T
Tara Calishain
Guest
- Thread Author
- #1
NEW RESOURCES
Hell Gate NYC: Comparing New York’s Most Powerful Judges’ Records Has Never Been Possible—Until Now. “The platform, called Decoded, is the newest project from Oded Oren, who in 2023 left his job as a public defender to start Scrutinize, a website dedicated to increasing judicial transparency. (Hell Gate used Scrutinize as a research tool for our project Courts of Contempt, a deep dive into how judges become judges in New York, and the consequences the broken system can have for everyday New Yorkers.) Decoded uses AI to scrape and organize the judges’ decisions, a platform Oren launched Wednesday after a year of intense development and trial and error.”
DigitalNC: EXTRA, EXTRA! DigitalNC Sets New Record of 5 MILLION Newspaper Pages with Addition of Blue Ridge Sun. “We are elated to have the entire run of The Blue Ridge Sun (Sparta, N.C.) join our newspaper collection for many reasons, such as its geographic location, time period coverage, and that it was established, published, and edited by a woman.”
DeepSeek now has a Search API and a Fetch API.. It costs 75 cents per thousand requests. 75 cents is within my budget so I’ll think I’ll be doodling around with this one a bit.
TWEAKS AND UPDATES
Search Engine Roundtable: Bing Tests Related Searches Based On Your Browsing. “Bing is testing showing ‘Related searches based on your browsing’ similar to how Google is/was showing this a few months ago. In Bing’s test, this is below the Microsoft Ads in the search results.”
AROUND THE SEARCH & SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD
Eurogamer: In the age of AI, one man spent years squeezing an entire museum onto a Game Boy – Why? For the most human of reasons. “‘Let me be honest from the start: nobody was waiting for this. The world has many needs, and a Game Boy cartridge with no game inside it was not high on the list.’ So begins Dr Marcel Pflug’s explanation for one of the most unexpected projects I’ve come across in a while: a Game Boy reference museum that isn’t just a Game Boy reference museum; it’s one that works on a Game Boy cartridge.”
MakeUseOf: Google has officially turned these Nest thermostats back into dumb thermostats. “…the first- and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostats were officially dropped by Google last year. Nest Learning Thermostats hook up to your home’s electrical wiring, so there’s no battery to worry about. But key Nest Learning Thermostat features depend on Google services to work…. If you own one of the affected models, you might be happy to learn that a free and open-source software project restores your Nest Learning Thermostat’s cloud functionality once again.”
National Comedy Center: National Comedy Center Preserves Hundreds of Rare, Never-Before-Seen “I Love Lucy” Behind-the-Scenes Photographs and Early Pilot Script for 75th Anniversary. “On the 75th anniversary of I Love Lucy’s historic October 15, 1951 premiere, the National Comedy Center today announced the acquisition of one of the most significant collections of original I Love Lucy production material to emerge in decades – including hundreds of rare, previously unseen behind-the-scenes photographs, Lucy and Desi’s personally owned 35mm film prints of the series, and a rare original script draft representing the earliest known revisions to the formative I Love Lucy pilot episode.”
SECURITY & LEGAL
Engadget: NY congressman to introduce bill protecting video game ownership . “Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) has announced plans to introduce a bill calling on the Federal Trade Commission to protect people’s ability to own and play the video games they’ve purchased.”
Florida Phoenix: In the dark? 2026 ‘Government in the Sunshine’ manual seemingly shelved. “Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has not published the Government in the Sunshine Manual this year, seemingly breaking an annual effort by attorneys general in the state for decades. The book is typically published in partnership with the Florida First Amendment Foundation and explains Florida’s public records and public meeting laws plus any changes made via case law or the Legislature since the last edition.”
RESEARCH & OPINION
Low Poly Brainblast: Hosting an ‘Internet Search Party’. “I recently hosted an in-person ‘Internet Search Party’ (and single release) here in Boston. The purpose and position of the party was exactly what it sounds like — we literally surfed the web. ‘…But why?’, you ask yourself. Read on for more.” As you might imagine I LOVE this.
XDA Developers: I de-Googled my life for a week, and this is the local setup that replaced search, photos, and documents. “I wanted to see how much of my digital life could actually survive without Google in the event I wanted to ditch it for good. Email was a no-go at this moment since I couldn’t change my contact details with every organization I’m registered with. But the rest was pretty much free game. I already made my own little calendar tool with Claude, so this wasn’t an area I needed help with. But Photos, Search, and Docs were the big ones, and turns out, there are loads more private options.”
OTHER THINGS I THINK ARE COOL
Salt Lake Tribune: Author Jodi Picoult came to Utah with a surprise: 600 free copies of her bestselling novel banned from public schools. “Jodi Picoult’s novel ‘Nineteen Minutes’ was banned from all Utah public schools this year — and all copies were destroyed, which state law requires districts to do. But during a Saturday evening talk at Salt Lake City’s West High School, Picoult surprised attendees by giving away 600 free copies of the banned book.” Good morning, Internet…
This newsletter is free but most of the things that go into making it aren’t! Help me afford new socks and fancier bean stew by supporting ResearchBuzz on Patreon. Not interested in commitment? Perhaps you’d buy me an iced tea. Don’t have any money but still want to support? I know how that feels. Share this newsletter or tell a friend about it. I live at Calishat. See my other nonsense at SearchTweaks, RSS Gizmos, Local Search America, WikiTwister, and MiniGladys.
Hell Gate NYC: Comparing New York’s Most Powerful Judges’ Records Has Never Been Possible—Until Now. “The platform, called Decoded, is the newest project from Oded Oren, who in 2023 left his job as a public defender to start Scrutinize, a website dedicated to increasing judicial transparency. (Hell Gate used Scrutinize as a research tool for our project Courts of Contempt, a deep dive into how judges become judges in New York, and the consequences the broken system can have for everyday New Yorkers.) Decoded uses AI to scrape and organize the judges’ decisions, a platform Oren launched Wednesday after a year of intense development and trial and error.”
DigitalNC: EXTRA, EXTRA! DigitalNC Sets New Record of 5 MILLION Newspaper Pages with Addition of Blue Ridge Sun. “We are elated to have the entire run of The Blue Ridge Sun (Sparta, N.C.) join our newspaper collection for many reasons, such as its geographic location, time period coverage, and that it was established, published, and edited by a woman.”
DeepSeek now has a Search API and a Fetch API.. It costs 75 cents per thousand requests. 75 cents is within my budget so I’ll think I’ll be doodling around with this one a bit.
TWEAKS AND UPDATES
Search Engine Roundtable: Bing Tests Related Searches Based On Your Browsing. “Bing is testing showing ‘Related searches based on your browsing’ similar to how Google is/was showing this a few months ago. In Bing’s test, this is below the Microsoft Ads in the search results.”
AROUND THE SEARCH & SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD
Eurogamer: In the age of AI, one man spent years squeezing an entire museum onto a Game Boy – Why? For the most human of reasons. “‘Let me be honest from the start: nobody was waiting for this. The world has many needs, and a Game Boy cartridge with no game inside it was not high on the list.’ So begins Dr Marcel Pflug’s explanation for one of the most unexpected projects I’ve come across in a while: a Game Boy reference museum that isn’t just a Game Boy reference museum; it’s one that works on a Game Boy cartridge.”
MakeUseOf: Google has officially turned these Nest thermostats back into dumb thermostats. “…the first- and second-generation Nest Learning Thermostats were officially dropped by Google last year. Nest Learning Thermostats hook up to your home’s electrical wiring, so there’s no battery to worry about. But key Nest Learning Thermostat features depend on Google services to work…. If you own one of the affected models, you might be happy to learn that a free and open-source software project restores your Nest Learning Thermostat’s cloud functionality once again.”
National Comedy Center: National Comedy Center Preserves Hundreds of Rare, Never-Before-Seen “I Love Lucy” Behind-the-Scenes Photographs and Early Pilot Script for 75th Anniversary. “On the 75th anniversary of I Love Lucy’s historic October 15, 1951 premiere, the National Comedy Center today announced the acquisition of one of the most significant collections of original I Love Lucy production material to emerge in decades – including hundreds of rare, previously unseen behind-the-scenes photographs, Lucy and Desi’s personally owned 35mm film prints of the series, and a rare original script draft representing the earliest known revisions to the formative I Love Lucy pilot episode.”
SECURITY & LEGAL
Engadget: NY congressman to introduce bill protecting video game ownership . “Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) has announced plans to introduce a bill calling on the Federal Trade Commission to protect people’s ability to own and play the video games they’ve purchased.”
Florida Phoenix: In the dark? 2026 ‘Government in the Sunshine’ manual seemingly shelved. “Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has not published the Government in the Sunshine Manual this year, seemingly breaking an annual effort by attorneys general in the state for decades. The book is typically published in partnership with the Florida First Amendment Foundation and explains Florida’s public records and public meeting laws plus any changes made via case law or the Legislature since the last edition.”
RESEARCH & OPINION
Low Poly Brainblast: Hosting an ‘Internet Search Party’. “I recently hosted an in-person ‘Internet Search Party’ (and single release) here in Boston. The purpose and position of the party was exactly what it sounds like — we literally surfed the web. ‘…But why?’, you ask yourself. Read on for more.” As you might imagine I LOVE this.
XDA Developers: I de-Googled my life for a week, and this is the local setup that replaced search, photos, and documents. “I wanted to see how much of my digital life could actually survive without Google in the event I wanted to ditch it for good. Email was a no-go at this moment since I couldn’t change my contact details with every organization I’m registered with. But the rest was pretty much free game. I already made my own little calendar tool with Claude, so this wasn’t an area I needed help with. But Photos, Search, and Docs were the big ones, and turns out, there are loads more private options.”
OTHER THINGS I THINK ARE COOL
Salt Lake Tribune: Author Jodi Picoult came to Utah with a surprise: 600 free copies of her bestselling novel banned from public schools. “Jodi Picoult’s novel ‘Nineteen Minutes’ was banned from all Utah public schools this year — and all copies were destroyed, which state law requires districts to do. But during a Saturday evening talk at Salt Lake City’s West High School, Picoult surprised attendees by giving away 600 free copies of the banned book.” Good morning, Internet…
This newsletter is free but most of the things that go into making it aren’t! Help me afford new socks and fancier bean stew by supporting ResearchBuzz on Patreon. Not interested in commitment? Perhaps you’d buy me an iced tea. Don’t have any money but still want to support? I know how that feels. Share this newsletter or tell a friend about it. I live at Calishat. See my other nonsense at SearchTweaks, RSS Gizmos, Local Search America, WikiTwister, and MiniGladys.