X taking away Twitter handles

X, formerly called Twitter, has taken away many handles to the dismay of its long-time users. Some of the handles that are knows to have been taken away are below:

@x

@twittermusic

@twittersports

@twittermovies

@twittertv

@music

@sports

@tv

@movies

Sarah Bregel writes in details on Fast Company here. Mashable writes about it here.

Meta blocks news on Facebook and Instagram for users in Canada

Facebook and Instagram, which are owned by Meta, is preventing users in Canada to post or view news content. In June 2023, the Canadian government passed its Online News Act, Bill C-18, which requires big tech giants like Google and Meta to pay media outlets for news content they share or otherwise repurpose on their platforms. Darren Major writes about the event here on CBC. Here is a full text of the act.

How to export your Last.fm Scrobbles

I have used the Last.fm Scrobbler for several years in the past but I realized that there was no way to take out your data right out of their official website. Then I found this tool that lets you do just that.

I like this tool and it should have been part of the main Last.fm product itself.

It is simple to use. Just enter your Last.fm username, select the type of data to export and the file format and start exporting. In fact, you can enter any Last.fm username and it will scrape the data for you.

Here is a screencap of my data being exported. 😊

Thanks to Ghan64 for this useful tool.

Twitter rebranded to X

Elon Musk has rebranded Twitter, replacing its iconic blue bird logo with a white X as part of his efforts to transform the platform into a super-app offering messaging, payments, and more.

Elon Musk tweeted a day ago saying the X.com now redirects to twitter.com and hinting that a new logo is on the way.

X.com now points to twitter.com.

Interim X logo goes live later today.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 23, 2023

Musk aims to create a global marketplace centered around audio, video, and messaging. The logo change was met with criticism and nostalgia. Since Musk acquired Twitter, the advertising business has declined, leading him to explore building a subscriber base for new revenue. The platform has faced technical issues and user backlash due to changes in content moderation and the return of banned accounts. Follow this link for an article from MSN.

Threads launched by Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms launched a new social media platform titled Threads. The new platform is closely linked with Instagram but unlike Instagram it is more focused towards text-based posts. This makes it functionally similar to Twitter and has been referred to as the "Twitter killer" in some circles.

Posts on Threads can be 500 characters long and can contain photos, links and videos (up to 5 minutes length). Twitter which started with 140-character limit in 2006, currently provides 280-character limit for posts. At this point the platform is available as mobile apps for Android and iOS only.

This screenshot shows how the profile page looks like the on the Android app.

The announcement from Instagram is here.

Facebook's press release about the launch is here.

Elon Musk becomes Twitter’s largest shareholder

Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright  Per Bloomberg data, Musk’s 9.2 per cent Twitter stake would make him the largest shareholder in the company. Notably it’s more than quadruple the 2.25 per cent position of founder Jack Dorsey.

https://www.ft.com/content/29b9c884-02d7-4d1c-a4ab-c862242fa76e

Facebook changes company name to Meta

Facebook, now known as Meta, has adopted the new moniker, based on the sci-fi term metaverse, to describe its vision for working and playing in a virtual world. CNBC has the details here.

StumbleUpon Shuts Down after 16 years

Discovery engine StumbleUpon shut down today, after 16 years of operation. It was an interesting tool that let you discover random websites based on your interest. It came as a toolbar for popular web browsers like Internet Explorer, Opera, Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari. Later mobile apps were also available for popular platforms. In addition to discovering interesting websites, the toolbar also let users to submit websites to its ranking engine.

The service was started in November 2001 by Garrett Camp, Geoff Smith, Justin LaFrance and Eric Boyd. Back in 2009, StumbleUpon surpassed all other social media sites in the US, including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Digg, Reddit, and Pinterest, in driving traffic to webpages.

A screenshot of the website in June 2018:

The StumbleUpon user accounts are being transitioned to Mix.com, another content discovery website. This is what they tweeted a few days ago.

StumbleUpon is moving to https://t.co/AHtCs9Gbkz, a new place for you to find, share, and save things you like on the web. Join us today! https://t.co/JJ6hiyYEio

— StumbleUpon (@StumbleUpon) May 29, 2018

Farewell to Editing: Answers.com Transitions to a Read-Only Platform

Answers.com, also recognized as WikiAnswers, has long been a hub for seekers of knowledge, a virtual repository of questions and answers spanning a vast array of topics. However, a recent announcement from Chris Hawkins, Vice President of Business Operations, has sent ripples through its community: Answers.com is bidding farewell to its wiki format. In a move that marks a significant shift in its operational model, the platform has transitioned into a read-only website.

The entirety of the user database of Answers.com had been purged, effectively stripping away the ability for users to actively contribute by editing questions or answers. Henceforth, Answers.com stands as an archive, a testament to the collective wisdom and curiosity of its past contributors.

This decision undoubtedly raises questions and evokes a sense of nostalgia for many who have been part of the Answers.com community. For years, the platform thrived on the collaborative efforts of individuals worldwide, each sharing their expertise, insights, and queries to create a dynamic reservoir of information. From academic inquiries to practical advice, no question seemed too trivial or too complex for the dedicated community to tackle.

Chris Hawkins emphasized in his email that while user contributions are no longer possible, the existing content will remain accessible for all to peruse. This decision ensures that the wealth of knowledge accumulated over the years remains available to those seeking answers to their burning questions, serving as a digital archive of collective wisdom.

It's worth reflecting on the broader implications of this transition. In an era where the veracity of online information is often called into question, platforms like Answers.com have played a crucial role in democratizing knowledge. By harnessing the power of crowdsourcing, they have provided a platform for individuals to share their expertise and learn from others in a diverse and inclusive environment.

My involvement

Having been deeply involved in Answers.com since 2005, I ascended to the ranks of Super-user and Floating Supervisor, dedicating countless hours to refining and enhancing the content with over 40,000 contributions. During this period, I also had the opportunity to engage and communicate with Gregg Anderton, who is the Mentoring Program Coordinator and a great person to work with. Below, I've compiled a sample list of questions that have been the focus of my efforts, undergoing meticulous editing, merging, splitting, categorizing and correcting over the years.

1. What is the furthest spacecraft from Earth?
2. Which function is entry point of 'C' program?
3. What are some basic DOS commands?
4. What layer of the OSI model does TLS operate?
5. What layer of the OSI model does FTP and Telnet protocol operate?
6. What is the difference between compiler and editor.?
7. Which is better and latest between TFT capacitive touchscreen and AMOLED capacitive touchscreen?
8. What is Indian Standard 1652?
9. Can a CD or DVD drive properly read a CD or DVD when the drive is standing vertically?
10. How does 3D television work?
11. Is compiler a system program or an application program?
12. How to find Windows uptime?
13. How many events make up a decathlon?
14. What does the computer hard disk do?
15. What type of program is Adobe Photoshop?
16. How to put computer in sleep mode?
17. When is a method said to be overloaded and when is a method said to be overridden?
18. What do you type at the run dialog box to get system information in XP?
19. What does the acronym NVRAM stand for?
20. What is the difference between TFT and LCD?
21. What causes a memory leak?
22. Where is the Intel Museum located?
23. Who died in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?
24. Who published 'To Kill a Mockingbird'?
25. In what town was the novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird' set?
26. What are some important events in To Kill a Mockingbird?
27. Where can you find cartilage in the human body
28. Where does Miss Maudie live in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'?
29. When was Mary Shelley's Frankenstein published?
30. Why are Mercury and Venus considered inferior planets?

The Email Notification

Following is a copy of the email which was received from the Vice President of WikiAnswers.

From: noreply@answers.com
Date: May 3, 2018, 9:29 PM
Subject: Thank you from Answers.com
Mailed-by: dynect-mailer.net
Signed-by: answers.com

Dear Answers super-user,

Thank you for your years of passion, support, and contributions that have made Answers.com a great resource for knowledge-lovers everywhere. Since its launch, Answers.com has provided a space for users around the globe to discover, create and share exceptional content. Your volunteered commitment to this mission has created its most valuable resource: the collective wisdom and experiences of a large and diverse community, and the publication of rich, relevant, and trusted questions and answers in a multitude of categories. We cannot be more grateful to you.

Due to various factors including data privacy, costs of keeping the user profile system functional, efforts required to continuously patrol user-generated content, and a decision to focus more resources on growing other lines of business, we are announcing today that Answers.com will no longer be operating in an editable format. Effective today, this means that all user profiles and logins will be deleted, and while the site will remain readable, the ability to answer and edit questions will be no longer be publicly available.

This change will have no impact on the accessibility of Answers.com and its millions of questions and answers, which will remain active and available for users to enjoy.

Your involvement in the Answers.com community has helped hundreds of millions of readers, and we cannot thank you enough for your years of commitment. We will continue to manage the legacy you helped build.

Sincerely,

Chris Hawkins
Vice President, Business Operations

Screenshot

A screencap from the website on May 3, 2018 before it went read-only.

Google officially ends forced Google+ integration on YouTube

Google said it will no longer require Google+ accounts to use any of its products, and it will continue to strip Google+ integration out of all of its products. The YouTube blog announced that "in the coming weeks," comments will no longer require Google+; as of today, comments made on YouTube won't show up on Google+, and vice-versa.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/07/google-officially-ends-forced-google-integration-first-up-youtube/

Instagram acquired by Facebook for $1 billion

Facebook has acquired the photo sharing social media mobile app, Instagram, for $1 billion. Earlier this month Instagram had released an Android version of their app for the first time after being in the iOS ecosystem for about 2 years. TechCrunch has written in details about the acquisition here.

Instagram for Android available now after 2 years in iOS

After being available on iOS for nearly 2 years now, the Instagram app is now available also for Android. Read more here.

WikiScanner can track anonymous Wikipedia edits

2007-08-17

WikiScanner or Wikipedia Scanner provides an online searchable tool that takes a database dump from Wikipedia and crawls through anonymous edits which were made from source IP addresses that can be traced back to organizations who may have a vested interest in the content of the respective Wikipedia pages. It uses a IP2Location database to connect IP addresses with organizations.

In most cases these were edits where the organizations would have removed content with criticism. The homepage lists the following organizations as editor's picks on its homepage.

1. Government
1. U.S. Senate Sergeant At Arms
2. U.S. House Of Representatives
3. Environmental Protection Agency
4. National Institute of Health
5. Democratic Party
6. Republican Party
7. NATO
2. Education
1. California Institute of Technology
2. Bob Jones University
3. Policy
1. Electronic Frontier Foundation
2. The Rand Corporation
3. National Rifle Association
4. American Civil Liberties Union
4. Corporate
1. Diebold Inc
2. Amgen Inc
3. Pfizer Inc
4. Wal-Mart Stores Inc
5. ExxonMobil
6. Raytheon
5. News
1. Washington Post
2. Washington Times
3. Fox News Channel
4. New York Times Company
5. Al-Jazeera
6. Locations
1. Ft. George G Meade, Maryland
2. Havana, Ciudad De La Habana
7. Misc
1. darpa.mil
2. Central Intelligence Agency
3. Church of Scientology
4. Vatican
5. Christian Science Publishing Society
6. Church of Latter Day Saints

The creator, Virgil Griffith, wrote in the FAQ page that he created WikiScanner "to create a fireworks display of public relations disasters in which everyone brings their own fireworks, and enjoys". He however suggests that a tool like WikiScanner is not necessary and anonymous speech should be preserved.

The Wired wrote See Who's Editing Wikipedia - Diebold, the CIA, a Campaign to break the story. 

The online tool is available here.

Google Shutting Down Google Video

2007-08-13

Google is shutting down its premium video service, leaving users who purchased or rented content unable to access their videos in the future. They won't receive refunds but are offered a $5 credit on Google Checkout, expiring in 60 days. The move comes after Google's acquisition of YouTube on October 9, 2006, making Google Video less relevant. Analysts criticize the decision, as users lose access to content they bought despite functioning players. Google originally launched this video hosting service on January 25, 2005. The BBC reports it here.

Yahoo! Messenger is now available inside Web Browsers

This development brings positive implications for Yahoo Messenger users as it eliminates the need to install an additional application on their local machines. This enhancement greatly enhances convenience, especially for individuals who frequently utilize the application from cyber cafes, a common practice in India where a significant proportion of internet users access the web from such establishments. Notably, Yahoo holds the second position globally in the Instant Messaging (IM) space, boasting 88.5 million users according to audience measurement firm comScore Inc. However, it is worth mentioning that AOL's AIM holds the top spot in the United States, while Microsoft's MSN/Windows Live Messenger remains the most popular globally. Here is an article on Reuters.