Monthly Archives: October 2014

Doctor Who’s new web game aims to teach children programming skills | theguardian.com

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Doctor Who’s latest adventure sees him teaming up with a Dalek and trying to save the universe, but also teaching children some early computer programming skills.

This isn’t a TV show, however: it’s a game due to launch on Wednesday 22 October on the broadcaster’s CBBC website. The Doctor and the Dalek includes voice narration from current Doctor Peter Capaldi, and a new story by Phil Ford, who has written for the TV show.

The free web game is aimed at 6-12 year-olds, and involves freeing a battered Dalek from a ship of Cybermen, then building it back up to full strength through puzzles based on the programming elements of the new English computing curriculum.

via Doctor Whos new web game aims to teach children programming skills | Technology | theguardian.com.

Build Your Own Adobe Creative Suite with Free and Cheap Software | LifeHacker

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Adobes Creative Suite is one of the best software packs out there for professionals, but the suite is prohibitively expensive for most people. If you cant drop the cash, you can still get a similar experience with free or cheap software. Heres how to build your own Creative Suite.

READ MORE: Build Your Own Adobe Creative Suite with Free and Cheap Software | LifeHacker

DPLA Community Reps Produce Hackathon Planning Guide, Now Available | DPLA

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We’re excited to announce the release of a new Community Reps-produced resource, GLAM Hack-in-a-box, a short guide to organizing and convening a hackathon using cultural heritage data from GLAM organizations Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums including DPLA. We hope this guide will serve as a useful resource for those either unfamiliar with or inexperienced in pulling together a hackathon.

via Digital Public Library of America » Blog Archive » DPLA Community Reps Produce Hackathon Planning Guide, Now Available.

Adobe’s e-book reader sends your reading logs back to Adobe—in plain text [Updated] | Ars Technica

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Adobe’s Digital Editions e-book and PDF reader—an application used by thousands of libraries to give patrons access to electronic lending libraries—actively logs and reports every document readers add to their local “library” along with what users do with those files. Even worse, the logs are transmitted over the Internet in the clear, allowing anyone who can monitor network traffic such as the National Security Agency, Internet service providers and cable companies, or others sharing a public Wi-Fi network to follow along over readers’ shoulders.

Ars has independently verified the logging of e-reader activity with the use of a packet capture tool. The exposure of data was first discovered by Nate Hoffelder of The Digital Reader, who reported the issue to Adobe but received no reply.

via Adobe’s e-book reader sends your reading logs back to Adobe—in plain text [Updated] | Ars Technica.

Computer Game Myst To Become A TV Series | io9

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Deadline just dropped the nostalgic news that Legendary TV and Cyan Worlds are working together to develop a Myst-inspired television show. The computer game followed “the Stranger,” who uses a magical book to travel through the mist, across the island also titled Myst. Once on the island, the player must solve a collection of puzzles and riddles that help unlock different portions of the Myst world, thus revealing the secret backstory to new characters and the island itself.

via Computer Game Myst To Become A TV Series | io9

The Story Behind The Web’s Weirdest, Hardest Riddle | Co.Labs

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The Story Behind The Webs Weirdest, Hardest Riddle ⚙ Co.Labs ⚙ code + community

In 2004 a small website appeared that contained a browser-based game called Notpron, which has since been hailed as “the hardest riddle on the Internet.” It consists of a series of 140 puzzles and riddles that get progressively more complex. Completing the game requires knowledge in a diverse range of fields including HTML programming, sound and graphics editing, music apprehension, research skills, and even remote viewing.

Out of the 17 million players that have attempted the game in the last decade only 31 have completed it. That’s just one in every 550,000 players–or, to put it another way, the chances you’ll be hit by lightning once in your lifetime are 41 times greater than they are for you solving Notpron.

To celebrate the games 10th anniversary I asked David Münnich, Notpron’s creator, to go down the rabbit hole of how and why it was created–and what it all means.

READ MORE: The Story Behind The Webs Weirdest, Hardest Riddle ⚙ Co.Labs ⚙ code + community.

53 Free October [2014] Webinars for Librarians | OEDB.org

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53 Free October [2014] Webinars for Librarians | OEDB.org Now if only I had the time to watch them all!

 

Digital Publisher Ellora’s Cave sues Dear Author Blog for Reporting on its Financial Troubles | Gigaom

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MUST READ if you are a librarian…blogger, author, book reviewer, in publishing or editing…love books…Digital publisher Ellora’s Cave sues Dear Author blog for reporting on its financial troubles | Gigaom. This makes me sick to my stomach. I feel for all the authors contracted to the company and unable to reverse their rights. The outcome of the lawsuit is extremely important. The fact the lawsuit was filed in the first place is having a huge impact on the blogging and book reviewing community.