NEW RESOURCES
University of Alaska Fairbanks: New interactive Alaska tsunami hazard map helps communities prepare. “Alaska has 6,700 miles of coastline, including its islands, and much of it is vulnerable to a devastating tsunami. The tsunami hazard tool aims to help the public understand the danger and know what to do and where to go when a tsunami alert is issued. The map is part of the Alaska Earthquake Center’s expanded tsunami resource page.”
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Nebraska teams with USGS to create new statewide surface geologic map. “To create a statewide Nebraska surficial geologic map with new, more accurate lines showing alluvial contours and other dimensions, the two undertook a massive set of meticulous scientific work. In coordination with the U.S. Geological Survey, they reconciled a wide-ranging patchwork of cartographic information to produce the first-ever statewide map showing Nebraska’s surficial geology. The map, available for the first time at a consistent statewide scale, fills in longstanding cartographic gaps while noting limitations on available evidence in specific cases.”
City of New York: Mayor Mamdani Launches NYC Mental Health Connect, Helping New Yorkers Find and Access Local Mental Health Services. “Funded through the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), Mental Health Connect allows New Yorkers to explore behavioral health services from over 600 providers based on type of service, appointment availability, ages served, languages spoken, and insurance types accepted — all through a brief questionnaire.”
PoPville: “Free map of every DC traffic camera and how often it tickets”. “‘Dear PoPville, I built a free map of all 317 fixed speed, red-light and stop-sign cameras in DC from DDOT’s open data, and thought it might be of interest. For each camera it shows the stretch of street it watches, the direction of travel, the posted limit and 12 months of ticket counts, refreshed monthly.'”
TWEAKS AND UPDATES
Google Blog: New on Google Play: More ways to create, discover, and play. “Google Play connects you with the apps and games you love. Today, it’s becoming the place you go to connect with the ones that you create, making it possible for anyone with an idea to build a personal app and run it on Google Play. We’re also introducing new ways to discover and play that put you in control.”
AROUND THE SEARCH & SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD
Spotted in my RSS feeds: Web of Markdown. “On October 6, 2026, Dave Winer posted “The web of Markdown” on Scripting News. He imagines a Markdown web browser: no CSS and no frameworks, just Markdown files, as a way to restart the web in 2026….This list is a look at how much of that web already exists among the sites in Dave’s blogroll.”
Mashable: Feminist orgs claim Meta censoring posts about Cornell 7 case. “The civil lawsuit claiming that Jane Doe was drugged and raped by seven Chi Phi fraternity members at Cornell University has caused an eruption of content on social media, from the ‘I am Jane Doe’ campaign to help conceal the woman’s identity to celebrities like Florence Pugh posting about the allegations. Now, a coalition of feminist and tech justice organizations claim Meta is censoring content about the case.”
SECURITY & LEGAL
Reuters: Ukraine says SpaceX limits Starlink operations, disrupting military. ” SpaceX has introduced a limit on some Starlink services in Ukraine, disrupting combat drone missions for which the technology is crucial, officials said on Wednesday. The satellite internet terminals from Elon Musk’s company are vital for guiding Ukraine’s longer-range drone strikes in occupied southern and eastern Ukraine, which have wreaked havoc on Russian logistics.”
The Guardian: My son killed himself after falling victim to an online scam. I heard it happen – and vowed to protect other children. “Gavin Guffey was 17 when he was targeted by a ‘sextortionist’ on Instagram. His father Brandon has spent four years fighting for justice, and for social media companies to do more to safeguard young users.”
OTHER THINGS I THINK ARE COOL
Hackaday: Introducing The Garlic-Powered Door And Window Sensor. “The research article is sadly paywalled, but the IEEE Spectrum article covers all the salient details. The sensor uses ground up garlic peel for the positive side of this triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) as they call it, with a sheet of polyethylene (PE) forming the negative side. Once installed on a door frame, opening said door generates about 210 VAC with a 45 µA short circuit current. A dual-side layer of garlic peel bumps this up to 400 VAC and 65 µA.” Good afternoon, Internet…
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