NEW RESOURCES

Getty: Introducing Becoming Artsy . “Take a dynamic ride through Getty’s collections, laboratories, gardens, and more with Becoming Artsy, a new YouTube series. Host Jessie Hendricks brings viewers along while she explores the world of art. ‘What is a museum?’ she asks, and, ‘how do I experience art?’ She brings her curiosity and enthusiasm as she meets the people who make Getty’s art accessible to everyone.”

Raspberry Pi Foundation: Introducing raspberrypi.com. “As well as being able to learn about and purchase the full range of hardware products, on the new website you can download our latest software, find detailed technical documentation, connect with the community on the forums, and read the latest news about Raspberry Pi technologies and how they’re being used to change the world.”

Bank of America: Announcing the Bank of America Access to Capital Directory for Women Entrepreneurs. “Today, during National Women’s Small Business Month, Bank of America, in partnership with Seneca Women, announced the launch of the Bank of America Access to Capital Directory. This first-of-its-kind platform is a resource to help educate women-owned businesses in the U.S. on navigating the capital landscape and identifying potential sources of funding, such as equity, debt and grant capital.”

EVENTS

WJTV: Mississippi Book Festival goes virtual for 2021. “The Mississippi Book Festival will go virtual after COVID-19 caused the cancellation of the August 2021 event. The virtual experience will go public on the festival’s website on October 12, 2021, with more than 110 official panelists appearing on 31 panels recorded in the last month.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Google Blog: Giving you more sustainable choices with Google. “Companies aren’t the only ones asking what more we can do to help the planet — increasingly people are asking themselves those questions, too. So today we’re sharing several new ways people can use Google’s products to make sustainable choices. Among them, we’re introducing new features to book flights or purchase appliances that have lower carbon footprints, a Nest program to support clean energy from home, and eco-friendly routing on Google Maps — which is rolling out today. And when people come to Google Search with questions about climate change, we’ll show authoritative information from sources like the United Nations, in addition to the existing news sources that we currently raise up in the carousel.” I was all excited until I read the last half of the last sentence.

USEFUL STUFF

Make Tech Easier: 10 Meme Generators to Create Your Own Memes for Free. “Want to turn a picture into a meme? You can do it with help of meme generator apps, which offer an advantage for a wide variety of templates, especially the trending ones, such as meme fonts and a dedicated interface. Let’s take a look at the best meme generator apps for Android, iPhone, online tools, and desktop.” EXTENSIVE annotation and instructions.

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

New York Times: Parents sound off on testimony about the harms of Facebook and Instagram.. “The testimony on Tuesday from Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager-turned-whistle-blower, about how Facebook and Instagram can be addictive and harmful to children, set off anger among parents online.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

The Verge: Twitch source code and creator payouts part of massive leak. “Twitch appears to have been hacked, leaking source code for the company’s streaming service, an unreleased Steam competitor from Amazon Game Studios, and details of creator payouts. An anonymous poster on the 4chan messaging board has released a 125GB torrent, which they claim includes the entirety of Twitch and its commit history.”

Washington Post: A flood of unknown products is making online shopping impossible . “If you’ve tried to buy something through online ads on Facebook or Instagram, or through a site such as Amazon, Google and Walmart, chances are you’ve encountered a mix of brands you’ve heard of and even more you haven’t. Between the reputable products and the counterfeits is a sea of mysterious companies selling goods of unknown origin and quality.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

CNET: YouTube study: ‘Creator economy’ supports equivalent of 394,000 full-time US jobs. “YouTube released a study Wednesday saying that the “creator economy” spurred by its massive video service supports the equivalent of 394,000 full-time jobs in the US and contributed $20.5 billion to the US gross domestic product last year. The study, conducted by independent advisory firm Oxford Economics, was commissioned and paid for by YouTube.”

Michigan Daily: Cancel your inner micro-celebrity. “I’m not trying to bash TikTok or any other form of social media. In fact, I think that TikTok is an amazing way to connect people across distance, socioeconomic status and more. It has also proved to be a vehicle for activism during the pandemic and has led to protests against racial and gender inequality, economic blackouts and creators of color being given a platform to speak about their experiences with racial injustice. However, TikTok offers a gamble that, if played correctly, can lead to an invitation to the Met Gala. It democratizes fame, keeping it just out of everyone’s grasp; the fruit that our inner Tantalus can never have.”

Engadget: Google turns its AI on traffic lights to reduce pollution. “Google has run pilots at four locations in Israel to date, in partnership with the municipalities of Haifa, Beer-Sheva and the Israel National Roads Company. The company says it’s observed a ’10 to 20 percent reduction in fuel and intersection delay time’ so far. Google didn’t share any details on the average daily traffic in those intersections, though a video clip from the event showed a fairly busy junction. The company also didn’t explain how the AI would work with current systems and the lights around specific intersections.” Good morning, Internet…

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