CNET: Coronavirus memes help an isolated world cope with ‘existential dread’. “As COVID-19 spreads to more cities and claims more lives, meme accounts across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Reddit have cranked out more content seeking light and humor amid the darkness and uncertainty. Memes poking fun at everything from hoarding toilet paper to going stir crazy while in quarantine have dominated social media feeds.”
internet
BetaNews: The Dark Web turns 20 this month
BetaNews: The Dark Web turns 20 this month. “While we’re all being encouraged to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ as we wash our hands to ward off the COVID-19 virus, you might like to know that you can sing it to the Dark Web, which turns 20 this month. To mark the occasion digital risk management company Groupsense hasn’t baked a cake but it has produced an infographic of the Dark Web’s timeline.”
Phys .org: Internet inventor warns web ‘not working for women’
Phys .org: Internet inventor warns web ‘not working for women’. “The internet is ‘not working for women’ and is fuelling a new era of widespread abuse against females, the creator of the world wide web, Tim Berners-Lee, warned on Thursday. In a bleak assessment published on the World Wide Web Foundation, an organisation founded by Berners-Lee that advocates a free and open web for all, he also argued that a ‘dangerous trend’ of abuse threatens any advances in gender equality.”
Refinery29: How An Unlikely Instagram Trend Is Bringing Together Gen Z, Boomers, & Everyone In Between
Refinery29: How An Unlikely Instagram Trend Is Bringing Together Gen Z, Boomers, & Everyone In Between. “At the top of a new decade, slime is more than just a toy or an Instagram trend. It has the potential to be a fixture in trendy offices and bedside tables everywhere. But it has a long way to go: Slime sellers will tell you their customers on Etsy are mostly parents looking to feed the habits of their 8 to 12-year olds. But the people behind Instagram’s many slime accounts say that it’s teenagers and young adults who make up the bulk of slime’s online audience.”
Towards Data Science: Explore a database of the most popular “Florida Man” headlines
Towards Data Science: Explore a database of the most popular “Florida Man” headlines. “For almost a decade, ‘Florida Man’ has been a mainstay antihero of internet culture. Headlines like ‘Florida man too fat for jail’ and ‘Florida man steals dinosaur bones’ are easy fodder for meme-ification. In early 2013, ‘Florida Man’ was canonized on Twitter with @_FloridaMan and on Reddit with the r/FloridaMan subreddit. And after seven years of retweeting and upvoting, we can gather the most popular headlines to see what makes a ‘Florida Man’ headline successful.”
WPVI: Nora the Piano Cat still on key after 13 years of internet fame
WPVI: Nora the Piano Cat still on key after 13 years of internet fame. “A musical couple lives in perfect harmony with their cat, Nora. Born in 2004, the gray tabby was rescued off the streets of Camden, New Jersey. Burnell Yow! and Betsy Alexander, two musicians and artists, adopted her. Betsy is an avid pianist who provides lessons to locals. With music constantly ringing throughout the house, it’s no wonder why Nora, the cat, picked up an ear for it. One day, she hopped up on the bench and began to play the piano herself.” I love everything about this story. I love the cat, I love the people, I love their house…
The Register: World Wide Web’s Sir Tim swells his let’s-remake-the-internet startup with Bruce Schneier, fellow tech experts
The Register: World Wide Web’s Sir Tim swells his let’s-remake-the-internet startup with Bruce Schneier, fellow tech experts. “Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, has staffed up his startup, dubbed Inrupt, with a handful of notable hires that make its internet salvation mission a bit more plausible.”
