NEW RESOURCES

DRG News: Audio files from the State Archives collections now available online; Files include KGFX founder Ida McNeil. “The South Dakota State Archives has been working to digitize select audio recordings and make them available in the South Dakota Digital Archives. State Archivist Chelle Somsen says they received a grant to preserve the recordings.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

TechCrunch: Area 120, Google’s in-house incubator, severely impacted by Alphabet mass layoffs. “Area 120, the Google in-house incubator responsible for products such as Checks, Tables, Stack and ThreadBite, has been significantly affected by broader layoffs at Google parent company Alphabet. A spokesperson tells TechCrunch via email that the majority of the Area 120 team has been ‘winded down,’ and that only three projects from the division will graduate later this year into core Google product areas.”

New York Times: Google Calls In Help From Larry Page and Sergey Brin for A.I. Fight. “A rival chatbot has shaken Google out of its routine, with the founders who left three years ago re-engaging and more than 20 A.I. projects in the works.”

USEFUL STUFF

MakeUseOf: How to Shoot a Stop Motion Video: A Beginner’s Guide. “Stop-motion video can satisfy the needs of hobbyist photographers wishing to dabble with video, YouTubers wanting interesting transitional content, or simply for something to do on a rainy day. How can you get started with stop-motion animation? There are just three key pieces of equipment that are required. Two of which you likely have already.”

PC World: The old Windows Photos app is better than the new one, and you can still use it. “What’s known as Microsoft Photos Legacy still resides within the Windows Store, and there’s one good reason that you might still prefer it over the latest version: its superior content search capabilities.”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

WIRED: Tech Workers Fight for Iran Protesters as Big Tech Plays It Safe. “Google’s Iran response has frustrated some employees, rights groups, and US lawmakers. They want the company to deepen its support, including by opening up cloud computing and software development tools to people inside Iran to help protesters communicate securely and circumvent government internet firewalls.”

CNN: Who is Shou Zi Chew? Mounting scrutiny on TikTok could put new spotlight on its CEO. “In Silicon Valley, it’s common for tech CEOs to be household names and the faces of the company’s they lead. Mark Zuckerberg is synonymous with Facebook and Jack Dorsey was the bearded face of Twitter, before Elon Musk acquired it. But Chew, who took over as TikTok CEO in April 2021, has largely stayed out of the spotlight at a time when the app he leads can’t seem to avoid it.”

Mashable: The ‘film Twitter take generator’ isn’t an AI. That’s why it’s so good. . “The film Twitter take generator is funnier than any ChatGPT nonsense I’ve seen — and that has a lot to do with the fact that it has nothing to do with AI. All it takes to have an awesome generator is someone with a vast knowledge of the subject matter. It also has the added benefit of being divorced from all the ethical questions surrounding AI.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Arizona State University: More internet matches are leading to happy marriages. “According to a 2013 study by social psychologist J. T. Cacioppo, the internet is responsible for roughly one in every three marriages. And those who use online dating end up being slightly more satisfied with their relationship and marriage than those who met in more traditional ways.”

Michigan Daily: I’m in a toxic relationship with Goodreads. “Ever since I downloaded Goodreads, every page turned has become a small step closer to completing my yearly reading goal. Keeping track of my reading is now a quantifiable task instead of an entertaining hobby. It has also made me extremely self-conscious of the books I enjoy reading, given that people can actively see the media I consume and silently judge me based on it. I’m hyper-aware of this, yet I refuse to delete Goodreads from my phone. I’m addicted to it. Goodreads seems to have me in a chokehold I can’t break out of.” Good afternoon, Internet..

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