NEW RESOURCES

Independent Florida Alligator: The Alligator introduces new website that tracks crimes on UF campus. “The Alligator is introducing a new feature on its website to assist students and faculty in tracking crimes on campus; it’s called the UF Campus Crime Project. On the bottom right side of The Alligator website, users will find a new widget that directs them to ufcrime.com. The website features an interactive map of the university, displaying the last 90 days’ worth of crimes that have occurred on campus, along with any available court records.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Search Engine Land: TikTok search ads are here. “It’s official – TikTok is bringing ads to its search results. In TikTok Ads Manager, you’ll find the ‘Search Ads Toggle.’ This newly added feature ‘leverages advertisers’ existing In-Feed Ad creative to serve ads alongside organic video search results from relevant user queries,’ TikTok said.”

TechCrunch: Friend.tech hype is skyrocketing, but will it actually reach the stars?. “Since Friend.tech opened its invite-only beta test 11 days ago, the decentralized social-focused app has quickly attracted a lot of users, even catching the attention of big name crypto influencers, NBA players and OnlyFans creators. But can it convert all the early hype to meaningful, lasting traction?”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

Bounding Into Comics: Disgruntled CBR Employee Hijacks Official Twitter Account, Publicly Accuses Outlet Of Becoming “An AI-Driven, Clickbait-Focused Content Mill”. “In a move that speaks volumes to the present state of the entertainment media ecosystem, a disgruntled Comic Book Resources employee recently used their access to the outlet’s official Twitter account to deliver a scathing condemnation of its current leadership direction.”

WBBM: Newberry Library acquires Eastland archive that helps humanize the 1915 maritime disaster . “Chicago’s Eastland Disaster killed 844 people in 1915 when a passenger ship rolled over in the Chicago River, and now some of those lost lives are coming into sharper focus. The Newberry Library has acquired the collection of the Eastland Disaster Historical Society.” Please note the second picture in this article includes the deceased body of a child.

SECURITY & LEGAL

SBS News (Australia): New bill to force stronger action on social media disinformation. “Social media is at the centre of many of our lives, but there’s concern it’s increasingly an echo chamber. New legislation seeks to ensure social media platforms are doing their best to combat disinformation, which some say is causing damage to our democracy.”

South China Morning Post: Vietnamese video gaming and social media start-up VNG files to be country’s first tech firm to go public in US. “Formerly known as Vinagame, VNG Corp had its start as a game publisher in 2004. It develops and publishes its own titles as well as local versions of international hits, and has gradually expanded to a wide range of services, such as music sharing, video streaming, messaging, a news portal and mobile payments. It has been exploring going public in the US since at least 2017.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Governing: Public Health Enters the Era of Infodemiology. “Misinformation can thwart the work of public health. Leaders from the field are bringing the mindset they use to detect and contain disease to the rapid, far-reaching spread of an information epidemic.”

University of Mississippi: UM Launching Nation’s First Center for Narrative Intelligence. “The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning has approved the creation of a new National Center for Narrative Intelligence at the University of Mississippi, the first of its kind in the country. Narrative intelligence – a human and artificial intelligence-driven process that analyzes large amounts of data to derive meaning, trends and outcomes is particularly useful in identifying the patterns and flow of misinformation and disinformation. It has broad professional applications in various fields including journalism, health care, national security and public policy.”

OTHER THINGS I THINK ARE COOL

Hackaday: Wooden CNC Sculpture Displays Conway’s Game Of Life. “Conway’s Game of Life has been the object of fascination for computer hobbyists for decades. Watching the generations tick by is mesmerizing to watch, but programming the data structure and implementing the rules is also a rewarding experience, especially if you’re just getting acquainted with a new computing platform. Just as rewarding can be creating a nice piece of hardware to run the game on, as [SandwichRising] has just done: check out his beautiful wooden Game of Life implementation.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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