What’s hitting the big screen this year? Basically, everything. Luke Skywalker, James Bond, the Terminator, Velociraptors, all the superheroes. But there are also some great surprises, like a movie based on a beloved Nebula-winning novel. Here are the 67 Science Fiction And Fantasy Movies To Watch Out For In 2015! | io9.
Author Archives: infophile
Cosplay, Comics, and Geek Culture in Libraries [Blog] by Ellyssa Kroski
Ellyssa Kroski of iLibrarian fame said farewell to the iLibrarian blog in late 2014. iLibrarian was one of my top resources for emerging technologies in libraries and information services. I will miss the iLibrarian posts but am excited about the new website she has launched called Cosplay, Comics, and Geek Culture in Libraries. I’ve participated in coding and medieval times events over the past few years and am surprised at how quickly these events are transitioning into the mainstream. With the increasing popularity and growth of these activities, CCGC in Libraries is sure to be a great resource for librarians and fans of cosplay, comics and geek culture.
Speaking of geek culture, I’ve been watching TNT’s The Librarians series and I guess I’m hooked. It’s silly and over the top but I enjoy the mix of science fiction, mystery and adventure. IMO each episode’s concept/theme is more interesting than the overarching storyline. Cassandra’s outfits are way too distracting though! The remaining 2 episodes of Season 1 air tonight, January 18, 2015, on the Space channel in Canada.
Via the CCGC in Libraries website.
Welcome everyone to Cosplay, Comics, and Geek Culture in Libraries! This is an exciting time for geeks of all kinds to be involved with libraries as today’s savvy libraries have begun to embrace new ways to engage library patrons such as fandom events, comic book and graphic novel collections, comic cons, cosplay events.
The intersection of these interests with libraries is a perfect match as libraries are striving to develop entertaining and educational new programs and services that will appeal to not only children but young adults as well as “kids at heart” of all ages. And these new programs and resources fit well with the interests of cosplayers who can utilize the equipment in library makerspaces such as 3D printers and sewing machines to create many of their props and costume pieces, as well as comics fans who can come to the library to read comics and graphic novel collections, video and board game enthusiasts who attend library gaming events, and geeks of all types who are drawn to “nerd nights”, Dr. Who marathons, and Harry Potter socials, etc.
I decided to start this blog, not only because I am a self-proclaimed geek, cosplayer, and comics reader and collector myself, but because this is a cutting-edge area of growth in libraries with significant appeal to today’s patrons. I think that there is much that we can do to expand and develop this type of programming and collection development. And I’m not alone. I’ve been joined by a talented group of international writers, librarians, information professionals, and library patrons to provide articles and inspiration to libraries seeking to incorporate cosplay, comics, and geek culture in their libraries!
It Took This Guy Over 7 Hours To Solve the World’s Hardest Rubik’s Cube | Gizmodo
Fascinating to glimpse the different types of Rubik’s Cubes this guy has in his collection. I thought there was only the original! The 17x17x17 cube would be a unique addition for libraries to have available for patrons to borrow.
Seven hours sounds just about right for the average puzzle enthusiast to solve a standard 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube. But Youtuber RedKB isn’t your average puzzle enthusiast. Instead of tackling a 3x3x3 cube, he solves this incredibly complex 17x17x17 cube designed by Oskar Van Deventer. In the end it took him about seven-and-a-half hours to get all the colored sides put back in order. READ MORE: It Took This Guy Over 7 Hours To Solve the World’s Hardest Rubik’s Cube | Gizmodo
The Best Books of 2014 – The Ultimate List [Infographic] | BookBub Blog
Of all the books published over the last 12 months, which were the very best? We wanted to get a sense of the consensus, so we aggregated 23 different Best of 2014 lists — from The Washington Post to Library Journal to Buzzfeed and more. Then we compiled rankings based on the number of times each books was listed.
Below you’ll find an infographic that highlights the top-ranked books. (We created separate infographics for books in the romance, mystery & thriller, business, young adult, and nonfiction categories.) We hope you find some great new books on these lists — we certainly did! via The Best Books of 2014 | The Ultimate List | BookBub Blog
Disabled Boy Learns to Play Piano With His Eyes Using Virtual-Reality Headset | The Guardian
Eye Play the Piano is the work of Japanese VR headset manufacturer Fove, working with the University of Tsukuba. The project is pitched as a “universal piano” which children can play using eye movements while wearing the headset.
Through the use of Fove’s eye-tracking technology, the headmount recognises the user’s eye movement. The user blinks on one of the many panels within the interface to trigger the preferred note, which is then conveyed to the piano,” explains the Eye Play the Piano website.
READ MORE: Disabled boy learns to play piano with his eyes using virtual-reality headset | Technology | The Guardian.
Google Cardboard Is The Right Virtual-Reality Gadget For Right Now. But What’s Next? | Fast Company
I’d like to try the Cardboard experience to compare to the Oculus Rift. I tried OR at Netspeed 2014, experiencing an under water universe (boring with unwieldy navigation) and a roller coaster (exciting; definitely created a unique, visceral experience that made me want to puke my guts out after). Looking forward to more virtual reality experiences as the tech and devices evolve.
Google Cardboard has come a long way since Android honcho Sundar Pichai introduced it with a sheepish grin six months ago. The smartphone virtual reality viewer, made from folded-up cardboard with a pair of attached lenses—you supply an Android phone to provide computing power and a display—has shipped more than 500,000 units as of early December. (You can build your own Cardboard, or buy a ready-made version from not-quite-official sources for under $30.) Google has now added a Play Store showcase for the best Cardboard apps, and released a software development kit to spur even more VR app creation.
For a project that took mere weeks to throw together, Cardboard has done surprisingly well. But its success also puts it in an awkward position, somewhere between the oddball project that Cardboard appeared to be back in June and the serious business that prompted Facebooks $2 billion acquisition of Oculus VR in February. As virtual reality matures, is Cardboard prepared to mature with it?
Over 2,400 MS-DOS Games — Like Oregon Trail — Can Now Be Played Online | BuzzFeed News
archive.org
Rejoice, ’90s kids: More than 2,400 of your favorite MS-DOS games are now available to play online via the Internet Archive. READ MORE: Over 2,400 MS-DOS Games — Like Oregon Trail — Can Now Be Played Online | BuzzFeed News.
Related
Internet Archive offers 900 classic arcade games for browser-based play | Ars Technica
Margaret Atwood Ruins a Marriage, Talks Memes, Politics in Reddit AMA | Jezebel
Just from reading some of Atwood’s answers to the reddit AMA, I feel I have been enlightened and transported to a surreal world!
Margaret Atwood, high priestess of an oracular temple deep in the digital Canadian woods, did a Reddit AMA Monday. Its great: she was asked all of the questions you might expect (Where do you see political dystopia today? Whats your ~process~?) and some you might not (Who is your fictional boyfriend?). Read on for the best bits. READ: Margaret Atwood Ruins a Marriage, Talks Memes, Politics in Reddit AMA | Jezebel
E-Book Legal Restrictions Are Screwing Over Blind People | WIRED
Snip
…For the nearly 8 million people in the US with some degree of vision impairment, the advent of ebooks and e-readers has been both a blessing and a burden. A blessing, because a digital library—everything from academic textbooks, to venerated classics, to romance novels—is never further away than your fingertips. A burden, because the explosion of ebooks has served as a reminder of how inaccessible technology really can be…
READ MORE: E-Book Legal Restrictions Are Screwing Over Blind People | WIRED
Indulge Your Inner Child and Lose a Few Hours To This Online Spirograph | Gizmodo
We’ve got computer graphics software thats so powerful it can generate images that make it seem like dinosaurs are back. But they still cant compare to the simple satisfaction you get from making a really complex hypotrochoid or epitrochoid with a marker and some perforated gears. So Nathan Friend was kind enough to build a browser-based Spirograph youre probably going to want to immediately bookmark.
The online Inspirograph, as Nathan calls it, lets you swap in gears of different sizes and choose pretty much any color your computers screen can display. And while you dont get that highly satisfying feeling of pen on paper as you make endless loops, its impossible to screw up your design on this version, unless you accidentally refresh the page.
via Indulge Your Inner Child and Lose a Few Hours To This Online Spirograph | Gizmodo
infophile 