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Utah Elected Officials Invited to Blog

Most states currently do not provide constituent service blogs for their legislators. One reason is the fear that blogs can be misused. Legislative staff make every effort to offer non-partisan services and information and fear that blogs could be used as state sponsored tools for campaigning.

Most U.S. Representatives and Senators have both official governmental websites and private sites for operating campaigns. The question is, could state governments promote a similar dual model of separate sites/weblogs for constituent services and campaigning?

Elected officials and those running for office have seen how RSS news syndiction can help them spread their message. Howard Dean rose out of obscurity last year using a combination of weblogging and local web meetups to become his party's front runner in the presidential race. Dean and others learned that this technology can even the playing field and allow someone to rapidly organize a grass roots campaign. RSS syndication can help create a dynamic website and produce both email and online newsletters in the same process. With legislative staffs slow to offer the service, there is an inviting market niche for the private sector.

Recognizing this golden opportunity, LaVarr Web, Publisher of UtahPolicy.com today issued an "Invitation to Blog" to elected officials and party leaders wishing to communicate directly to citizens. Mr. Webb writes:


We would like to invite you to become a blogger. UtahPolicy.com is creating the Utah Policymaker Blog and we hope you will be part of it. It is an opportunity for you, as a Utah policymaker, to publish your opinions, thoughts and ideas to a wide audience of opinion leaders. It is an opportunity to participate in an exciting new high-tech communications medium that is becoming a powerful tool in politics, business and in every walk of life.

It's fun and exciting to be a blogger. You are probably aware of how bloggers are credited for toppling the powerful Dan Rather and CBS News. The phenomenon of blogging is growing rapidly and as a leader in Utah you ought to become familiar with this new method of communicating and use it to your advantage. In effect, Utah policymakers will have their own electronic publication in which to communicate with the public.

Some reasons UtahPolicy.com offers as to why elected officials ought to consider blogging include:

  • You can communicate directly to citizens and other policymakers and opinion leaders without having your comments and opinions filtered by the news media.

  • You can talk back to the news media. You can comment on news stories published by newspapers, and magazines and aired by television and radio. You can even link to the original articles.

  • You can promote your pet projects, priorities, legislation, causes, and issues.

  • You can respond to others' comments in the blog, creating a dialog.

  • You can learn how to use an entirely new, and very powerful, communications channel. At some point you might want to create your own personal blog, and this will give you experience.

  • You will be joining millions of other bloggers, some of whom have developed large followings.

  • The Utah Policymaker Blog will become a very popular blog if enough policymakers participate. News reporters will read it for story ideas. It will help set the political agenda of the state. It will become a valuable forum for the exchange of opinions and ideas on public policy issues in Utah.

Utah policymakers interested in the offer should send an e-mail expressing their interest to daily@utahpolicy.com. While the general public will be able to read the blogs, only invited policymakers (i.e. elected and appointed officials and a few key opinion leaders) will be able to publish to it.

This is an example of the union of business and government to promote democracy and inform the citizenry using RSS news syndication. We wish them well in their efforts!




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RSS Feeds from Delaware

The State of Delaware has two new RSS newsfeeds featured by links right off the state's homepage. As lead of the team that developed the feeds, I'm pleased to report this as a joint effort of our office, the Government Information Center (GIC) and the Register of Regulations.

The first feed, Delaware.gov - Statewide News is a general collection of news and press releases from across state agencies.

The Current Monthly Register is the newsfeed equivalent of the The Delaware Register of Regulations, a monthly publication of all proposed regulatory changes, general notices, and final regulations from our partners in the Legislature.

The Government Information Center is the office that manages the state portal, Delaware.gov. The mission of the GIC is to develop and deliver accurate and complete governmental information online. The office works with state agencies, legislators, the public and others to improve the delivery of government services and information through Delaware.gov and other channels.





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RSS News Feeds From State.gov

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs now provides RSS feeds for top stories from the State Department homepage, daily press briefings, press releases, and remarks by Secretary of State Colin Powell. The RSS feeds are found at:  
 
http://www.state.gov/rss/channels/highlights.xml
http://www.state.gov/rss/channels/briefings.xml
http://www.state.gov/rss/channels/prsreleases.xml
http://www.state.gov/rss/channels/sremarks.xml

You can also subscribe to email mailing lists to receive the full texts of selected U.S. Department of State documents and publications that provide key official information on U.S. foreign policy, notifications of travel warnings, and Foreign Travel Per Diem updates.




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Google News Feed Generator

Unlike Yahoo, Google has had a long standing resistance to offering RSS feeds for Google News queries. Hacks have long abounded from Julian Bond's GNews2RSS, Ben Hammersley's Google to RSS using the Google SOAP API, and Steve Rubel's advice in "RSS Hack for Sites That Don't Offer Feeds".

In this spirit, Justin Pfister has created gnewsfeed. Filling out the form uses a script that converts a Google news query (example) into an RSS feed (example). "I welcome anyone in the world," he humbly proffers, "to use it in an effort to become a more informed public."

Poor Justin. He's looking for a job. Maybe Adam Smith, and the Google Alerts product team will hire Justin to build in the syndication that Google should have offered long ago (hint).




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Feeding the Utah Legal Community

A crack cocaine smoking judge who allegedly presided over his court while high? An attorney disbarred for abandoning his law practice and clients in the pursuit of the unlawful use of methamphetamine? These are only some of today's tintillating stories from official Utah judiciary sources that my news aggregator served me.

The Utah Administrative Office of the Courts and the Utah State Bar have been experimenting with the syndication of news and publications for quite some time. They've now published links to their first public syndicated feeds on their homepages.

Utah Courts offers an RSS feed for "Recent Court Opinions" that links to recently released and archived opinions of the Utah Supreme Court, Utah Court of Appeals, and Per Curiam decisions. If you'd rather get the same information by email, Steve Brown, Courts Webmaster, offers a notification subcription service.

http://www.utcourts.gov/rss/opinions/index.xml


The editors of the Utah Bar Journal with the assistance of Utah State Bar IT Director Lincoln Mead have imported the Journal into Movable Type. Recent past issues are also archived in PDF format.

http://www.utahbar.org/barjournal/index.rdf

This is a good trend because RSS syndicated legal information makes its delivery more timely and its content more findable and accessible.




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HubMed is PubMed on Steroids

At the Internet Librarian's Conference, Steven M. Cohen demonstrated many real cool RSS applications including HubMed. Not being a health sciences librarian, I wasn't yet familiar with this relatively new alternative search of the familiar PubMed medical literature database. If you're one who monitors the latest news about a drug or treatment, or if you're doing serious medical research, you'll absolutely love the assortment of alerts and exporting features HubMed provides.

You won't appreciate any of this until you do a search. So go ahead, look for something of interest. I have a niece just diagosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma so I'll do a search of that. HubMed allows users to perform a search, click on the orange "feeds" button in the right corner of the search results, and save it as an RSS feed. When new articles have been added to PubMed, HubMed will send you this information notification as an RSS feed.

So from the page of the search results I click on the orange button and now I see a page with the urls for query based feeds in both RSS and Atom formats. You can simply drag this button into a RSS news reader like NetNewsWire Pro (Mac) or NewzCrawler (PC) . Myself, I click on my Bloglines brower bookmarklet, and bingo, I'm into Bloglines where with one more click I'm subscribed to this feed for Hodgkins's Lymphoma. Now, Hubmed will keep checking the literature and deliver to me everything new it finds. Three clicks, literally. This is better than a dog that brings the morning paper.

If you are subscribed to a HubMed RSS feed, you can also post directly from your aggregator using the Blogger API at http://www.biologging.com/xmlrpc.php. Biologging, is a community weblog for biomedical researchers. It allows you to create your own annotated store of abstracts, and to browse the logs of other users. You can create an account and submit posts to your personal weblog within biologging by using the 'Blog This' or 'Make A List' buttons in HubMed.

But wait, there's more. So much more, in fact that Matt Eberle at Library Techlog calls Hubmed "The Swiss Army knife of PubMed interfaces." If you go back to your search results, you'll see for each result a number of links to things like Abstract, Fulltext, SFX, Clip, Citation, Related, TouchGraph, and References.

A click on the SFX link (a library link server) connects you to a look up of the resource in the holdings in your local library's catalog. It supports Innovatic Innopac, BIBSYS, Dynix Horizon, Endeavor VOYAGER, SIRSI Unicorn catalogs. You can also ook up holdings in other catalogs (such as MELVYL and Library of Contress, and OCLC WorldCat), request the document be sent to you using your library's document delivery service or another (such as ILLiad and Infotrieve), download the bibliographic record for importation into your software (Refworks, Endnote, Procite, Reference Manager), save the citation, capture it using the wonderful award winning Windows utility NetSnippets, and more.

My compliments to Alf Eaton and the creators of HubMed. "I have used HubMed for a while now," writes Steven, "and have been absolutely thrilled with the results. This is one of those tools that awes the crowds at some of my presentations, and rightfully so."

I agree and only wish that HubMed had more in the way of tutorials to help novices like myself get the most out of this wonderful service. Have fun exploring it!

Speaking of the health sciences, look for the syndication of more and more publications from federal agencies. I saw recently, for example, that the National Network of Libraries of Medicine South Central Region (NN/LM SCR) is publishing Network News, their bimonthly Newsletter from the South Central Region, as a RSS feed. Thank you, Greg Bodin, for offering this.




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Fresh Patents Served Weekly

You can search for newly published patent applications at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, but if you want the latest patent applications served to you by RSS syndication and email alerts, you'll need to visit FreshPatents.com. Industry list RSS feeds filtered by USPTO class number are particularly valuable. The content is crawled and indexed by Google as well.

Browse for new patents by industry category or do a keyword search. For example, if you browse USPTO Class 715, Data processing: presentation processing of document patents you'll notice that it has an RSS feed that you can subscribe to for updates. That makes it easy to find new applications such as application #20040221226 "Method and mechanism for processing queries for xml documents using an index" applied for on November 4, 2004 by inventors Wesley Lin, Yasuhiro Matsuda, and Garrett Kaminaga.

Sign-up for free email patent application monitoring service which will send you a weekly email with new applications that match the keywords you select.

This site is one of those rare examples in which even if you subscribe to the feed, you'll want to routinely visit the website. The site provides searches by keyword and provides lists of patent applications by location (state and city), agent and law firm name, city of the agent, and inventor name.




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Create Voice-enabled RSS News Feeds

With the proliferation of RSS feeds in state and local governments, a unique opportunity is developing to expand the delivery of the critical information contained in these feeds by leveraging the most ubiquitous personal communications device in the world -– the telephone. Governments that use RSS to deliver information to citizens using RSS feeds can also leverage VoiceXML, an open standard for developing telephony applications, to expose RSS content via cellular and traditional telephones.

VoiceXML is a web technology that can turn any telephone, even a rotary phone, into an Internet device. VoiceXML is a non-proprietary, web-based markup language for creating vocal dialogues between humans and computers. VoiceXML is similar to another common markup language -- HTML, the basic language of visual web pages. Just as a web browser renders HTML documents visually, a VoiceXML interpreter renders VoiceXML documents audibly. In this respect, one can think of the VoiceXML interpreter as a telephone-based, voice browser. As with HTML documents, VoiceXML documents have web URIs and can be located on any web server. However, instead of pointing a client-side web browser at a specific URI, citizens can access a VoiceXML application by calling a toll free telephone number from any ordinary telephone - cellular or traditional, touch-tone or rotary.

It’s not hard to think of a scenario where a local government or a university could publish an RSS feed with topical news, and have a phone number for students or citizens to call for more information. Depending on how the VoiceXML is structured, the caller could have the option of being transferred directly to the number associated with the information.

The trick would be, in my opinion, finding the right place within the RSS feed to put the phone number (if the publisher wanted to provide the option of an automatic transfer). Ideally, the phone number would be contained within its own RSS element. Glancing quickly at the RSS 2.0 spec, this could be something like the guid element. So, if a publisher was using a software package to author and publish RSS feeds, they would probably need to do a little experimenting to find the right place to place the phone number.

Because RSS and VoiceXML are both XML vocabularies, there are a number of standards-based methods for converting RSS to VoiceXML and using RSS feeds from within VoiceXML applications. The first method involves the use of eXstensible Style Sheet Language Transformations (XSLT). I have created a tutorial covering this technique and some of the issues relating to it. This technique is generally agnostic to the underlying technology used; XSLT transformations are supported in technologies like JSP, PHP, Perl, .NET and others.

To see it in action there is a demo application available at (800) 289-5570. Enter the following PIN when prompted: 9991422919. This example uses the latest headlines news feed from CNET News.com (news.com.com) and the XSLT file covered in my tutorial. This is only running on a demo platform, so I can’t guarantee anything on performance. Still, it gives you a sense of how an RSS feed sounds. This technology could allow travelers only equipped with cell phones to get the latest NOAA RSS weather reports, lobbyists to dial-in for legislative floor calendars, and rescue teams to phone for the latest operational instructions.

The other method for using RSS from within VoiceXML applications is to leverage the new data tag, an addition to the VoiceXML specification that is part of the developing VoiceXML 2.1 standard. Some excellent examples of this technique can be found on the VoiceXML Forum website at http://www.voicexmlreview.org/apr2004/columns/apr2004_speak_listen.html.

VoiceXML also allows for the playback of recorded audio. If one had an audio file that they want to include in a feed, a VoiceXML application could actually invoke the audio file and play it to the caller. There is a VoiceXML service at (800) 555-TELL that plays audio files. Give it a call and try listening to the “News Center” option.

One caveat -- most VoiceXML platforms only support certain audio formats, but the more common ones (WAV, MP3) are usually supported. VoiceXML also supports recording the audio of a call, so if one wanted to let callers post comments the application could record their audio and save it for later playback. There is actually a project called “Phone Blogger” that takes this approach (see www.wombatnation.com/phoneblogger).

By using these techniques, governments that make information available to citizens through RSS feeds can dramatically expand the accessibility of these feeds by making them available to anyone with a telephone.



Mark J. Headd
Voice Technologies for Government
www.voiceingov.org
mheadd@voiceingov.org





[Editor's note: Commenting is turned off because of spamming. Mark is interested in hearing from readers who are interested in how that can use VoiceXML to augment what they are doing with RSS. Please email the author with your comments and we'll invite him to write a follow-up here at RSS in Government addressing your ideas and suggestions.]




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First Wisconsin RSS Feeds!

The Wisconsin Historical Society reports to Jenny Levine that they now offer three new RSS feeds. Web Development Coordinator James Ellis says that his is the first government agency in Wisconsin to use this technology.




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New Court Opinion Feeds

Two new U.S. Supreme Court opinion feeds now join RSS feeds that have been available from the West Virginia Supreme Court and other courts.




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Virginia Recognized for RSS Services

The State of Virginia was recently recognized by the Center for Digital Government with a third place ranking in the Best of the Web and Digital Government Achievement Awards. The recognition came largely for Virginia's new syndication and alert services. In accepting the award Governor Mark Warner said, "Our real-time online live help customer service continues to set the pace for the nation, and the portal's desktop alerts via live RSS feeds ensure that Virginia.gov users always have access to the most current information." The VIPNet portal and its RSS feeds are managed by the Virginia Information Providers Network. There are currently at least 34 feeds. Virginia uses RSS feeds not only for alerts, but also as a monitoring service that keeps citizens informed of new resources and services added to the portal.




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2025 Met Gala: Chairs, Theme, & Other Details Revealed

There’s always a lot of buzz surrounding the Met Gala, and we finally know what the next edition of the fashion biggest nights will be all about. The Costume Institute announced the theme of their upcoming spring exhibition and announced the impressive lineup of co-chairs joining Anna Wintour this time around. Exhibition Theme “Superfine: Tailoring […]




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SHARGE launches ICEMAG 2 power bank with upgraded wireless charging and active cooling design

SHARGE has introduced the ICEMAG 2 MagSafe power bank (soon available here). It includes a new active cooling system (a fan) and an aluminum backplate to support effective heat management and maintain charging performance. It supports 15W Qi2 wireless charging, aimed at delivering faster speeds compared to traditional MagSafe batteries and improving on the previous ICEMAG model. Visually, the ICEMAG 2 features a transparent design with RGB lighting for added aesthetic appeal. The power bank also includes a foldable kickstand, allowing for hands-free use and adjustable viewing angles. In terms of functionality, the ICEMAG 2 offers 30W two-way USB-C charging,… [Continue Reading]




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Navigating the world of disinformation, deepfakes and AI-generated deception [Book Review]

Online scams aren't anything new, but thanks to artificial intelligence they're becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect. We've also seen a rise in disinformation and deepfakes many of them made possible, or at least more plausible, by AI. This means that venturing onto the internet is increasingly like negotiating a digital minefield. With FAIK, risk management specialist at KnowBe4 Perry Carpenter sets out to dissect what makes these threats work and the motivations behind them as well as offering some strategies to protect yourself. This is no dry technical guide though, it's all presented in a very readable style,… [Continue Reading]




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Logitech expands availability of refurbished products in North America and Europe

Logitech is making it easier for consumers to access refurbished devices with the expansion of its Certified Refurbished program. Now, customers in North America and Europe can purchase a wide range of products, including mice, keyboards, tablet accessories, gaming gear from Logitech G, and Bluetooth speakers through Logitech’s eBay Refurbished brand store and its own websites. The company is tapping into a growing trend as more consumers seek out high-quality refurbished products. The appeal of these devices lies in their cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits, offering users a way to own premium technology while contributing to waste reduction. Sacni Leon, Head… [Continue Reading]




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New defense suite is designed to secure AI workloads

As organizations increasingly adopt AI capabilities, the most common and dangerous attacks often go undetected by static code scanning or traditional security methods. The only effective way to stop common AI attacks, such as prompt injection and zero-day vulnerabilities, is through active runtime detection and defense. Operant AI is launching a new 3D Runtime Defense Suite aimed at protecting live cloud applications, including AI models and APIs in their native environments. Because AI applications don't operate in isolation, they need to be secured in the full context of the modern cloud application stack. The 3D Runtime Defense Suite is designed… [Continue Reading]




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Failed security controls cost businesses billions

A new report finds 61 percent of organizations have suffered a security breach in the past year because their policies, governance, and controls failed or were not working effectively. This is costing US businesses $30bn and UK businesses £10bn per year. The study from security posture management firm Panaseer surveyed 400 security decision makers across the US and UK and found 72 percent have taken out indemnity insurance in response to growing personal liability, whilst 15 percent have considered leaving the industry. In addition, 85 percent of decision makers are facing greater scrutiny from the board. 57 percent say they… [Continue Reading]




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Get 'An Introduction to Optimization: With Applications to Machine Learning, 5th Edition' for FREE and save $106!

Fully updated to reflect modern developments in the field, the Fifth Edition of An Introduction to Optimization fills the need for an accessible, yet rigorous, introduction to optimization theory and methods, featuring innovative coverage and a straightforward approach. The book begins with a review of basic definitions and notations while also providing the related fundamental background of linear algebra, geometry, and calculus. With this foundation, the authors explore the essential topics of unconstrained optimization problems, linear programming problems, and nonlinear constrained optimization. In addition, the book includes an introduction to artificial neural networks, convex optimization, multi-objective optimization, and applications of optimization in… [Continue Reading]




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The challenge of encrypted traffic for network defenders [Q&A]

When it comes to protecting sensitive information like financial data, personal information, and intellectual property, encryption has become a must. By scrambling data through the use of algorithms, only those with access to decryption keys are able to read what's being secured. Encrypted traffic has fulfilled its intended mission: to lock down data. But, could it simultaneously be helping bad actors slip by undetected? And could encrypted traffic actually make it harder for network defenders to spot threats before it's too late? To find out, we sat down with Phil Owens, VP of customer solutions at Stamus Networks. Phil believes… [Continue Reading]




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Three-quarters of most visited websites not compliant with privacy regs

A new report finds that 75 percent of the 100 most visited websites in the US and Europe are not compliant with current privacy regulations. The study from privacy solution provider Privado.ai shows despite stricter privacy enforcement in Europe a surprising 74 percent of top websites do not honor opt-in consent as required by Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Although top websites in the US have a similar non-compliance rate of 76 percent for not honoring opt-out consent as required by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), Privado finds the median volume of compliance risks to be three times… [Continue Reading]




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WordPress Dashboard: Removing Unwanted Widgets

Your website’s command center, the WordPress dashboard, arrives with several widgets that enhance functionality. However, not all of these may be beneficial for every user. As plugins introduce more widgets over time, your dashboard may start to feel crowded and …




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Cornucopia of State Legislative RSS Feeds

The National Association of Legislative Information Technology (NALIT) will be sharing "Web Tips, Tricks and Techniques" for building Legislative RSS feeds at their 2004 Professional Development Seminar in beautiful Burlington, Vermont, September 8-11, 2004. Panelists include key IT players from Virginia, Nevada, and Utah. Several states are now using RSS to provide users with notices of new Web content or to distribute newsletters. At least two states are now generating legislative feeds directly from databases. This article previews some of what they'll be showing from the states of Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Rhode Island.




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Irish Local Governments Get Nooked

Two Irish County Councils and several other Irish, Northern Ireland, and UK government agencies are publishing press releases using the new Nooked hosted online RSS publishing service.




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The 6 Latest E-commerce Trends That Need Your Attention

With the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic situation, the shopping trends around the world have changed. We have become dependent on e-commerce sites to fulfill our desires to shop and receive essentials. The year 2020 was dominated by interesting trends from the world of e-commerce. If you are planning a venture in the e-commerce domain or already […]

The post The 6 Latest E-commerce Trends That Need Your Attention appeared first on The Design Inspiration.




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Five Tips for Creating a Hot-Shot Social Media Strategy From Scratch

Building a social media presence is perhaps the most common advice given to brands that have just begun building their online presence, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Social media has become so ingrained in our culture that it touches every corner of our lives, both personal and professional. Even those who don’t consider themselves […]

The post Five Tips for Creating a Hot-Shot Social Media Strategy From Scratch appeared first on The Design Inspiration.







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New Google Travel Ads Feed Format May Be Rolling Out

A couple of weeks ago, Google announced the new features for travel search ads through integration with travel feeds. These may now be out in the wild, as we are seeing pricing and other rich markup showing up for hotel ads in Google Search.

Lluc B. Penycate posted some examples and screenshots on X of these out in the wild. He wrote, "I think we are seeing the new Google Hotel Ads format announced last week(s) which integrates rooms, prices and availability."

Here are those screenshots:

Google wrote a couple of weeks ago, "all hotel advertisers can now showcase feed data, such as hotels, prices, dates, ratings and images, in this ad format" and then shared some mock examples of those ads. But these look like them in real life.

Forum discussion at X.




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Hydrogen Retrofit Reduces Diesel Engine Emissions By 85%

A team of engineers from UNSW Sydney have successfully converted a standard diesel engine to run as a hybrid diesel hydrogen engine. The resulting hybrid reduces CO2 emissions by 85%, and increases output efficiency by around 26%.  The team, led by Professor Shawn Kook, spent some 18 months developing the direct injection dual fuel system. The retrofitted engine runs using 90% hydrogen. Professors Kook believe that the new tech could significantly reduce the emissions from the trucking industry and the...

The post Hydrogen Retrofit Reduces Diesel Engine Emissions By 85% appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.




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World’s First Manned Electric Flying Saucer Lifts Off In China

In one of those science fiction becomes fact moments, an enterprising project in Shenzhen, China has seen the first public demonstration of a manned electric flying saucer. Hey ho, UFO no more. The craft, which was shown flying around a tech park, was developed with the help of Northwestern Polytechnical University and manufactured by Shenzen UFO Flying Saucer Technology. The video of the event shows a vehicle which looks decidedly unsteady in flight, even with six independent ducts with dual...

The post World’s First Manned Electric Flying Saucer Lifts Off In China appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.




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Google Introduces AI Based Virtual Try-On Apparel

Google has just announced a new virtual shopping experience for search which lets you try on apparel virtually using some AI cleverness. Users in the US (only, at first) will be able to try out an item of clothing from a catalog if it has a ‘Try On’ badge on it in search. The service is starting with a limited number of brands including Anthropologie, Everlane, H&M and LOFT, and a limited repertoire of AI generated lady’s tops.  Virtual shopping...

The post Google Introduces AI Based Virtual Try-On Apparel appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.




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WordPress.com Embeds AI Function Into Its Post Writing Editor. oh dear

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse better, news comes that WordPress.com has just embedded an AI feature into it’s blog editing code. The Jetpack AI Assistant is a one click solution for those who want to produce vapid, generic, boring blog posts at the touch of a button. Did we get that right? The assistant provides the full range of GPT type functionality you would expect, including creating nice looking blog structures, and can even suggest fabulous...

The post WordPress.com Embeds AI Function Into Its Post Writing Editor. oh dear appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.




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Blaval M7 – Solar Powered EV From $5000

Just in case you missed the memo, the Chinese are starting to own the electric car business. Sure Tesla gets the headlines, but behind the scenes companies like Geely, SAIC, BYD and Chery are making big big waves. So no surprise then to find a tiny brand doing some interesting stuff, like this Blaval M7 solar powered EV. The range starts at a ridiculously low $5000 for the ultra slow golf cart model, but spend a little more and you’re...

The post Blaval M7 – Solar Powered EV From $5000 appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.




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The Gadget Manifesto Revisited – plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose?

Seventeen long years ago I wrote a piece here called The Gadget Manifesto. It was a rant borne out of frustration with the relentless increase in junk technology. The problem was basically too much Far Eastern manufacturing capacity chasing too few consumers. Result…price plummeting, quality plummeting, consumers suffering. I’m revisiting this subject only because it looks like we’re clearly not going to reverse course any time soon. Nearly 2 decades on, we’re still buying this junk, and throwing it away...

The post The Gadget Manifesto Revisited – plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose? appeared first on The Red Ferret Journal.




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How Brie Moreau Studied 260k Search Results to Understand How Google Views Content

This week, SEO expert Brie Moreau doesn’t share his business results but, rather, the results of an incredibly in-depth study he did analyzing 260k search results to find an answer to a major question: what does Google want exactly? Using…

The post How Brie Moreau Studied 260k Search Results to Understand How Google Views Content appeared first on Niche Pursuits.




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AI Enhanced Internal Links are Here with Link Whisper!

I'm excited to announce that you can now use the power of artificial intelligence with your internal link building! As the founder of Link Whisper, I've always tried to make building internal links faster, easier, and smarter. And now we…

The post AI Enhanced Internal Links are Here with Link Whisper! appeared first on Niche Pursuits.




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Married Couple Wins €2 Billion from Google for Deranking Their Website

Welcome back, everyone, to the latest episode of the Niche Pursuits News Podcast, where we bring you the biggest headlines in the industry over the last week and a good dose of inspiration for your personal projects. Jared and guest…

The post Married Couple Wins €2 Billion from Google for Deranking Their Website appeared first on Niche Pursuits.




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Jake Cain Was Inside Google’s “Secret” Meeting with 20 HCU Crushed Bloggers. Here’s What Happened

This week Jared Bauman sits down with Jake Cain, a long-time blogger with a portfolio of sites, a former Niche Pursuits employee, and an attendee at Google’s recent Creator Summit. In this interview, Jake shares his experience at the event,…

The post Jake Cain Was Inside Google’s “Secret” Meeting with 20 HCU Crushed Bloggers. Here’s What Happened appeared first on Niche Pursuits.




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This 8 Letter Tweet Just Changed Search Forever

Welcome back to another episode of the Niche Pursuits News Podcast! This week Spencer and Jared break down the latest news affecting SEOs and small publishers, they share their side hustle progress, and they talk about some weird niche sites…

The post This 8 Letter Tweet Just Changed Search Forever appeared first on Niche Pursuits.




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Why You Should Bid on Your Competitor’s Branded Terms

Bidding on branded terms is an essential PPC strategy. Understand how your company can improve performance by bidding on your competitor’s branded terms.

The post Why You Should Bid on Your Competitor’s Branded Terms appeared first on Portent.




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What is PPC? Pay-Per-Click Explained

PPC marketing is a method of advertising online that allows marketers to pay for their ad placement only when their ad is clicked on by an online user.

The post What is PPC? Pay-Per-Click Explained appeared first on Portent.