NEW RESOURCES

Catholic Courier: Vatican Observatory launches podcast, new website. “The podcasts are available on several platforms and they feature one of the pope’s own Jesuit astronomers speaking with a notable figure in the world of space exploration or science. For example, one episode features Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno — a planetary scientist, director of the Vatican Observatory and president of the foundation — speaking with U.S. astronaut Nicole Stott and her husband Christopher Stott of the International Institute of Space Commerce.”

Harvard Gazette: Photography exhibit examines justice, grief, and resilience. “A new digital exhibition opened March 26 at the Griot Museum of Black History in St. Louis, showcasing six photography-based artists from or living in the city’s north side, as part of a cultural partnership with the Harvard University Commonwealth Project.”

Creative Bloq: Google’s new 3D tool is fun, creative and surprisingly useful. “Another day, another Google tool to discuss. And this one is a 3D animation tool, making it particularly relevant to the creative community. Hurrah! Yup, Google’s latest offering is a tool which simplifies the animation process – making the artform more accessible for anyone wanting to have a go. Surprisingly, though, it’s also a super-useful tool for professionals. Disbelieving? Bear with us and we’ll explain.”

EVENTS

Belarus News: Belarusian State University to host online conference on cultural heritage. “The online discussions will bring together around 40 scientists, teachers, postgraduate students, and researchers from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Turkmenistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. They will discuss matters related to Oriental studies, classical and medieval studies of Belarus, cultural heritage, history, and religion of the East in ancient and medieval times in the historical memory of the Belarusian nation and share results of research in this field. Following the conference, the BSU will publish a collection of reports from the conference in its Digital Library.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Tubefilter: YouTube Testing Language Dubbing Tool, Enabling Viewers To Toggle Between Multiple ‘Audio Tracks’. “A YouTube spokesperson confirms to Tubefilter that the platform is piloting a new feature among a small group of creators that allows them to upload multiple ‘Audio Tracks‘ to a single video — which viewers can then toggle between.”

USEFUL STUFF

New York Times: 5 Ways to Tap Into Your Smartphone’s Audio Powers. “It has been a decade since Apple integrated Siri right into its iPhone software and mainstreamed the voice-activated assistant. But the assistant is just one of the voice-powered tools in your smartphone’s ever-growing audio toolbox. Your device can also be a digital recorder, a dictation machine, a podcast production studio and more. Here’s how to get things done with more talking and less typing.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Wired: TikTok Duets Are Reviving the Exquisite Corpse. “The platform, thanks to its duetting and stitching functions, automates a lot of what the Surrealists were doing. It’s not exactly an exquisite corpse, since TikTok records the entire genealogy of any given work, and there is a want for continuity with what others have contributed before. But there is a similar spirit of spontaneous collaboration, and a kindred quest for the absurd. Grocery Store: A New Musical’s voices are automatic doors and produce misters. They may be singing in harmony, but they’re far off-script from the story Mertzlufft started.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Independent (Ireland): Law to stop social media management abroad for political parties after Sinn Féin revelations. “Legislation on political donations and electoral reform are being expanded to ensure there is greater transparency around how parties are funded. It comes after the Irish Independent revealed Sinn Féin’s Facebook accounts were being managed by people based in Serbia and Germany. Facebook ad library data shows Sinn Féin’s main account has been managed by people in Ireland, the UK, Germany and Serbia.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Penn State News: GIS technology helps map out how America’s mafia networks were ‘connected’. “At its height in the mid-20th century, American organized crime groups, often called the mafia, grossed approximately $40 billion each year, typically raising that money through illegal or untaxed activities, such as extortion and gambling. A team of researchers used geographic information systems — a collection of tools for geographic mapping and analysis of the Earth and society — and data from a government database on mafia ties during the 1960s, to examine how these networks were built, maintained and grown.”

Nuclear Engineering International: Keeping a record . “ARCHIVING FOR NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING: Challenges and Collaborations, hosted in December, examined the issues of building, managing, and opening an archive related to nuclear energy. The event was hosted by Archives Portal Europe and organised by the Research Center for Cooperative Civil Societies at Rikkyo University in Japan, in collaboration with the Energy Archives Network (Eogan), the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which shared a case study on Nucleus, its historical archive in Caithness, Scotland, and the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC), a non-profit membership organisation that seeks to secure the preservation of digital resources.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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