NEW RESOURCES

Southern Illinois University: Explore the region past and present through Morris Library’s new online map collection. “Did you know there was once a proposal floated to create a Thebes Lake in Southern Illinois? The location of this lake that didn’t happen, as well as all kinds of other curious and vital information – from details about flood prone areas to coal mine locations in Southern Illinois – can now be found online, thanks to Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Morris Library.”

In development: an online archive of Philippines photography. From the about page: “Luzviminda is a photo archive and online print gallery under development at Pioneer Studios…. Luzviminda is primarily a digital photo archive. We are taking great pains to digitize analog film archives but we would also like to preserve these irreplaceable originals. We are not experts in photographic conservation and there are currently no experts in the Philippines. Any help would be greatly appreciated.” I get the impression this site is working to preserve the history and cultural heritage of the Philippines. Any archivists out there who could give them a little boost or point toward useful resources?

USEFUL STUFF

Stuff NZ: Teens create their own solutions to online harm developing free web app. “When Keryn Tubbs discovered an anonymous Instagram page set up at her high school to embarrass other students, she not only got the page got taken down, she got thinking. Tubbs, now a second year law student at Victoria University, is the brainchild behind a free web app, In Case of Online Negativity (ICON), which launched on Friday.”

Hongkiat: 40 Best Free Thumb Drive Applications (2018). “Thumb drives are one of the most important and useful computer accessories you’ll ever find. These small devices are not just used to carry your data, you can use them for a lot of other functions and that includes running portable apps, and even an entire operating system. So in this post, I am listing down 40 free and useful thumb drive applications. These apps range from portable web browsers, computer games, cybersecurity, and data back up and sync solutions apart from many others.” Long list, decently annotated.

Lifehacker: This App Helps You Curb Your Smartphone Addiction By Minimizing Distractions. “We’re all probably a little more addicted to our phones than we’d like to be. I know that I instinctively pull mine out whenever there’s a break in the action of the day be that when I’m on the train, between meetings, or even waiting on food at a restaurant. It’s easy to take your phone out and get absorbed in what’s happening on Facebook or Instagram. A new app called Siempo is attempting to make smartphones less distracting by, well, making them less distracting.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Global News: N.B. provincial archives offering to restore photos, documents damaged by flooding. “The Provincial Archives in New Brunswick is offering to help residents restore or copy heirloom photos and documents damaged by recent flooding. The province says repairs of single documents will be done free of charge. Larger document recovery projects will be given quotes on a case-by-case basis.”

Forbes: Introducing A Digital Science Program For Incarcerated Kids. “One thing Michael Krezmien noticed about working with incarcerated teens, is that they’re not a population that typically catches the attention of education researchers –or educational funding organizations. And this is a problem, he realized, as research suggests that the consequences of failing to address the educational needs of incarcerated juveniles are dire…. And as Krezmien notes, this makes them much more likely to be unemployed and to become dependent on public assistance and to end up in adult prisons. Krezmien hopes the new tool that he and his team have created will begin to change that.”

East Oregonian: News org building first statewide database of student athlete concussions. “Oregon law since 2010 required schools to implement protocols for students who suffer a concussion, including a medical release required to clear a student to play athletics. [Dr. Dereck] Earl’s practice handles a lot of that testing. A release contains the student’s name, age and grade, plus details of the injury and concussion symptoms. But Oregon’s law does not require anyone to collect or analyze the reams of medical data sitting in public schools. No one knows how many students and athletes suffer concussions. No one knows what the data could reveal about protecting kids. Portland-based journalist Lee van der Voo is working to change that.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Westword: Research Initiative Wants 100,000 MMJ Patients for Project. “To get around the guardrails surrounding marijuana research, Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University wants to create a network of 100,000 medical marijuana patients in order to collect definitive information about the plant. Founded “to advance scientific understanding of medical marijuana and its derivatives” by providing evidence-based resources for patients and caregivers, the new mmj.org initiative is working to build the world’s largest database of patients.”

Harvard Business Review: Employees Who Use Social Media for Work Are More Engaged — but Also More Likely to Leave Their Jobs . “Social media can be a powerful communication tool for employees, helping them to collaborate, share ideas and solve problems. Research has shown that 82% of employees think that social media can improve work relationships and 60% believe social media support decision-making processes. These beliefs contribute to a majority of workers connecting with colleagues on social media, even during work hours.” Good evening, Internet…

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