NEW RESOURCES

Rutgers University Libraries: Institute of Jazz Studies Launches Count Basie Family Papers and Artifacts Finding Aid. “A native of Red Bank, New Jersey, William James ‘Count’ Basie (1904–1984) was one of the giants of jazz, a global icon, and still one of the most influential, popular, and recognized figures in American music. The Institute acquired Basie’s papers and artifacts in 2018 and is responsible for ensuring its long-term preservation. The roughly 200-cubic-foot collection, consisting of more than 1,000 items, is unparalleled in its size and thorough documentation of Basie’s life and career, as well as those of his wife, Catherine, and daughter, Diane.”

Indiana University: ‘Windows to the World’ brings digital artifacts to K-12 classrooms. “If K-12 students don’t have the resources to travel to Indiana University Bloomington’s campus and visit its museums, a new digital toolkit will bring items from IU’s collections to them. Windows to the World: Digital Artifacts for Global Educators, a collaboration between several area studies centers within the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, will help teachers incorporate items from IU’s collections into their curriculum.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

The Verge: Google search is getting better at displaying bilingual results. “Google is improving how Google search presents information in two languages, alongside developing its voice search feature to understand inquiries that use a mix of languages.”

USEFUL STUFF

Lifehacker Australia: You Can Disable Google Sign-in Pop-ups on All Websites. “You may have noticed an increasing number of websites that now display a ‘Sign In With Google’ pop-up every time you open the page…. If you don’t want to use Google’s sign-in across all sites, there are a couple easy ways to block these pop-ups across the web.”

SlashGear: How To Use An Old Android Phone As A Digital Photo Frame. “When you have an old Android phone, you typically hand it down to a younger relative, sell it, or trade it in somewhere so it won’t add to the pile of growing electronic waste around the world. But what if your phone’s really ancient and no one wants to use it anymore? No, don’t just put it back inside your drawer. Instead of letting it collect dust, you can repurpose it as a digital picture frame.”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

Wall Street Journal: The Failed Promise of Online Mental-Health Treatment. “Remote treatment of mental-health problems surged in the pandemic, as in-person treatment became difficult while pandemic-driven isolation increased anxiety and depression. Digital mental-health companies plunged in, promising to provide millions with access to high-quality care by video, phone, and messaging. Many of the businesses, however, put a premium on growth. Investor-backed, they deployed classic Silicon Valley tactics such as spending heavily on advertising and expansion while often using contractors instead of employees to control costs.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

New York Times: Clean Energy Quest Pits Google Against Utilities. “At the heart of their campaign, Google and its tech giant allies want to dismantle a decades-old regulatory system in the Southeast that allows a handful of utilities to generate and sell the region’s electricity — and replace it with a market in which many companies can compete to do so.”

CNN: Elon Musk’s security team sought for questioning over incident he cited as reason to ban journalists. “Police in Southern California are looking to speak with Elon Musk and his security team over an alleged assault last week that Musk claimed involved a ‘crazy stalker’ and led to the suspension of a private jet-tracking account on Twitter as well as several prominent journalists.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

The Guardian: Becoming a chatbot: my life as a real estate AI’s human backup. “For one weird year, I was the human who stepped in to make sure a property chatbot didn’t blow its cover – I was a person pretending to be a computer pretending to be a person”

WIRED: Let Twitter Devolve Into Porn . “WITHOUT MODERATORS OR advertisers, swaths of Twitter are now mangy empty lots crawling with vandals, lechers, con men, and swastikas. The time is perhaps right for porn, then. Porn abhors a vacuum. Especially where it can be ennobled as constitutional duty. How in the world is this good news? I’ll tell you why it’s good news to me. Not only will it make Twitter2 easily quittable, but it’s pleasing to see things become what they deep down are.” Good afternoon, 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.