NEW RESOURCES

Phys .org: Calling all ‘fusioneers’! New US fusion energy website launches. “The U.S. Fusion Outreach Team, a grassroots organization in the fusion community focused on reducing barriers to outreach efforts, has launched a new centralized website to engage an expanding workforce, media, educators, and the public in the journey toward a world powered by fusion energy.”

AXA XL: AXA XL launches new Coastal Risk Index. “The CRI has been developed in partnership with AXA’s scientific partners, IHE Delft (Netherlands) and University of California, Santa Cruz (USA) and the Government of Canada through the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA). It assesses coastal flooding in the context of climate change by comparing scenarios with and without coastal ecosystems, such as coral reefs and mangroves, helping to build the case for nature-based solutions.”

The Catholic Leader: EthicsFinder: a new tool for enquiring minds. “WHERE would you go to find out what the Catholic Church teaches about life issues? Or love? Or politics, ethics, philosophy, or culture? Where would you start as a teacher, student, scholar, commentator, journalist, just trying to think through the debates around these matters? Australian Catholic University has created a one-stop and easily accessible online solution called EthicsFinder.”

Yahoo Finance: Free tool allows job seekers to find companies that pay student loans. “The tool is a jobs board developed by student loan startup Goodly that allows users to browse thousands of companies that offer student loan repayment assistance. There are currently about 2,000 companies on the platform, and jobs can be sorted by where the company is located, the industry, company size, and more.”

Navajo-Hopi Observer: Native voices share cultural ties to Little Colorado River. “A group of Native voices is kicking off Native American Heritage month with a new multimedia story collection that celebrates the Little Colorado River’s life-giving waters. ‘Lifeways of the Little Colorado River’ features personal narratives, videos, and audio stories from Indigenous sheepherders, scholars, farmers, musicians, activists, artists, and more.”

Variety: Database for MENA and South Asian Creatives Launched By MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition (EXCLUSIVE). “In an effort to strengthen the representation of MENA [Middle East and North Africa] and South Asian talent in the entertainment industry, the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition (MAAC) launched a global online database on Tuesday. The database will connect emerging and established talent from these regions to film productions, studios, hiring managers and casting starting today…”

USEFUL STUFF

Lifehacker: 10 Features and Settings You Should Use in the New Google Chat. “Google can’t seem to stop making messaging apps. After Google Talk, Hangouts, and Allo (and millions of attempts at adding chatting to other Google services), we now have Google Chat—a new service with Slack-style rooms as its core feature. Google Chat is replacing the text-messaging park of Hangouts, while Google Meet takes over video calling responsibilities. It can be a bit intimidating to start using new services, but we’re here to make the transition easier. Here are all the new features you need to try to make yourself at home in the new Google Chat.” Slideshow.

SECURITY & LEGAL

CNN: Hackers have breached organizations in defense and other sensitive sectors, security firm says. “Suspected foreign hackers have breached nine organizations in the defense, energy, health care, technology and education sectors — and at least one of those organizations is in the US, according to findings that security firm Palo Alto Networks shared exclusively with CNN.”

Axios: Exclusive: New bipartisan bill aims to reduce sway of “opaque algorithms”. “A bipartisan group of House lawmakers has introduced a bill that would require online platforms to let users opt out of having personal data-driven algorithms select the content they see, according to a copy of the text shared exclusively with Axios.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

VentureBeat: Synthesis AI offers API for virtual humans. “Synthesis AI, a synthetic data company, has released HumanAPI, a new tool for generating virtual humans from synthetic data. Virtual humans are photorealistic digital representations of people who will move, talk, and behave like real humans in a virtual environment. These virtual humans are meant to help developers improve AI application developments.”

The Conversation: Are people lying more since the rise of social media and smartphones?. “Social psychologists and communication scholars have long wondered not just who lies the most, but where people tend to lie the most – that is, in person or through some other communication medium. A seminal 2004 study was among the first to investigate the connection between deception rates and technology. Since then, the ways we communicate have shifted – fewer phone calls and more social media messaging, for example – and I wanted to see how well earlier results held up.”

TechCrunch: Google tests Project Relate, a voice recognition and synthesis app for people with speech impairments. “Google is looking for help developing an Android app aimed at providing more communication options for people with speech impairments. Project Relate, as the effort and app is now called, will provide voice transcription and synthesis that could make it easier for users to be understood.” Good morning, Internet…

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