NEW RESOURCES

Environmental Defense Fund: Hundreds of Golf Courses Tee Up to Help Monarch Butterflies. “Audubon International and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) recently partnered to launch Monarchs in the Rough, a program to assist golf courses in the United States, Canada and Mexico in creating habitat for monarch butterflies and other pollinators in out-of-play areas. The program first rolled out in January 2018 with a goal of enrolling 100 courses. Today, the program has far surpassed its initial goal by enrolling more than 250 courses. The program has set a new goal of enrolling 500 additional courses, and launched a new website to feature participating courses.”

Youth Today: Every State’s Extended Foster Care Policies Now Available in New Database. “The Juvenile Law Center released a new tool today that could help policymakers and advocates better understand and serve older youth — those over 18 — who are aging out of foster care. The National Extended Foster Care Review is a comprehensive database that catalogues each state’s laws and policies related to extended foster care.”

Lion’s Roar: Tsadra Foundation launches online library of translation and transmission conference recordings. “The Tsadra Foundation has launched a new website that offers free access to video and audio recordings of conferences, workshops, speeches, meetings, and other events related to the translation and transmission of Tibetan Buddhism.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Government Executive: Citizenship Agency Removed Website Pages on Asylum Policy Training. “In the latest in its ongoing monitoring of Trump administration alterations of agency website content, a transparency group found that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services removed 26 website documents of training material for its officers dealing with asylum seekers.”

Engadget: Microsoft and Apple helped build new braille display standard. “The USB Human Interface Device (HID) standard will make it easier for blind or low vision users to use braille displays across operating systems and hardware. It will also remove the need for specialized or custom drivers and simplify development.”

Neowin: Google releases Chrome 67 for Windows with new features. “The latest stable build for Google Chrome was dropped on Tuesday this week, bringing with it a few modest improvements for VR and AR experiences, additional security, and better compatibility with the various sensors found on modern devices.”

USEFUL STUFF

Amit Agarwal, back again with a useful tool: How to Screen Capture Tweets with a Twitter Bot . “Introducing Screenshot Guru, a new Twitter bot that will help you easily take high-resolution screenshots of tweets. There are a plethora of screen capture apps available, including the good old Print+Screen combo but with Screenshot Guru, you get crisp and beautiful screenshots sans the clutter.”

Popular Science: How to send self-destructing messages. “There’s something mysterious and magnetic about a message that disappears after you read it. And this type of communication can be useful too, allowing you to share private words or silly pictures without leaving a digital data trail. We collected five services, from email to instant-messaging, that let you send self-destructing messages. Read about each one, and then find the app that works best for you.” And remember, no digital app can protect you from someone holding up a camera to a screen and taking a picture.

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

India Times: WeChat Now Allows Chinese Users To Get Divorced Through Just Their Smartphones. No Kidding. . “WeChat is pretty much a core part of people’s lifestyle in China. The app lets users do everything from messaging friends, to paying their utility bills, to catching up on news, and a lot more. Some people may not be too happy about the latest addition however, which apparently lets users get divorced.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Billboard: Ticketfly Hacked: Ticketing Service Taken Offline Following ‘Cyber Incident’. “Ticketfly, the indie-focused ticketing service that last year was purchased by Eventbrite, has fallen victim to what it describes as a “cyber incident” and has temporarily shut itself down. The company, which handles ticketing for events like Celebrate Brooklyn, Riot Fest and Music Tastes Good, confirmed the hack to Billboard on Thursday morning.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Digit: YouTuber gets Google Assistant to trigger a gun, makes us ponder the dangers of AI. “In a world that’s progressively ploarising into pro-AI and anti-AI netizens, a video dropped on YouTube by Alexander Reben last week has managed to send reactions of different kinds rippling through the vast internet. The thirty-second-long video shows an air gun mounted on a stand with a string attached to its trigger. The ends of the string are attached to a solenoid, which, in turn is connected to a switch that can be controlled by the Google Assistant. Within the gun’s line of sight is an apple (read: a few centimetres away from the muzzle), also placed on a stand of equal height. So, when a voice commands, ‘Activate Gun’, the gun fires a pellet at the apple, knocking it down to the floor.” Not sure how this is AI more than it’s simple voice operation. Good morning, Internet…

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