TWEAKS AND UPDATES

WordPress 5.0 Beta 1 is now available. “This software is still in development, so we don’t recommend you run it on a production site. Consider setting up a test site to play with the new version, and if you are using an existing test site be sure to update the Gutenberg plugin to v4.1.”

Design Week: Redesigning the biggest list of endangered species in the world. “The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, an exhaustive online database of animals, plants and fungi that are at risk of extinction, has been given a new website in a bid to engage more people in conservation and make finding crucial information easier.”

Engadget: Google’s interest-focused Discover feed launches on mobile web. “Don’t be surprised if the Google homepage looks a little different on your phone. As promised back in September, Google is rolling out its reworked Discover feed on google.com (so far, only for the US) for both Android and iOS devices.”

USEFUL STUFF

Digital Trends: Don’t get burned! How to back crowdfunding projects the smart way. “Kickstarter and Indiegogo may look and feel like online stores, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll get something in return for the money you pledge to a campaign. Most crowdfunding platforms only require that creators make a ‘good faith effort’ to deliver on their promises. That means they face no consequences (aside from angry backers and some bad press) if the project misses its delivery date — or even fails entirely.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Columbia Journalism Review: Sarah Kliff brings transparency to ER prices, one hospital bill at a time . “IT STARTED WITH A BAND-AID. A $629 Band-Aid. A medical bill emailed to Vox senior policy correspondent Sarah Kliff got her interested in emergency room facility fees—a widely applied, highly variable, and little understood cost in the healthcare system. The fees, set between hospitals and insurers, are the charge from the hospital for coming in for treatment. Last October, Kliff set out to learn more about these fees through one of the only ways she could think of to get the information: by collecting hospital bills.”

Techzim: New Social Media Groups Popping Up Giving Zimbabweans Updates About Fuel Stations With Fuel. “In response to the fuel shortages some innovative or rather ‘social media savvy’ individuals now have turned to social media platforms to crowdsource updates about which fuel station has fuel. Instead of wasting your fuel as you drive around trying to find where fuel is, you can just join some WhatsApp groups where people will be voluntarily saying where there is fuel.”

New York Times: Artificial Intelligence, Like a Robot, Enhances Museum Experiences. “This year, three Washington-based museums of the Smithsonian Institution deployed a half-dozen four-feet-tall, humanoid robots, nicknamed Pepper, to answer visitors’ questions and tell stories, using voice, gestures and an interactive touch screen. They also dance, play games and pose for selfies. Rachel Goslins, director of the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building and overseer of the robots’ deployment, said she has been ‘blown away’ by visitors’ reactions to them.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

TorrentFreak: JustWatch Video Search Engine Calls For MPAA ‘Pirate’ Blacklist. “JustWatch, a search engine that directs consumers to legal movie and TV streaming options, has aired a rather controversial opinion on how to reduce piracy. The service believes the MPAA and Google should maintain a ‘pirate blacklist’ to ensure that infringing websites are removed from search results.”

ETCIO: Gemalto apologises for wrong Aadhaar data breach report. “Global digital security firm Gemalto has apologised to the ‘people of India’ for publishing an inaccurate report that claimed almost one billion Aadhaar records, including name, address and other personally identified information, were compromised during the first half of 2018.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Mashable: Google Maps has become a big bloated mess of features nobody wants. “Look, I love Google Maps as much as anybody. But I’m starting to reconsider if what’s ostensibly the world’s best mapping service is losing sight of what makes it so useful.”

Phys .org: Five out of five? Study reveals psychological influences in online reviews . “A new study reveals how psychological factors affect the ratings people provide and how they describe their experiences when posting online reviews. Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) found the length of time between product or service consumption and posting affects the review given.”

OTHER THINGS I THINK ARE COOL

The Verge: Check out some of the best data visualizations from the Information is Beautiful awards. “For the past six years, Information is Beautiful has hosted awards for the best data visualizations and interactive stories. The organization recently announced the shortlist for the 2018 awards (winners will be announced on December 4th), which run the gamut from the psychological effects of movie genres to how spring is arriving earlier and earlier.” Good morning, Internet…

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