NEW RESOURCES

City of Boston: City Of Boston Archaeology Program Goes Digital. “In the fall of 2019, the City of Boston Archaeology Program began the process of fully digitizing some of its most significant collections of artifacts. Funded by a $350,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Program hired Project Archaeologist Lauryn Sharp and Digital Archaeologist Nadia Kline to complete the project. The goal of the project is to make the collections accessible online through a searchable artifact database.”

Congregational Library & Archives: Congregational Library & Archives launches free digital archives containing treasure trove of important New England historical records. “The Congregational Library & Archives is pleased to announce the launch of its digital archive which contains over 100,000 images across more than 4,000 extraordinary historical records that illuminate New England history. Records from over 100 New England churches in 90 communities, with most records dating between 1634 and 1850, are freely available for those interested in learning more about the history of their state, community, or family.”

New-to-Me, from Open Culture: Japanese Toy Designs from the Late 19th & Early 20th Century: Explore an Online Archive. “These masks, dolls, tops, and other fanciful works of the toymaker’s craft may not immediately appeal to a generation raised with smartphones. But their designs, rooted in Japanese mythology and regional cultures, nevertheless exude both a still-uncommon artistry and a still-fascinating ‘otherness.'”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

BusinessWire: Redfin Launches Rental Search (PRESS RELEASE). “Redfin (www.redfin.com) today launched nationwide rental search, letting consumers search for both rental and for-sale home listings on Redfin for the first time.”

The Verge: Google changes how it decides which product reviews come up in Search. “Google announced Wednesday it’s making some improvements to how it decides which product reviews it shows in Search results. The idea behind these and other recent product reviews updates is to ensure that reviews you see are high quality and actually include helpful information about a product you might be considering buying.”

USEFUL STUFF

MakeUseOf: The 4 Best Websites for Free 3D Printing Files. “Having access to a 3D printer is a rather exciting privilege. Whether you’ve only just got your hands on one or a 3D printing veteran, free 3D printing models are always welcome. Designing a 3D model from scratch requires time and skill that you might not have. There are lots of websites and libraries where you can download free 3D models, but not every 3D model is 3D printable. Below, you will find the four best websites for downloading free 3D printer files.”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

Ars Technica: AARP-backed social network looks to lure older users from Facebook. “…while the platform still has more users under the age of 50 than over, Facebook remains many older Americans’ sole social network. That’s something the AARP is looking to change, though. The nonprofit funded the creation of Senior Planet Community, a social media network that encourages users to join pre-existing groups around shared interests, including gardening, travel, fitness, food, and technology. In that way, it feels more like a pared-down version of Reddit or a small collection of forums.”

Los Angeles Times: ‘It’s like SNL TikTok’: A peek inside ‘Stapleview,’ a viral live comedy show. “With minutes to go before the premiere of the second episode of ‘Stapleview,’ the set of the sketch comedy show is abuzz with the unmistakable energy of a live production barreling rapidly toward showtime. But amid all the commotion — as crew members rush to set up script monitors and hand out last-minute props — the cast has its focus turned elsewhere. The actors are on their phones, using TikTok.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

ABC News: DOJ charges Russian officials over hacking campaigns that targeted critical infrastructure. “The Justice Department unsealed two indictments Thursday charging four Russian government employees with two separate conspiracies — outlining their alleged involvement in hacking campaigns that targeted critical infrastructure networks in the U.S. and across the globe between 2012 and 2018.”

Techdirt: Creative Commons Tells Senators To Stop Using Its Name To Justify Dangerous Copyright Filters Bill . “I noted in my original post that it was pretty despicable to suggest that Creative Commons would support this bill, as they had chosen not to weigh in during the recent discussion regarding these technical measures at the Copyright Office. Well, now Creative Commons has weighed in… and they don’t seem particularly happy with [Senator Thom] Tillis for either this bill, or using the Creative Commons name in pushing propaganda about the bill.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Library of Congress: Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud: Expert Researchers Share Their Outcomes. “Earlier this year, LC Labs worked with three research fellows in digital history, digital art history, and software librarianship on individual computational research projects. Computational research applies computing processes like algorithms to traditional research topics, such as the study of history. For example, digital history researchers often use computational methods to uncover relationships between historic materials, visualize the contents of those materials, or even make them easier to find. Each of the researchers applied computational methods to a unique topic of their interest.”

OTHER THINGS I THINK ARE COOL

CNET: NASA Just Opened a 50-Year-Old Time Capsule From the Moon. “In December 1972, NASA astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt drilled into the surface of the moon to collect lunar soil samples for transport back to Earth. This week, NASA finally opened one of the vacuum-sealed samples following a painstaking process.” Good morning, Internet…

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