NEW RESOURCES
Spotted on Reddit: A database of theme parks. Apparently the data is based on an app called LogRide, which is a theme park tracker. The database contains information on over 1300 theme parks, over 3200 roller coasters and over 37,000 attractions. Tons of information and photographs and even a toggle switch to go between metric and imperial measurements. Holy mackerel.
TWEAKS AND UPDATES
The Next Web: WhatsApp says it won’t limit functionality if you refuse its privacy policy — for now. “…the Facebook-owned app said that it won’t delete any user’s account if they don’t accept the new policy, but will constantly remind them to accept it. WhatsApp also said at that time that after ‘several weeks,’ if you don’t accept the policy, it will restrict certain core functionality of the platform. Now, in a new statement, the company has clarified that after speaking with governments and privacy advocates it won’t restrict any functionality, even if you don’t accept the policy for now.”
USEFUL STUFF
CNET: 16 emergency apps for wildfires, earthquakes and other disasters. “Check out the top apps to help you before, during and after the next emergency — whether it’s a hurricane, earthquake, wildfire or flooding. Many of these Android and iOS apps work both online and off, for help during power outages or a loss of cell service.”
Mashable: 5 gorgeous YouTube cooking channels that will soothe your soul. “YouTube has a reputation for being filled with shouting streamers, terrible takes, and thinly-veiled bigotry, but it can also be a force for good. A less widespread but infinitely more nourishing category of YouTube content are the cooking channels, which feature people preparing gorgeous, presumably delicious meals. Yet among these there is an even more calming and aesthetically pleasing subgenre. I am referring, of course, to the tranquil, quiet cooking channels featuring humble meals made from scratch.” Watching the Liziqi channel is like watching a beautiful, calm movie.
AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD
KPIX: San Francisco’s Kearny Street Workshop Provides Voice To Asian-American Artists. “The nonprofit provides workshops and performances, from photography to podcasts, equipping artists like Kazumi Chin, Michelle Lin and Dara Del Rosario. The trio produces KSW’s first podcast, called ‘We Won’t Move: A Living Archive,’ featuring conversations with inspiring Asian American artists and community activists.”
CNBC: Black Wall Street was shattered 100 years ago. How the Tulsa race massacre was covered up and unearthed. “At the turn of the 20th century, the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, became one of the first communities in the country thriving with Black entrepreneurial businesses….On May 31, 1921, a white mob turned Greenwood upside down in one of the worst racial massacres in U.S. history. In the matter of hours, 35 square blocks of the vibrant Black community were turned into smoldering ashes. Countless Black people were killed — estimates ranged from 55 to more than 300 — and 1,000 homes and businesses were looted and set on fire.”
Remezcla: Karen Vidángos of ‘Latina in Museums’ Talks Inclusivity + Hopes for More Diverse Future in the Art World. “Among the staff at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, is a social media specialist named Karen Vidángos, also known by her social media moniker ‘Latina In Museums.’ The Bolivian-American art history and museum studies graduate merges her social media savvy background with passion for art to explore underrepresented perspectives and amplify the immersion of the Latine community in museum institutions through her platform Latinx Curated.”
SECURITY & LEGAL
The New Yorker: How to Negotiate with Ransomware Hackers. “The F.B.I. advises victims to avoid negotiating with hackers, arguing that paying ransoms incentivizes criminal behavior. This puts victims in a tricky position. ‘To just tell a hospital that they can’t pay—I’m just incredulous at the notion,’ Philip Reiner, the C.E.O. of the nonprofit Institute for Security and Technology, told me. ‘What do you expect them to do, just shut down and let people die?’ Organizations that don’t pay ransoms can spend months rebuilding their systems; if customer data are stolen and leaked as part of an attack, they may be fined by regulators.”
RESEARCH & OPINION
Krishi Jagran: Indian startup collaborates with Google.org to deploy Artificial intelligence to prevent crop damage. “Agriculture supports 70% of rural households in India, with 80 percent of smallholder farmers (those with two hectares or less) accounting for the majority . Cotton, India’s third-largest agricultural output after rice and wheat, is cultivated by approximately 6 million people. It’s prone to pests in particular: A particularly ravenous-type insect killed half of Maharashtra’s cotton crop in 2017, the country’s second-most populated state. Wadhwani AI, an Indian non-profit firm, has partnered up with Google’s philanthropic arm in its first endeavor in Asia to assist farmers avoid such tragedies and thereby enhance crop yields and revenues.”
EurekAlert: Maximizing cancer survival, minimizing treatment side effects with AI. “Computer scientists at the University of Illinois Chicago are developing a computational artificial intelligence system they hope will serve as a decision support tool for doctors prescribing treatment for head and neck cancer. The work is supported by a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.” Good afternoon, Internet…
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