NEW RESOURCES

University of Warwick: World’s largest public scenario database for testing and assuring safe Autonomous Vehicle deployments. “The Safety PoolTM Scenario Database, the largest public repository of scenarios for testing autonomous vehicles in the world, has been launched today by WMG at the University of Warwick, and Deepen AI. The database provides a diverse set of scenarios in different operational design domains (ODDs i.e. operating conditions) that can be leveraged by governments, industry and academia alike to test and benchmark Automated Driving Systems (ADSs) and use insights to inform policy and regulatory guidelines.”

Departures: New Virtual Experience Will Take You Back 2,000 Years to Visit Ancient Roman Ruins. “Virtual visitors can explore incredible landmarks like the 2,000-year-old Temple of Jupiter that’s perched on 3,000-ton stone blocks (it weighs more than the pillars of Stonehenge). The Temple of Bacchus—one of the best-preserved temples in the ancient world—is also on the Sanctuary tour. Those ruins are some of the most incredible examples of ancient architecture in the entire Roman empire. You’ll get to make a total of 35 stops along the virtual journey.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

PR Newswire: Getty Images to Acquire Unsplash, the Preeminent Image Platform for Global Creators (PRESS RELEASE). “Getty Images, a world leader in visual communications, and Unsplash, the preeminent image platform for global creators, today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Getty Images will acquire Unsplash. Getty Images will fund the transaction from existing cash balances and the transaction is expected to close at the close of the month.”

The Verge: Google’s Area 120 incubator releases a powerful AI document scanner for Android. “Google’s Area 120, an internal incubator program for experimental projects, is releasing a new app today called Stack that borrows the technology underlying the search giant’s powerful DocAI enterprise tool for document analysis. The end result is a consumer document scanner app for Android that Google says vastly improves over your average mobile scanner by auto-categorizing documents into the titular stacks and enabling full text search through the contents of the documents and not just the title.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Reuters: Google to contribute $29 million to new EU fund to fight fake news. “Alphabet unit Google will contribute 25 million euros ($29.3 million) to the newly set up European Media and Information Fund to combat fake news, the company said on Wednesday, amid criticism tech giants are not doing enough to debunk online disinformation.”

OCLC: OCLC to convene a diverse group to ‘Reimagine Descriptive Workflows’ in libraries, archives. “OCLC has been awarded a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to convene a diverse group of experts, practitioners, and community members to determine ways to improve descriptive practices, tools, infrastructure and workflows in libraries and archives. The multi-day virtual convening is part of an eight-month project, Reimagine Descriptive Workflows.”

The Courier: Dunfermline heritage gem looks to take its place on the Fife tourism trail. “The old lady is still in the pink, but at the landmark building in Maygate, the finishing touches are being made to a restoration that should take the 500-year-old, A-listed structure well into this century and pin it to the Fife tourism map. There will be a phased opening, with classes in the outside workshop, creative rental space and the opening of an education centre on the first floor, including a digital archive of Abbot House. A digital archive featuring photographs, drawings, architectural plans, documents, and local records relating to the house will also be accessible to the public.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

BNN Bloomberg: Google Promises Not to Muzzle Staff on Pay, Settling Labor Case. “Google promised not to silence workers who talk about their pay, part of a settlement resolving one of the first legal complaints filed by a new union representing hundreds of employees and contract workers at the internet giant.”

CNET: In bed with Google: A new Sleep Sensing feature prompts privacy worries. “The focus on sleep tracking underscores an uncomfortable reality about Google’s size and ubiquity. The tech giant already collects vast amounts of data about people in their waking lives: what they search for online, what videos they watch on YouTube and where they’ve traveled, from location data gathered through an Android phone or Google Maps. Now the company is zeroing in on the other half of people’s lives — what they’re doing when they’re not awake.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

The Electrochemical Society: Free the Science Week Takes Down ECS Research Paywall. “The Electrochemical Society (ECS) celebrates its fifth annual Free the Science Week from April 5-11, 2021, by taking down the paywall to the ECS Digital Library. Throughout the week, the Society’s online collection of published research is freely accessible to everyone. The ECS Digital Library is hosted on IOPscience and includes over 160,000 scientific journal and magazine articles and meeting abstracts, and the Journal of The Electrochemical Society, the oldest peer-reviewed journal in its field.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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