NEW RESOURCES

Jewish News Service: First digital translation of Mishneh Torah interconnected with other Jewish texts goes online. “A complete English translation of the Mishneh Torah interconnected with other Jewish texts is being digitally offered for the first time ever by the nonprofit organization Sefaria, which digitizes and shares Jewish texts for free in Hebrew along with translations and commentaries.”

University of Portsmouth: New Evidence Finds Current Policies Not Working To End Plastic Pollution. “The results of the research form the heart of the recently launched GPPC – a unique online inventory of plastic policies that is easily searchable. Free to all, it is a ‘one stop shop’ of independent, evidence-based plastics advice. The new website is a knowledge sharing platform that gives the latest guidance to anyone with an interest in plastics policy. The website is designed to give governments and businesses the evidence needed to make informed, evidence-based decisions around plastic policies.”

USEFUL STUFF

Bellingcat: Identifying Suspicious Businesses, Reddit Analysis and Tracking Russian Propaganda: Here are the Results of Bellingcat’s First Ever Hackathon. “Bellingcat hosted its first ever hackathon earlier this month with the event focussing on developing network analysis tools. We were impressed with the quality of the projects and had a great time getting to know the developers, many of whom work at the intersection between open-source research and open-source software.”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

The Guardian: Museums on prescription: Brussels tests cultural visits to treat anxiety. “A tour of ancient sewers? An encounter with a masterpiece of 16th-century lace-making? These are two of the therapies on offer to people in Brussels suffering from depression, stress or anxiety. From this month, psychiatrists in one of the city’s largest hospitals have been able to offer patients ‘museum prescriptions’, a free visit with a few friends or family members to discover one or more of Brussels’ cultural institutions.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Bleeping Computer: Signal calls on users to run proxies for bypassing Iran blocks. “Signal is urging its global community to help people in Iran stay connected with each other and the rest of the world by volunteering proxies to bypass the aggressive restrictions imposed by the Iranian regime. The end-to-end encrypted messaging tool is currently blocked in Iran, along with WhatsApp and Instagram, which many people in the country use to coordinate protests and share information with the rest of the world.”

Washington Post: Health apps share your concerns with advertisers. HIPAA can’t stop it.. “In a nation with millions of uninsured families and a shortage of health professionals, many of us turn to health-care apps and websites for accessible information or even potential treatment. But when you fire up a symptom-checker or digital therapy app, you might be unknowingly sharing your concerns with more than just the app maker.”

BBC: Did misinformation fan the flames in Leicester?. “We’ve spent the past week trying to unpick some of the false claims in and about Leicester and tried to see how much they spread both in the run-up to the disorder and the aftermath. Temporary chief constable Rob Nixon told BBC Two’s Newsnight there had been a deliberate attempt by people to use social media in a destructive way.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Phys .org: Support for art and other cultural objects can be strengthened by highlighting their collective value. “New research into the sacredness of artistic objects shows that it’s possible to get people to see just about any artwork as sacred—even an amateur drawing—so long as they believe that the art connects humanity to something bigger than itself. And when people do that, they are more willing to put themselves out to ensure it’s protected.”

Trinity College Dublin: New research project to lay foundations for next generation of Old and Middle English scholarship. “Entitled ‘Searobend: Linked Metadata for English-Language Texts, 1000-1300’, the project will use techniques from computer science to link fifteen major resources for the study of English texts from the High Middle Ages (c. 1000-1300).”

New York Times: Social Media Companies Still Boost Election Fraud Claims, Report Says. “The report, by New York University’s Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, argues that the companies fuel false conspiracies about election fraud despite promises to combat them.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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