Last week, Google introduced a new spam filter that enables users to customize searches by providing the option to block unhelpful web sites from appearing in future results.
Read MoreBlinkx Uses Speech Recognition and Image Analysis for Comprehensive Internet Video Searches
Most video search engines search the text of tags and descriptions written when a video is uploaded. A company called Blinkx also uses speech recognition and analyzes images.
Read MoreUsing SEC Form 13F to Learn About Hedge Fund Holdings
Some insight into the holdings of large hedge funds is provided via SEC Form 13F filings. These quarterly reports are filed by institutional investment managers like hedge funds and also including investment advisers, banks, insurance companies, some pension funds and corporations that have discretion over more than $100 million in Section 13(f) securities.
Read MoreCalAware Audits of Open Records Act Requests Available Online
CalAware has conducted and released several audits of California agencies commenting on compliance with the California Public Records Act, the Political Reform Act, the Ralph M. Brown Act, and other open government laws.
Read MoreComprehensive Database of Payments Made to Doctors by Pharmaceutical Companies Available Online from ProPublica
ProPublica's Dollars for Docs is a searchable database compiling payments made to doctors by pharmaceutical companies. Since each company discloses payments individually and does not always release the data in a searchable format, ProPublica's database enables comprehensive searching by doctor name and/or state.
Read MoreConsumer Product Safety Commission to Launch Complaint Disclosure Database
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will launch an online database of the complaints it receives by March 11, 2011. The CPSC regulates the safety of consumer products, and relies on sources ranging from consumer complaints to media reports to learn of potential product risks.
Read MoreMore Public Employee Salary Data Now Available Online
The California Controller's Office has just updated the Local Government Compensation Reports database with salary data for public employees at California agencies, including transit and waste disposal agencies as well as fire and police departments.
Read MoreFacebook Users Can Download Profile Information
Facebook users can download and save a zip file of information tied to their Facebook accounts. Each user can only access his personal account information which will give users a clear idea of the type of information that they have publicly shared with other Facebook users.
Read MoreJFK Records Now Digitally Archived and Available Online
The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation recently announced the launch of its online database of newly digitized records from the JFK Presidential Archives. These records have always been available in person at the library, but efforts to digitally preserve them and make them available to the general public on the Internet have now been realized through the Access to a Legacy program.
Read MorePartnership of Library of Congress and Universal Music Group Will Put Newly Digitized Music Online
Financial realities and overlapping interests have led to an agreement that will create a set of new set of digitized music online. The Universal Music Group agreed to give the Library of Congress approximately 200,000 recordings created between 1926 and 1948 that have been sitting in underground storage.
Read MorePublic Flight Tracking Information – Useful for Everything from Following the Coaching Carousel to Competitive Intelligence
Aircraft tracking sites like FlightAware assist with the verification of an individual's whereabouts - whether that individual is the athletic director at a major university or a high ranking corporate officer dropping in on a potential acquisition or merger target. When combined with other data points (i.e., a coaching search is underway or the plane landed in the small airport next to the company's biggest competitor), this information could be used to deliver solid analysis.
Read MoreLearning Where Records Live
The California Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) just released its 2011 Cal Facts report, providing an overview of government spending and the performance of state-funded programs. In addition to publishing numerous policy-based reports, the LAO publishes studies that provide roadmaps for public records researchers.
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