NEW RESOURCES

Scientific Data: p3k14c, a synthetic global database of archaeological radiocarbon dates . “We present a synthetic, global-scale archaeological radiocarbon database composed of 180,070 radiocarbon dates that have been cleaned according to a standardized sample selection criteria. This database increases the reusability of archaeological radiocarbon data and streamlines quality control assessments for various types of paleo-demographic research. As part of an assessment of data quality, we conduct two analyses of sampling bias in the global database at multiple scales. This database is ideal for paleo-demographic research focused on dates-as-data, bayesian modeling, or summed probability distribution methodologies.” This article is open access.

Into Film Scotland: Celebrating Languages Week Scotland. “To mark Languages Week Scotland, we’ve launched a brand new Gaelic page, which recognises the importance of including Gaelic Medium educators and their learners in the work Into Film does, and helping them access the incredible power of film in their own indigenous language. Our new page houses all of our Gaelic-language content, including films in the Gaelic language, and resources that are either specifically about or have been translated into Gaelic.”

ShackNews: Pokemon DP Sound Library launches free online collection of songs. “The Pokemon Company launched the Pokemon DP Sound Library worldwide on February 2, 2022. It’s been available in Japan for a while already, but is now available to listeners around the world, including the entire soundtrack from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl to stream. According to the official post, this music is also freely downloadable and can be used for ‘personal video and music creation.'”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Reuters: EXCLUSIVE iPhone flaw exploited by second Israeli spy firm-sources. “A flaw in Apple’s software exploited by Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group to break into iPhones in 2021 was simultaneously abused by a competing company, according to five people familiar with the matter. QuaDream, the sources said, is a smaller and lower profile Israeli firm that also develops smartphone hacking tools intended for government clients.”

USEFUL STUFF

Digital Inspiration: How to Create Dynamic Open Graph Images with Google Sheets. “Generate dynamic Open Graph images for your website with Google Sheets without requiring Puppeteer. All pages on your website can have their own unique Open Graph images created from a Google Slides template.”

MakeUseOf: 9 Firefox Add-Ons for Reverse Image Search. “Whether you need to track down the original source of an image, find a better quality image, or want to shop for similar products, reverse searching the image can come in handy. But without an add-on, you can’t search by image on Firefox. Therefore, here we’ll take a look at nine of the best Firefox reverse image search add-ons.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Route Fifty: How To Rename a Place. “Louisiana’s Dead Negro Branch was renamed Alexander Branch, after a late local civil-rights leader. Mulatto Mountain, North Carolina, became Simone Mountain, honoring the great Black pianist and singer (and Old North State native) Nina Simone. The new names are the work of the Board on Geographic Names, a little-known federal body with the remarkable power to literally remake the map.”

Bloomberg: Google, Meta can’t just eat up competitors, California AG says. “California Attorney General Rob Bonta has a message for big tech companies, including those in the state: he’s going to take action when they violate laws. ‘This is priority space for me: To hold big corporations, Big Tech specifically, accountable,’ Bonta, 50, said in an interview Thursday. ‘You should expect to see more.'”

RESEARCH & OPINION

NiemanLab: How UC Berkeley computer science students helped build a database of police misconduct in California. “The Data Science Discovery Program was founded in 2015 and is part of Berkeley’s Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society. Every semester, the program pairs around 200 students with companies and organizations that have data science–related projects they need help completing. Students spend six to 12 hours a week working on their assignments, for which they receive course credit.”

Nature: Social-media platforms failing to tackle abuse of scientists. “Social-media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are not doing enough to tackle online abuse and disinformation targeted at scientists, suggests a study by international campaign group Avaaz. The analysis, published on 19 January, looked at disinformation posted about three high-profile scientists. It found that although all of the posts had been debunked by fact-checkers, online platforms had taken no action to address half of them.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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