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Brian Reeves: Welcome to Information Changes Everything. Join us as we take a snappy look at the latest news about information and technology changing our world. This podcast is produced by the University of Michigan School of Information – UMSI.

I'm Brian Reeves.

Alicia Myers: and I'm Alicia Myers.

Brian Reeves: As always, we'd love your feedback at [email protected]. And remember, we link to every story in our show notes. Let's jump in...

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Alicia Myers: Data scientists are just like the rest of us, counting how many people an Oscar winner can thank in 45 seconds or deciding how many episodes of a series to watch before dumping it. Unlike us, though, they may call on their data analytic skills to parse these weighty issues. Film industry analyst, Stephen Follows, analyzed Academy Award speeches to see if Harvey Weinstein was really thanked more than God. And Stat Significant came up with a statistical analysis of how many subpar episodes of a series to watch before moving on. See, data science can apply to daily life.

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Brian Reeves: While having some fun with Mark Zuckerberg's new look (“think Eddie Redmayne cast to play Ice Cube”), British comedian and TV host John Oliver recently tackled issues surrounding Facebook and content moderation. He explained why content moderation is hard, why Hunter Biden's laptop was no big deal and how Section 230 aims to silence free speech. No time to watch? TechDirt has a print synopsis, which we've linked to in our show notes, but then you'd miss the on-point visuals.

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Alicia Myers: If your remote control has a tendency to disappear into the couch, MakeUseOf has a suggestion for you. Old smartphones can be converted to TV remote controls for streaming, and they might be harder to lose in the sofa. If your iPhone or Android shares the same wi-fi network as your TV, a third-party app allows you to perform basic functions like turning off the TV, controlling volume and changing channels. Plus, it might keep that old phone out of the landfill. Win win.

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Brian Reeves: While fashion models worry, with some reason, that AI images will replace them, at least one model is embracing the technology. London-based fashion model Alexsandrah Gondora licenses use of her digital double, allowing her to be in two places at once. She told TechXplore that quote “She's doing the hard work, so I don't have to.” Another attraction is that her AI image is timeless. Somewhere out there, she says, quote “my AI will always be young to me, even when I'm old.” And hopefully, still earning money for her elderly prototype.

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Alicia Myers: Wearable technology for wildlife is providing scientists with information about what animals know by instinct. According to the CBC, Tracking devices attached to a wide variety of animal life, from butterflies to elephants, are providing data that allows scientists to tap into the secret life of animals. The data is stored in Movebank, a free online database anyone can access. Current and future uses of the information may help predict natural disasters, thwart poachers, and track climate change, among many other earth-friendly things.

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Brian Reeves: After leaving high school or college, it can be hard to find career advice. TechCrunch recently highlighted Google's new Career Dreamer tool, which uses AI to help users explore job possibilities. With Gemini, users can even write a cover letter or craft a resume. While Career Dreamer doesn't link to job openings, it can suggest specific positions and responsibilities. So, if you're ready for a career change–or have had one thrust upon you–it's a place to start.

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Alicia Myers: Google Translate is a whiz at translating from one language to another, but let's say you want to know how to ask for a banana in every European country. (Who knows, maybe it's a slow afternoon.) In that case, Boing Boing has found an app that uses Google Translate to show your word of choice on a map of Europe in the language of each country. Spoiler alert: it's banani

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Brian Reeves: Oh those scamps. WCPO, a Cincinnati news station, reported that a local shopping center on Voice of America Drive suddenly began appearing on Google Maps as The Voice of Mexico Centre. The change has since been corrected. The station states it's unknown if the change had anything to do with a recent executive order. Wink wink.

Not to be outdone, MapQuest has entered into the game with Name Your Own Gulf. According to the site GeeksAreSexy, Users can christen that large body of salt water south of the US and east of Mexico as anything they wish. Recent variations include Gulf of $7 Eggs, Gulf of Jimmy Buffett and Gulf of Gulf of Freaking Mexico.

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Alicia Myers: Introduced over 20 years ago, Skype disrupted the landline phone industry by providing a way for people to make video calls across borders. In its heyday, The Guardian reported that Skype had hundreds of millions of users. But yesterday's disrupter is today's dustbin content. Microsoft announced it will retire the online calling service on May 5th to concentrate on Teams, its workspace chat and video conferencing service.

And in case you've been hanging on to Skype and are now adrift, Lifehacker has a list of the five best video call apps to replace it.

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Brian Reeves: For links to all these stories, make sure to check out our show notes.

Now, some news from UMSI.

Alicia Myers: Three tech industry leaders have joined the UMSI Advisory Board

Mark Gurman, A chief correspondent for Bloomberg News, graduated in the first class of bachelor of science in information students in 2016 and is the first BSI alum to join the board. Yunyao Li is the director of machine learning at Adobe Experience Platform, and was previously head of machine learning at Apple. And John Thompson is a global executive with nearly four decades of experience in artificial intelligence, data science and advanced analytics. He currently leads the global AI function at EY.

During their three-year terms, Gurman, Li and Thompson will use their industry expertise to offer UMSI guidance on matters including curriculum development and research initiatives, while supporting students directly through mentorship opportunities.

Click the link in our show notes to learn more about all the great things going on at UMSI.

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Brian Reeves: Remember that UMSI offers a fully online master's degree in applied data science. Join the “leaders and best” by earning a University of Michigan master's from anywhere in the world. To learn more, visit umsi.info/mads. The link is in our show notes.

The University of Michigan School of Information creates and shares knowledge so that people will use information – with technology – to build a better world. If you liked this episode of Information Changes Everything, subscribe and leave us a review—it helps listeners like you find our show and continue the conversation.

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Thanks again for tuning in, and remember: Information changes everything. See you next time!