NEW RESOURCES

Space: Pentagon UFO office unveils official website for US government personnel to report sightings. “The All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) unveiled the new website on Wednesday (Aug. 30). According to a note from the office’s director, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, the website will be used to inform the public about ARRO’s findings as well as offer a way for the public to report sightings of UFOs or, as they’re now called, unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP).”

Lafayette College: New Digital Collections Launch This Fall. “The 138 digitized issues of The Marquis document the history of student creative writing at Lafayette College through poetry, prose, and humor pieces from the post-WWII era to recent years and offer snapshots of student life and perspectives over the last 75 years on College Hill.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

TechCrunch: Google now blurs explicit imagery in Search results by default. “Google is finished rolling out its new SafeSearch feature that blurs explicit imagery, such as violent or sexual photos, by default. The company announced back in February that it would be rolling out the change later this year, and has now confirmed in a blog post that it is available to everyone.”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

Quartz: Google’s new AI-powered search results are ripping off news sites. “Earlier this year, as part of its experiments with artificial intelligence, Google released a new search feature that provides an AI-generated overview of search results. The idea is to get users to their answers faster, without needing to leave the search results page. Google says the AI-generated digests use key points from news articles that are not behind a paywall. Critics say the summaries amount to theft, and could incentivize media organizations to put more of their work behind paywalls.”

Apple Insider: Apple is eliminating the social media support roles from Twitter and others. “The official @AppleSupport account was launched in 2016, and it’s primarily used to provide tips for Apple products and address customers directly. The account earned an award from Twitter that same year, thanks to its high level of engagement. However, according to sources speaking to MacRumors, that will be coming to an end. The report states Apple is planning to eliminate its social media support advisor roles available on Twitter/X, YouTube, and the Apple Support Community forum.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

5 News: Social Media Safety Act blocked by Arkansas judge. “A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked Arkansas from enforcing a new law that would have required parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts, preventing the state from becoming the first to impose such a restriction.”

404 Media: I Tracked an NYC Subway Rider’s Movements with an MTA ‘Feature’. “During all this monitoring, I wasn’t anywhere near the rider. I didn’t even need to see them with my own eyes. Instead, I was sitting inside an apartment, following their movements through a feature on a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) website, which runs the New York City subway system.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

PR Newswire: One in five social media users consider themselves an influencer or content creator (PRESS RELEASE). ” One in five (19%) social media users consider themselves to be content creators (10%) or influencers (9%), according to new Mintel research. This number increases to 28% for Gen Z social media users as 11% consider themselves to be influencers and 17% content creators. Meanwhile, three-quarters (76%) of self-proclaimed influencers are living the social media dream by earning enough money from content creation and advertising to support themselves without other work.” That’s… not what I would have expected.

PsyPost: A new mouse maze emoji to increase scientific representation on social media?. “A brief focal point article published in Lancet Neurology questions whether implementing a mouse maze emoji could prove useful in representing the advances made in neuroscientific research. Emojis are small digital icons that are used in digital communication, often conveying emotion or context that may be missing in conversations over text.”

OTHER THINGS I THINK ARE COOL

Meredith College: New Historical Marker to Recognize Work of Human Computers. “An event celebrating a new historical marker in downtown Raleigh commemorating the women who worked as ‘human computers’ for the U.S. space program and military will be held on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Meredith College alumnae are among the women whose work is recognized with this new marker.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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