Washington Post: Swipe and buy: Social media is now a destination for holiday shopping. “Savannah Baron keeps an exhaustive spreadsheet of perfect gifts: a camping chair love seat for the couple who enjoys the outdoors; a refillable candle for your eco-conscious cousin; a cocktail infusion kit for the friend who’s into mixology. It’s not for her. It’s for her 189,000 TikTok followers.”
Google Blog: Five spooky filters to try this Halloween. “Think you know Halloween? 🎃 Google Arts & Culture is embracing spooky season with the release of our Spotlight on Halloween — a selection of the creepiest, most disturbing art exhibits created by our partners, ready to instill fear in even the bravest of souls. From terrifying filters to macabre artworks, here are some of the things you’ll be able to play around with.”
How-To Geek: 9 Alexa Tricks to Try This Halloween Season. “If you’re one of the millions of people with an Echo speaker, Ring doorbell, or both, there are plenty of smarthome tricks for you to take for a spin this Halloween.”
CNET: Google Scares Up New Great Ghoul Duel Doodle for Halloween. “Like the original, released in 2018, Great Ghoul Duel 2 challenges players to form two teams of four ghosts to collect as many wandering spirit flames as possible. The team that collects the most spirit flames and returns them to your home base within two minutes wins.”
ReviewGeek: How to Play Reddit’s ‘Spooky Bananas’ Halloween Game. “If you’re in the mood for a lighthearted Halloween scare, maybe it’s time to visit Reddit. A new game hiding in Reddit’s menu bar, called Spooky Bananas, lets you control the ghost of Snoo as he floats around eating bananas.”
Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) has released its annual teal pumpkin map at https://www.foodallergy.org/our-initiatives/awareness-campaigns/teal-pumpkin-project/map. From that page: “The Teal Pumpkin Project is a simple way to make trick-or-treating safer and more inclusive. Placing a teal pumpkin on your doorstep signals that, in addition to candy, you offer non-food trinkets and treats that are safe for all trick or treaters.” Searching the map finds both people and CVS locations that are participating — fewer people around here but hey, it’s North Carolina. The Teal Pumpkin Project is also listing allergy-friendly events this year in addition to trick-or-treating locations.
MakeUseOf: How to Take Incredible Fireworks Photos Using a Smartphone: 10 Tips. “Smartphone photography is a convenient way to get great photos without being weighed down with a heavy and bulky DSLR. You might think you need a professional camera setup to get amazing fireworks shots, but the camera in the palm of your hand is good enough. By using these smartphone photography tips, you can enjoy any fireworks display and get great photos without dragging a large camera bag along with you. Let’s jump right in.”
Virginia Commonwealth University: Juneteenth: A reading list. “Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved people there that they were free, some two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation. Sometimes called Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, the holiday has a rich history of celebration, remembrance and education that is continuing today on a larger, national scale. VCU News asked faculty, as well as staff from VCU Libraries, to suggest books that help readers understand and celebrate Juneteenth and all that it represents.”
Baltic News Network: Police Chief: Russia might use 9 May celebrators for propaganda. “The people who think about coming to Victory Park on 9 May to lay flowers should keep in mind that Russian propaganda will use them for stories about people supporting the Kremlin, said Chief of Latvia’s State Police Armands Ruks in an interview to TV3 programme 900 seconds on 28 April.”
The Mainichi: Tokyoites asked to refrain from cherry blossom parties even after quasi-emergency lifted. “The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will call for people in the capital to continue implementing basic coronavirus infection prevention measures thoroughly and refrain from gathering to see cherry blossoms as part of responses to be taken after the quasi-state of emergency ends across Japan on March 21.”
Pew (PEW PEW PEW PEW PEW!): More members of Congress, especially Democrats, are talking about Black History Month on social media. “A growing share of congressional lawmakers have taken to social media each February to commemorate Black History Month, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of their Facebook and Twitter activity. Nearly two-in-three members of Congress (64%) mentioned Black History Month on Facebook or Twitter in February 2021, up from just 29% in 2015.”
CNET: Google’s interactive 3D Valentine’s Day puzzle features adorable hamsters. “Valentine’s Day is the day we celebrate love, and Monday’s Doodle puts you in the position of having to reunite two lovelorn hamsters. After a brief overture, the hamsters have been retreated to opposite sides of the Doodle, which is constructed of disjointed habitat tubes.”
CNN: Shanghai metro sparks Covid panic with festive red QR codes. “Chinese social media users reported Sunday that the Shanghai metro’s QR code — which passengers scan when they enter and exit stations -— had changed color from its usual black to red, according to state-run news outlet The Paper. It sparked terror in many passengers, and for good reason. For the past two years, a red QR code in China has meant that you have — or are suspected to have — Covid-19.”
9to5 Google: Google Search Easter egg celebrates Chinese New Year and Year of the Tiger. “With Chinese Year New set to begin on February 1, 2022, Google Search has added a neat Easter egg to help celebrate the Year of the Tiger.”
CNET: Google launches .day domains to bring attention to special days. “Google has launched its new .day domain name system, allowing companies, charities, organizations and individuals to use the domain names to bring special attention to certain days and causes.”
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