Search Engine Land: How DuckDuckGo (and Microsoft) benefit from Google’s sprawling advertising business. “DuckDuckGo is a search engine that was founded in 2008 with a focus on protecting searchers’ privacy, notably showing all searchers the same search results and refraining from building profiles of its users. Its search volume has risen steadily over the years, and in October 2020 was up to nearly 60 million queries daily.”
Monthly Archives: November 2020
AP: Germany extends partial shutdown to curb virus spread
AP: Germany extends partial shutdown to curb virus spread. “German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s 16 state governors on Wednesday agreed to extend a partial shutdown well into December in an effort to further reduce the rate of COVID-19 infections ahead of the Christmas period.”
Daily Herald: Algonquin’s virtual inspection program catching on
Daily Herald: Algonquin’s virtual inspection program catching on. “Brian Martin spent his week inspecting house wrapping, windows and solar panels for the Village of Algonquin, all while sitting comfortably in his chair watching a computer monitor at the municipal center. In the new world created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Algonquin officials have taken the opportunity to start a program that not only keeps residents and staff members safe from contracting the virus but also serves the community more efficiently.”
Packaging Today: BPF Launches Online Database of Sustainable Design Guides and Tools
Packaging Today: BPF Launches Online Database of Sustainable Design Guides and Tools . The BPF is the British Plastics Federation. “The new online resource includes numerous design guides for making plastic packaging more recyclable, guides for incorporating recycled content in products, general guides about sustainability, as well as interactive tools such as carbon calculators. The searchable database presents a wealth of insight into plastic packaging design at a variety of technical levels, which can ultimately help to reduce the overall environmental impact of products.”
Mashable: Facebook comments on Fauci and Zuckerberg’s vaccine talk suggest we’re totally screwed
Mashable: Facebook comments on Fauci and Zuckerberg’s vaccine talk suggest we’re totally screwed. “Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Anthony Fauci talked all things coronavirus Monday afternoon, but if you tuned in to the Facebook livestream you’d be forgiven for missing the finer points of the discussion. That’s because the often deranged user comments, running alongside the conversation and overflowing with COVID-19 misinformation, had a tendency to distract.”
A comfy chair, a locked door, an old record. Covid Thanksgiving inspires new reasons for gratitude. (Washington Post)
Washington Post: A comfy chair, a locked door, an old record. Covid Thanksgiving inspires new reasons for gratitude.. “In any given year, Stephanie Coleman can recite reasons she is thankful on Thanksgiving, a list that includes her three children, her husband, friends, extended family and the six chickens in her backyard. This year? She is grateful for the lock on the door to her attic, where she flees to escape her family. She is grateful for the lock on her bathroom door, which prevents her kids from barging in at any moment to tattle on one another or whine for more screen time.”
Pope Francis: A Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts (New York Times)
New York Times: Pope Francis: A Crisis Reveals What Is in Our Hearts. “Sometimes, when you think globally, you can be paralyzed: There are so many places of apparently ceaseless conflict; there’s so much suffering and need. I find it helps to focus on concrete situations: You see faces looking for life and love in the reality of each person, of each people. You see hope written in the story of every nation, glorious because it’s a story of daily struggle, of lives broken in self-sacrifice. So rather than overwhelm you, it invites you to ponder and to respond with hope.”
The Hill: Google ordered to disclose emails in Russia oligarch’s divorce
The Hill: Google ordered to disclose emails in Russia oligarch’s divorce. “A federal judge in San Jose, Calif., has ordered Google to hand over emails from the son of Russian oligarch Farkhad Akhmedov, a billionaire who has been embroiled in a four-year, $600 million divorce battle with his ex-wife.”
AP: Empty seats, delivered feasts as virus changes Thanksgiving
AP: Empty seats, delivered feasts as virus changes Thanksgiving. “Turkey and pies will still come out of ovens, football will still be on TV, families will still give thanks and have lively conversations about politics. But this holiday has been utterly altered after months filled with sorrows and hardships: Many feasts are weighed down by the loss of loved ones; others have been canceled or scaled back with the virus surging.”
Chrome Music Lab: An Introduction to the Easiest Music Maker Around (Make Tech Easier)
Make Tech Easier: Chrome Music Lab: An Introduction to the Easiest Music Maker Around . “You don’t need anything other than a mobile device or a computer to make your own music using the Chrome Music Lab. It’s the easiest music maker around and is completely free. You don’t even have to create an account to get started. It’s a fun music education tool and maker for people of all ages, from kids to seniors and everyone in between.”
Gothamist: On The Plus Side, SantaCon’s Canceled?
Gothamist: On The Plus Side, SantaCon’s Canceled?. “From the Silver Lining file, here’s something else to be thankful for today: SantaCon, the annual debauched meathead magnet bar crawl that floods certain unfortunate neighborhoods with blathering bro-chads in Santa costumes every December, has been officially canceled this year. SantaCon’s organizers said the pandemic was to blame.”
Politico: Trump officials hold first ‘Operation Warp Speed’ briefing for Biden
Politico: Trump officials hold first ‘Operation Warp Speed’ briefing for Biden. “Trump administration health officials on Wednesday kicked off a series of planned meetings with the Biden transition team on ‘Operation Warp Speed,’ the administration’s effort to rush Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, according to two people familiar with the hastily scheduled session.”
Route Fifty: Firefighters Push for Inclusion in First Phase of Covid-19 Vaccines
Route Fifty: Firefighters Push for Inclusion in First Phase of Covid-19 Vaccines. “The majority of calls that firefighters and EMTs respond to are medical in nature, and many have been exposed to Covid while on duty, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters. The potential for firefighters’ exposure, coupled with the role that fire departments could play in the administration of a vaccine, the IAFF is asking state governors to include firefighters in the same vaccine distribution tier as high-risk health care workers.”
Backstage: How Sarah Cooper Took Over TikTok (+ Took Down Trump Along the Way)
Backstage: How Sarah Cooper Took Over TikTok (+ Took Down Trump Along the Way). “If you’ve spent any time online during these difficult eight months, you’re likely familiar with the writer-performer’s lip-syncs of President Donald Trump. They’re impressions with just a touch of pantomime, though she does not put on a wig or costume. Instead, she matches his intonation and pronunciation from real interviews and speeches, and lets his words, at last, speak for themselves.”
EurekAlert: Why spending a long time on your phone isn’t bad for mental health
EurekAlert: Why spending a long time on your phone isn’t bad for mental health. “General smartphone usage is a poor predictor of anxiety, depression or stress say researchers, who advise caution when it comes to digital detoxes. The study published in Technology, Mind, and Behavior was led by Heather Shaw and Kristoffer Geyer from Lancaster University with Dr David Ellis and Dr Brittany Davidson from the University of Bath and Dr Fenja Ziegler and Alice Smith from the University of Lincoln.”