EVENTS

Western Michigan University: Community-Driven Archives: Centering BIPOC & LGBTQ Memory and Knowledge. “Join guest scholar Nancy Liliana Godoy, head of the Community-Driven Archives (CDA) Initiative at Arizona State University (ASU) Library, to learn about her community-driven archiving work that focuses on centering BIPOC & LGBTQ memory and knowledge.” Free and virtual. September 9.

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Hypebeast: Roblox Introduces Voice Chat With ‘Spatial Voice’ Beta. “Roblox is introducing a new voice chat feature called “Spatial Voice,” starting with an invitation-only beta for select developers, the gaming platform announced on Thursday.” Interesting, comes very soon after Clubhouse announced its own spatial audio feature. I’m not trying to imply they’re copying, just that audio seems like a new focus of social networks.

Analytics India: All The Key Announcements Made By Chinese Search Giant At ‘Baidu World 2021’. ”
Last week at the annual technology conference ‘Baidu World 2021’, the Chinese internet giant Baidu unveiled its second-generation AI chip Kunlun (Kunlun II), robocar, a driverless taxi app (Luobo Kuaipao), and more. In addition, the company showcased various advancements in artificial intelligence, electronic devices, and plans for future growth.”

USEFUL STUFF

CNET: What is an NFT? Everything to know about the expensive digital tokens taking over cryptocurrency. “Nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, are a new kind of collectible that could — or could not — earn you big bucks. NFTs began in 2017 and became the new craze faster than any other cryptocurrency you may have heard of. But you can’t keep NFTs in your dresser drawer, like Pokemon cards, a comic book or paintings. They’re entirely digital and are tied to almost anything — a video highlight, a meme or even a tweet. If this doesn’t make much sense to you, well you’re not alone.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Hour Detroit: A New App Called Inpathy Wants to Rethink the Human Experience Online. “Inpathy aims to change how people interact and empathize with others on social media. Rather than only posting the highlight reels of life, the app encourages transparency among users and sharing the not-so-great moments as well.”

The JC: Graduate creates new conversation app as antidote to ‘toxic’ social media. “A 24-year-old Jewish Londoner says his new social media app, Collate, will offer its users an ‘online oasis away from toxic conversations’. Oliver Kraftman, whose team includes two interns and a part-time tech adviser, revealed that individual posts will be restricted to at least 100 words in a bid to encourage nuance and long-form discussion.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Washington Post: Commerce Dept. security unit to be shut down after overstepping legal limits in launching probes, officials say. “The Commerce Department will eliminate a security unit that it found improperly launched criminal investigations and collected information on hundreds of its employees and average citizens, department officials said Friday…. Operating with little oversight, the obscure unit opened cases ranging from counterespionage to background searches on U.S. residents who wrote innocuous letters to the department’s top official, the review found.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

VentureBeat: Bias persists in face detection systems from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. “Companies say they’re working to fix the biases in their facial analysis systems, and some have claimed early success. But a study by researchers at the University of Maryland finds that face detection services from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google remain flawed in significant, easily detectable ways. All three are more likely to fail with older, darker-skinned people compared with their younger, whiter counterparts. Moreover, the study reveals that facial detection systems tend to favor ‘feminine-presenting’ people while discriminating against certain physical appearances.”

Dazed: Gen Z is developing unexplained tics spread through social media. “New research has identified the unexplained rise of tic-like symptoms in young people since the beginning of the pandemic. Referrals for these rapid onset conditions – found almost exclusively in girls and young women – have increased from 1-5 percent of total cases pre-pandemic to 20-35 per cent of them now, according to a study published on August 13.”

Bloomberg Quint: Apple Should Shed Google and Build Its Own Search Engine. “For years, the smartphone maker has benefited financially from a lucrative deal in which Alphabet Inc.’s Google paid Apple billions of dollars to be the default search engine option on iOS devices. However, the arrangement isn’t likely to survive in a world of rising antitrust scrutiny. That’s why Apple should proactively get ahead of any risk and make its own offering. appease regulators but also be a smart one for its main business.” Good evening, Internet…

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