NEW RESOURCES

ProPublica: We’re Releasing the Data Behind Our Toxic Air Analysis. “Today ProPublica is releasing the data behind our investigative series ‘Sacrifice Zones,’ which revealed more than 1,000 hot spots of cancer-causing industrial air pollution around the country. Researchers can now download the principal data files behind our investigation from our Data Store.”

Law Reform Commission of Ireland: The Law Reform Commission Launches Public Consultation On Statute Law Revision Programme (This is a PDF.) “The Law Reform Commission, through the Statute Law Revision Programme (SLRP), has today launched its public consultation on statutory and prerogative instruments made between 1821 and 1860. The SLRP is the national programme to identify and remove obsolete and spent primary and secondary legislation from Ireland’s legislative stock… Of particular interest to local and family historians will be the 2,503 proclamations offering rewards for apprehending suspected criminals around the island of Ireland.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Mashable: Amanda Gorman kicks off new ‘Word of the Day’ series with ‘Sesame Street’ muppets. “On Monday, poet Amanda Gorman taught Sesame Street’s Grover about a new word, ‘upstander.’ Gorman is the first guest in a new “Word of the Day” video series from Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind Sesame Street. Produced in partnership with media company WarnerMedia Kids and Family, the series ‘harnesses the power of language to nurture children’s positive and healthy senses of self,’ according the announcement.”

Search Engine Land: Google refine this search and broaden this search now live in search results. “Google Search has rolled out the ‘refine this search’ and ‘broaden this search’ in the US based English search results, a Google spokesperson confirmed with Search Engine Land today. These features were previewed last year at the Search On event last September.”

The Verge: Google Domains is finally out of beta after more than seven years. “Google Domains, the company’s domain registration service, is losing the beta tag after first launching more than seven years ago, Google announced Tuesday. The service is now generally available in 26 countries, and the company says it already has ‘millions of active registrations.'”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

New York Times: One More Census Takeaway: The End of an Era of Counting the Nation?. “The next census will be taken in a nation where Amazon may have a better handle on where many people live than the Census Bureau itself. For some advocates of a more accurate count, the era in which census-takers knock on millions of doors to persuade people to fill out forms should give way in 2030 to a sleeker approach: data mining, surveys, sophisticated statistical projections and, if politics allows, even help from the nation’s tech giants and their endless petabytes of personal information.”

Los Angeles Times: A worker objected to Google’s Israel military contract. Google told her to move to Brazil. “More than 500 Google workers have rallied behind a colleague who alleges she is being pushed out of her job because of her activism within the company, the latest flare-up between the tech giant and employees who speak out against its business practices and workplace conditions. The workers have signed a petition accusing Google leadership of “unjustly retaliating” against Ariel Koren, a product marketing manager at Google for Education, for voicing criticism of Project Nimbus, a $1.2-billion contract Google and Amazon Web Services entered into with the Israeli military and government.”

Tell MAMA: Google apologises, removes racist search about Sheffield. “Search engine giant Google has apologised after the racist P-word appeared in results about the population of Sheffield, Tell MAMA can exclusively reveal.” The “P-word” in this case is a slur used against people from Pakistan.

SECURITY & LEGAL

Electronic Frontier Foundation: The Foilies 2022. “Each year during Sunshine Week (March 13-19), The Foilies serve up tongue-in-cheek ‘awards’ for government agencies and assorted institutions that stand in the way of access to information. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and MuckRock combine forces to collect horror stories about Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and state-level public records requests from journalists and transparency advocates across the United States and beyond. Our goal is to identify the most surreal document redactions, the most aggravating copy fees, the most outrageous retaliation attempts, and all the other ridicule-worthy attacks on the public’s right to know.”

News 12 New Jersey: Too young for social media? Bill would require parental consent until 16. “Some Connecticut state lawmakers want to make it harder for children to create social media accounts. The legislature’s Children’s Committee advanced a bill Tuesday afternoon requiring parental consent for kids under 16. Parents who object could ask a social media platform to remove their kids’ page. The app would have 10 days to comply. Currently, federal law sets the sign-up age at 13 years old.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Arizona State University News: Using AI to battle Alzheimer’s . “ASU researchers and Banner Health medical imaging expert team up to take steps toward more effective treatments for debilitating disease.”

Smithsonian Magazine: Using Data Science to Uncover the Work of Women in Science. “Margaret W. Moodey was one of the first women to work at the Smithsonian in science. Beginning around 1900, Moodey worked as a scientific aide in the Smithsonian’s Department of Geology. Her work included identifying, classifying, and cataloging samples, including gems and fossils…. Moodey was an important resource for anyone seeking answers about the collection. In total, she worked for more than 40 years at the Smithsonian…. The papers of her male colleagues are often preserved in the Smithsonian’s archives. Moodey’s were not.” Good morning, Internet…

Do you like ResearchBuzz? Does it help you out? Please consider supporting it on Patreon. Not interested in commitment? Perhaps you’d buy me an iced tea. I love your comments, I love your site suggestions, and I love you. Feel free to comment on the blog, or @ResearchBuzz on Twitter. Thanks!