NEW RESOURCES

Associations Now: American Academy Of Actuaries Launches Online Voter Guides. “Not only does Memorial Day signal the start of summer, it also marks the moment when political campaigns for fall elections kick into high gear. This year, the American Academy of Actuaries is serving voters by launching its 2018: Making Issues Count, a website that provides a nonpartisan analysis of key issues. The website will be updated through Election Day on November 6…. The new website features election guides grouped in six different categories where actuaries have expertise—and on which voters can base their consideration of candidate positions. Issue areas covered include Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, health insurance coverage, long-term care, lifetime income and retirement risk, and climate risk.”

Lonely Planet: Google has digitised the Kyiv region with a VR sightseeing experience. “The project, done in partnership with the Kyiv City Administration, has resulted in digitising more than 3000 objects in Kyiv and its surroundings. The website includes an interactive map featuring photos, 3D tours, 3D panoramas and audio guides of the main tourist attractions of the Ukrainian capital and the wider region. The map is easy to use and shows both popular attractions and lesser-known sights.”

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: New website makes it easy to join clinical studies. “This month, NIEHS launched an all new, user-friendly website for NIEHS Clinical Research studies. The new website reaches out to the general public with a simplified approach to discovering studies and signing up for information. ‘The CRU [Clinical Research Unit] has expanded the number of people we see and the type and complexity of the studies we conduct,’ said Stavros Garantziotis, M.D., CRU medical director.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

VentureBeat: Pymetrics open-sources Audit AI, an algorithm bias detection tool. “AI startup Pymetrics today announced it has open-sourced its tool for detecting bias in algorithms. Available for download on GitHub, Audit AI is designed to determine whether a specific statistic or trait fed into an algorithm is being favored or disadvantaged at a statistically significant, systematic rate, leading to adverse impact on people underrepresented in the data set.”

Gizmodo: Google Plans Not to Renew Its Contract for Project Maven, a Controversial Pentagon Drone AI Imaging Program. “Google will not seek another contract for its controversial work providing artificial intelligence to the U.S. Department of Defense for analyzing drone footage after its current contract expires. Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene announced the decision at a meeting with employees Friday morning, three sources told Gizmodo. The current contract expires in 2019 and there will not be a follow-up contract, Greene said. The meeting, dubbed Weather Report, is a weekly update on Google Cloud’s business.”

CNET: 66 new emoji coming Tuesday include kangaroo, party face and lobster. Party face? “The kangaroo emoji could be hopping into your text messages as soon as Tuesday. The June 5 release date for Unicode 11.0, which will include the kangaroo among 66 new emoji creatures, was revealed on Friday — meaning that next week is the earliest day companies can start adding these new illustrations to any device that sends emoji.”

Miami Herald: New internet accounts are Russian ops designed to sway U.S. voters, experts say. “A new Russian influence operation has surfaced that mirrors some of the activity of an internet firm that the FBI says was deeply involved in efforts to sway the 2016 U.S. elections, a cybersecurity firm says. A website called usareally.com appeared on the internet May 17 and called on Americans to rally in front of the White House June 14 to celebrate President Donald Trump’s birthday, which is also Flag Day.”

USEFUL STUFF

ZDNet: Your iPhone is tracking your movements and storing your favorite locations all the time. “It comes as a surprise to many to discover that their iPhone is collecting a detailed history of places you visit on a regular basis. Here’s how you can find out what information your iPhone has on you, along with ways you can take control of it, or even delete it completely.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

AlterNet: Facebook’s New Political Advertising Rules Are Hurting Grassroots Contenders in Early June’s Primaries. “Facebook’s new political ad-buying rules are sabotaging grassroots candidates in June’s first primaries—and hurting ballot initiatives with upcoming filing deadlines—according to conservatives and progressives who say their campaigns are being suppressed. But Facebook says these campaigns weren’t paying attention or following instructions to verify their identities.”

Reuters: Google’s ‘Reserve’ tool winning converts, taking search to next level. “Alphabet Inc’s Google is drawing thousands of new customers to gyms and salons each month through an appointment-booking tool released last year, Reuters has learned, a quiet step in the company’s transition to the next generation of search.” It’s the next generation of something. I’m not sure I’d call it search.

NARA: Citizen Archivists Help Make Access Happen, One Scanned Record at a Time. “Citizen Archivists recently helped the National Archives and Records Administration reach a new milestone, collectively scanning their 300,000th page for inclusion in the National Archives Catalog. It’s all part of an agency-wide effort to make more records publicly accessible online.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

University of Florida: First Amendment Advocates Support Citizens’ Right to Criticize Government Agencies on Facebook. “In a case reminiscent of the dispute over President Trump’s blocking of critics from his Twitter feed, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Brechner Center for Freedom of Information and Marion B. Brechner First Amendment Project are supporting the free-speech case of a Texas police critic who was forbidden from posting to the Facebook page of her local sheriff’s office.” Good morning, Internet…

Do you like ResearchBuzz? Does it help you out? Please consider supporting it on Patreon. Not interested in commitment? Perhaps you’d buy me an iced tea. I love your comments, I love your site suggestions, and I love you. Feel free to comment on the blog, or @ResearchBuzz on Twitter. Thanks!