the boundaries of the law — with a new tool called WonderSwipe.”

ABC7News: New website ‘EQ Zapp’ reveals California earthquake fault zones. “A new tool makes it much easier to find out if you live or work in a California earthquake fault zone. Anyone with a computer, tablet or smartphone can use this tool, which is called EQ Zapp.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Neowin: Microsoft Translator now includes AI-powered translations for offline users as well . “Just last month, Microsoft added six new text-to-speech languages to its Translator app for Android. Today, in a major announcement, the company has revealed that its Translator app for Android, iOS, and Amazon Fire now includes a new capability that allows end-users and third-party app developers to download free AI-powered offline translation packs. In addition, Android developers will now be able to integrate online and offline AI text translations into their apps by making use of the new Translator Local Feature preview with ease.”

TechCrunch: Google Maps to drivers: Turn right at the Burger King . “Picture this. You’re driving down the street and Google Maps tells you to turn right at the Burger King, instead of telling you to turn right on [insert street name you’ve never heard of]. Well, Google is starting to do this.”

USEFUL STUFF

Museum 2.0: The Art of Relevance is Now Available For Free on the Web (and Here’s Why). “It’s finally here! You can now read all the chapters in The Art of Relevance for free online. I hope you’ll enjoy this resource and share it widely (with attribution)…. The chapters are short stories, and most can stand alone. Take five minutes and learn how the Science Museum in London created better experiences for deaf visitors. Or how Food What?! unlocks relevance for disinterested teenagers. Or how Felton Thomas fought the library union to make the Cleveland Public Library matter more.”

Lifehacker: How to Share Facebook Posts With Non-Facebook Friends. “Pervasive as Facebook is, not everyone uses the social service. Maybe they hate social networking, or they’re frustrated with Facebook’s continual privacy ‘oopsies,’ or they’re not technologically savvy. In this week’s installment of Tech 911, a readers asks how they can share content outside of Facebook’s (somewhat) walled garden.”

The Next Web: Google employees want to teach you to code for free with their cute new app. “A bunch of Google employees participating in the company’s Area 120 internal incubator have launched Grasshopper, a free mobile app for Android and iOS that teaches you the basics of programming. It’s beautifully designed and is suitable for just about anyone who can be trusted to use a phone on their own. By solving simple challenges and answering quiz questions, you’ll soon get the hang of basic JavaScript.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Librarianship Canada: Call for Applications: Digitizing Canadian Collections Funding
. “The National Heritage Digitization Strategy (NHDS) Steering Committee today announced the launch of the Digitizing Canadian Collections funding call. Thanks to a gift from a private donor, this one-time opportunity will provide funds to organizations to digitize, make accessible, and preserve documentary heritage material of national significance. Archives, museums, libraries, universities, colleges, and other cultural heritage institutions can apply to receive funding of up to $100,000.”

NASA: Help NASA Create the Largest Landslide Database. “Landslides cause thousands of deaths and billions of dollars in property damage each year. Surprisingly, very few centralized global landslide databases exist, especially those that are publicly available. Now NASA scientists are working to fill the gap—and they want your help collecting information. In March 2018, NASA scientist Dalia Kirschbaum and several colleagues launched a citizen science project that will make it possible to report landslides you have witnessed, heard about in the news, or found on an online database. All you need to do is log into the Landslide Reporter portal and report the time, location, and date of the landslide—as well as your source of information.”

New York Times: Facebook’s Current Status With Advertisers? It’s Complicated. “Advertisers are the lifeblood of Facebook, and the vast, personal reach of the social network has been a marketer’s dream. But now, some companies are taking a harder look at how they work with it and hunting for skeletons in their own data closets.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Reuters: EU antitrust chief says investigation of Google’s Android, AdSense is advancing. “Investigations into how Google (GOOGL.O) may be using its Android smartphone operating system and its AdSense advertising service to thwart rivals are advancing, Europe’s antitrust chief said on Wednesday, amid concern about the lengthy proceedings.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Help Net Security: Researchers develop algorithm to detect fake users on social networks. “Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and University of Washington researchers have developed a new generic method to detect fake accounts on most types of social networks, including Facebook and Twitter.” Good morning, Internet…

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