NEW RESOURCES

University of Arkansas: Libraries Launch Digital Collection on American Old West. “Whiskey smuggling, murder, scandal and a ‘hanging judge’ — the latest digital exhibit from University Libraries has all this and more. The Deputy Marshal Addison Beck and Judge Isaac Parker’s Court collection is now available worldwide, free of charge. Addison Beck was a deputy marshal for the United States from 1875 to 1883 who patrolled for the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas in Fort Smith.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Miami Herald: Lincoln papers project gets grant for tracking software. “An ongoing project to digitize all of Abraham Lincoln’s papers has received a grant. Officials announced Tuesday that the Abraham Lincoln Association has given a $6,000 grant to the digitization project at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum .”

Neowin: Microsoft reportedly looking to purchase freelance platform Upwork . “Since Microsoft acquired LinkedIn about two years ago, it has invested a lot in helping companies and talent find each other and making the hiring process as effective as possible. Now, the company could be extending those efforts to freelance workers with a new acquisition.”

Princeton University: Google to open artificial intelligence lab in Princeton and collaborate with University researchers. “The work in the lab will focus on a discipline within artificial intelligence known as machine learning, in which computers learn from existing information and develop the ability to draw conclusions and make decisions in new situations that were not in the original data. Examples include speech recognition systems that transcribe a wide spectrum of voices, and self-driving cars that process complex visual cues. In particular, the work will build on recent advances by [Elad] Hazan, [Yoram] Singer and colleagues in optimization methods for machine learning to improve their speed and accuracy while reducing the required computing power.”

USEFUL STUFF

MakeUseOf: The 7 Best Apps and Sites to Check Air Quality Anywhere. “Whether you’re going out for a run or leaving for work, it’s wise to keep tabs on your neighborhood’s air quality so you can take precautions if needed. Here are the best services and apps for checking air quality, whether you’re on your computer or phone.”

Productivity Bytes: How to Watch 6 New Years’ Eve Live Streams 2019. “It’s almost time to say goodbye to 2018 and welcome in a new year. Whether you’ll miss this year, or you’re happy it’s finally over, you’re probably planning some sort of celebration. For many people, that means watching the New Years’ Eve live streams of concerts, parades and fireworks going on in cities around the world. You don’t have to physically be there to enjoy the festivities, though.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

SECURITY & LEGAL

Dayton Daily News: Gov. Kasich signs bill to set up Ohio violent offender registry. “Violent offenders will need to self-register — and annually re-register for a decade — under a bill signed Wednesday by Gov. John Kasich that will establish a database of Ohio’s released murderers and kidnappers.”

ZDNet: Microsoft releases security update for new IE zero-day. “Microsoft has released an out-of-band security update today, December 19, for an Internet Explorer vulnerability that is currently being abused in the wild. The OS maker credited Clement Lecigne of Google’s Threat Analysis Group with discovering and reporting the IE zero-day.”

Threatpost: WordPress Targeted with Clever SEO Injection Malware . “A clever malware built for SEO injection – where a black hat loads up a webpage with spammy links, redirects and ad keywords, unbeknownst to the site owner – has been seen evading detection with an innovative approach that involves appending itself in an unusual place in the back-end code of a WordPress site.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Knowledge@Wharton: Why Books Matter for the Long Run. “Why have Eric Schmidt, Meg Whitman, Reid Hoffman, John Doerr and other leading technologists resorted to the venerable (some would say backward) practice of book-writing to communicate their visions? Why did Mark Zuckerberg introduce a quaint book-of-the-month feature onto the runaway train of Facebook? Why does Bill Gates regularly pen long, thoughtful book reviews in a whirlwind communications culture fueled by texts and tweets? How have books survived the information tsunami, and what will authors and publishers have to do to leverage the success of books for the long run?”

Tufts Now: Cost to walk away from Facebook for a year? More than $1,000, new study finds. “How valuable is Facebook to its users, and how can you measure the value of the site when access is free? Three economists and a social media researcher pooled their work and expertise to assess Facebook’s value to its users, in contrast to its market value or its contribution to gross domestic product.”

CBS News: How I tried and failed to quit Google . “Google organizes nearly every aspect of my life. I’ve outsourced my memory to Google Search. Why remember things, when technology can sift and surface nuggets of information at precisely the right moment? Gmail helps me manage the unending stream of email messages and notifications. Google Calendar prepares me for every meeting, and Google Maps gets me to those meetings on time. But I’m concerned about how the tech giant’s broad reach and technological capability impacts my life. I’m also concerned about my reliance on the company’s tools and services. Google’s is so effective — and pervasive — that disconnecting from the company’s services is a daunting process. I know, because last week I tried to quit Google entirely.”

OTHER THINGS I THINK ARE COOL

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