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.
Author Archives: infophile
Adobe’s e-book reader sends your reading logs back to Adobe—in plain text [Updated] | Ars Technica
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
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.
The Story Behind The Web’s Weirdest, Hardest Riddle | Co.Labs
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
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
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.
25 Essential Graphic Novels | Flavorwire
Long dismissed as a less serious art form, graphic novels have finally started to gain more mainstream credibility over the last 20 years. There are many, many excellent examples out there, but if you’re looking for a place to start, start here! The world of the graphic novel is one that spans a wide range of authors, artists, styles, and subject matter, and this primer covers all the bases. While the distinction between graphic novels and comic books gets dicey the term “graphic novel” was only introduced in the late 1970s, for the purposes of this list, they are lengthier, meatier book-like works — and they’re all brilliant for both their literary and visual merit.
How An Octogenarian Preserved An Endangered Native American Language | Gizmodo
Marie Wilcox is the last fluent speaker of Wukchumni, one of 130 different endangered Native American languages in the United States that dont have any kind of digital—or analog—legacy.
Over the course of seven years in Californias San Joaquin Valley, she worked with her daughter and grandson to catalog everything she knows about the language. First, she hand-scrawled memories on scraps of paper; then, she hunt-and-pecked on an old keyboard to complete a dictionary and type out legends like “How We Got Our Hands.” Next, she recorded the whole thing on audio for pronunciation—its very specific!—and posterity.
via How An Octogenarian Preserved An Endangered Native American Language | Gizmodo
Definitely recommend watching the video. I am in awe of Marie’s dedication to preserving the Wukchumni language. Amazing, inspiring story!
The Next Big Thing In Responsive Design | Co.Design
Responsive design, which allows designers and developers to build websites that adapt to every screen size, is one of the most empowering web tools to be adopted in the last decade.
But adapting to the screen is only the first frontier of a new, responsive web. Today, users expect online experiences that not only respond to what device theyre using, but also their location, time of day, what they’ve already read, and events happening in real time.
To capture a user’s attention for the next generation of the web, you’ll need more than just responsive design. You’ll need a responsive philosophy.
READ MORE: The Next Big Thing In Responsive Design | Co.Design | business + design.
Why Your Life Needs A Mission Statement | Fast Company
The same strategies used to create a business plan can tell you if you’re on the right track in your career and personal life. READ: Why Your Life Needs A Mission Statement | Fast Company
infophile 