NEW RESOURCES

Pitchfork: Smithsonian Folkways Opens Digital Archive to Monthly Donors. “Smithsonian Folkways has launched a new program, dubbed ‘Friends of Folkways,’ whereby fans can choose to donate to the nonprofit label in monthly increments as low as $5. In return, donors will have unlimited access to its full digital catalog—an archive of more than 60,000 recordings that includes Folkways titles, as well as those released on Arhoolie, Paredon, and others. According to a press release, the money raised from the program will be used to support the label and pay out artist royalties.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Search Engine Journal: Google Search Generative Experience Lite Version Test. “Google is testing a lightweight version of the Search Generative Experience. This version shows a more subtle AI-generated answer box, without all the color and with just a few lines, which you can then expand to see more.”

The Verge: Google begins prompting users to create passwordless passkeys by default. “Google is making it easier for users to ditch passwords on their Google accounts in favor of passkeys — a fast, secure, and passwordless approach to logins that utilizes the pin, face, or fingerprint authentication built into your devices. Starting today, Google account users will be prompted to create a passkey for their account by default, sparing them from manually hunting through account settings for the setup process.”

USEFUL STUFF

Robert Kingett: My plain text workflow as a fiction writer. . “Simply put, plain text renders everywhere because the computer doesn’t have to render fonts or backgrounds or otherwise. This is also what makes it so portable. Any operating system can open plain text stuff. Because of the above factors, I wanted to see if I could completely shift to just working in plain text.”

AROUND THE INTERNET WORLD

TechCrunch: As misinfo circulates on X amid the Israel-Hamas war, reporters look to other platforms. “In the wake of increasing misinformation related to the Israel-Hamas war now circulating on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, a number of journalists are building up their networks on rival platforms. The shift, though potentially small in terms of raw user numbers, could have an outsized impact on X, where power users create the majority of posts.”

The Guardian: Unesco planning virtual museum of stolen cultural artefacts. “Unesco, the United Nations’ culture body, has announced plans for what it says will be the first virtual museum of stolen cultural artefacts, aimed at raising public awareness of trafficking and the unique importance of cultural heritage.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Bloomberg: Google’s Pichai Decried Bad ‘Optics’ of Search Engine Deal With Apple. “Google’s Sundar Pichai raised concerns years before he became the company’s chief executive officer that its deal with Apple Inc. had bad ‘optics’ because there was no choice of which search engine to use in the company’s web browser.”

Politico: Musk given 24 hours to address graphic images of Hamas attacks. “Elon Musk has until the end of Wednesday to respond to demands from Brussels to remove graphic images and disinformation linked to the violence in Israel from his social network X — or face the full force of Europe’s new social media rules.”

CISA: CISA, Government, and Industry Partners Publish Fact Sheet for Organizations Using Open Source Software. “The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Security Agency (NSA), and U.S. Department of the Treasury published new guidance today on’Improving Security of Open Source Software (OSS) in Operational Technology (OT) and Industrial Control Systems (ICS),’ developed in collaboration with industry and government partners through the Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative (JCDC) as part of our 2023 OSS planning initiative.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

Michigan Daily: Don’t let the archive become a death sentence. “In only displaying items given to museums, not taken, not donated by looters, museums can create an even more welcoming atmosphere — one that truly invites all visitors to partake in the feast of knowledge that the institutions and their staffs spend years painstakingly creating.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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