NEW RESOURCES

Loop News: Kingston Creative launches database of 370 Caribbean artists. “Kingston Creative has launched the Caribbean Creative Network (CCN), a public, searchable online database of artists and cultural and creative industry stakeholders.”

How-To Geek: This AI Art Gallery Is Even Better Than Using a Generator. “Lexica is a search engine and art gallery for artwork created with Stable Diffusion, one of the more popular AI art models. The site was created by Sharif Shameem, who hopes it ‘makes Stable Diffusion prompting a bit less of a dark art and more of a science.'” If my RB queue is any indication, we’re going to be seeing LOTS of AI art collections. I’ll try to avoid them overrunning the newsletter.

Physics World: Open-source tool allows researchers to calculate their lab’s carbon footprint. “Researchers in France have developed a new open-source tool to help scientists understand and reduce the carbon footprint of their labs. From the 500 or so labs that have already used the tool – called GES 1point5 – the researchers have discovered that heating, travel and commuting are the main factors that contribute to a lab’s carbon footprint.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Search Engine Journal: Google Updates Its Guide on Preventing Spam and Abuse. “In a welcome update for website owners, Google made clear changes to its spam and abuse resource center on Google Search Central. The biggest updates include more robust suggestions to prevent abuse and identify spam accounts, instead of focusing on how to monitor for it.”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

WIRED: The Tricky Ethics of Being a Teacher on TikTok. “The hashtags #teacher and #teachersoftiktok have a combined 72.1 billion views on TikTok. While many of these videos feature educators simply discussing their job, others take place inside the classroom and include children’s voices, faces, and schoolwork. And even though many teachers on the platform clearly understand how to safeguard their students, the rise of these accounts does raise a number of ethical questions: Should educators really be filming while they’re teaching?”

ABC News: Google workers battle company over ‘life and death’ abortion policies. “The Alphabet Workers Union, or AWU, an advocacy group made up of more than 1,000 employees, has called on Google to strengthen its approach to abortion-related issues or risk an escalation in employee pressure. The AWU functions as a ‘minority union,’ which means it pressures the company through worker organizing but does not formally represent workers in collective bargaining.”

Mashable: The real meaning behind the crab emoji is darker than you think. “Each time a prominent public figure dies, you might see more crab emoji 🦀 on Twitter, Reddit, and the comment section of Instagram posts. It’s a not-so-subtle nod in celebration of the passing of the reign, influence, or life of a particularly controversial character.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

CTV News: B.C. business’ lawsuit against client who posted negative Google review allowed to proceed. “A B.C. judge has decided to let a jury decide whether a single, negative online review of a dentistry practice was defamation, dismissing a bid to have the lawsuit tossed. In a decision posted online last week, Justice Gordon S. Funt outlined his reasons for letting the case proceed.”

Bleeping Computer: Google says former Conti ransomware members now attack Ukraine. “Google says some former Conti cybercrime gang members, now part of a threat group tracked as UAC-0098, are targeting Ukrainian organizations and European non-governmental organizations (NGOs). UAC-0098 is an initial access broker known for using the IcedID banking trojan to provide ransomware groups with access to compromised systems within enterprise networks.”

CNN: Hackers actively supporting Iran’s domestic and foreign spying efforts, researchers warn. “A group of prolific Iranian hackers has likely been key to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps efforts to track its domestic and foreign adversaries in recent years by targeting US government officials, Iranian dissidents and journalists, according to new research published Wednesday.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Clark University: Listening to the Whispering World of ASMR with Professors Shuo Niu and Hugh Manon. “Some people feel an unusual tingle in their brain after watching someone whisper in a YouTube video. On this episode of Challenge. Change., Hugh Manon, professor of screen studies and chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, and Shuo Niu, professor of computer science, dig into the social media phenomenon that is ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response.” No transcript available, but a brief article accompanies the podcast.

University of Edinburgh: Experts assess digital impact on Muslim lives. “Experts will seek to build a clearer picture of the way online platforms are affecting traditional structures within Islam across the continent…. Researchers say that while digital platforms have strengthened ties among Europe’s Muslim communities, this has widened inter-generational differences within these groups.” Good morning, Internet…

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