Author Archives: infophile

American Library Association Defends Banned Mexican American Studies Courses | Mashable

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Librarians do not approve of Arizona’s battle against Mexican American Studies.

A group of 10 educational organizations, including the American Library Association, filed an amicus brief Monday in support of the lawsuit against Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal for quashing a controversial Mexican American Studies curriculum in Tucson. Some 48 teachers from across the country filed a second amicus brief defending the banned courses.

The educators argue that in passing legislation aimed at shutting down a progressive Mexican American Studies program, Arizona Republicans were guided by political goals rather than pedagogical ones.

Read: American Library Association Defends Banned Mexican American Studies Courses | Mashable.

This Video Game Could Revolutionize Publishing—and Reading | The Atlantic

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When the Best Books of 2013 are listed, the most important may not make the cut. Thats because the most exciting literary innovation of the year is not a book at all, but a video game for iPad and iPhone. Device 6 is a metaphysical thriller in which the world is made almost entirely from words. Playing it is like reading a book—except, in this book, the words veer off in unexpected directions, rather than progressing in orderly fashion down the page. When Anna, the game’s protagonist, turns a corner in the narrative, the text does too, swerving off to one side at a right angle, forcing the player to rotate the screen.

More in this story about other innovative gaming apps that have a literary angle. Read: This Video Game Could Revolutionize Publishing—and Reading | Rowland Manthorpe | The Atlantic.

The 200 Top-Scoring Reddit Posts of All Time, Visualized | Gizmodo

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Top 200 Reddit

Visual.ly link for the full visualization. 

The 200 Top-Scoring Reddit Posts of All Time, Visualized | Gizmodo

Can Book Clubs Thrive in the Digital Age? | Mashable

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When most people think of book clubs, they picture intimate gatherings in living rooms or libraries. People rarely imagine a book club as a collection of GIFs, memes, fan fiction and cosplay, all of which are staples of how readers respond to media in the Internet era. But a new Tumblr blog, Reblog Book Club, wants to give the traditional book club a digital update.

While bloggers have previously hosted book clubs on Tumblr, Reblog Book Club is the first book club that’s founded and moderated by Tumblr itself. Rachel Fershleiser, the microblogging platform’s director of literary outreach, launched the club in September as a way to engage a passionate and diverse online community, but faced challenges in organizing a discussion group.

Read more:  Can Book Clubs Thrive in the Digital Age? | Mashable

10 Surprising Social Media Statistics That Will Make You Rethink Your Social Strategy | Fast Company

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If you’re managing social media for your business, it might be useful to know about some of the most surprising social media statistics this year. Here are 10 that might make you rethink the way you’re approaching social media.

Read: 10 Surprising Social Media Statistics That Will Make You Rethink Your Social Strategy | Fast Company | Business + Innovation.

30 Things You No Longer Need Because of Smartphones | BuzzFeedVideo

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Lithium-Ion Batteries, Straight from a 3-D Printer | MIT Technology Review

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By making the basic building blocks of batteries out of ink, Harvard materials scientist Jennifer Lewis is laying the groundwork for lithium-ion batteries and other high-performing electronics that can be produced with 3-D printers. Although the technology is still at an early stage, the ability to print batteries and other electronics could make it possible to manufacture new kinds of devices.

Read: Lithium-Ion Batteries, Straight from a 3-D Printer | MIT Technology Review.

UPDATE: Encrypt the Web Report: Who’s Doing What | EFF

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We’ve asked the companies in our Who Has Your Back Program what they are doing to bolster encryption in light of the NSA’s unlawful surveillance of your communications. We’re pleased to see that four companies—Dropbox, Google, SpiderOak and Sonic.net—are implementing five out of five of our best practices for encryption. In addition, we appreciate that Yahoo! just announced several measures it plans to take to increase encryption, including the very critical encryption of data center links, and that Twitter has confirmed that it has encryption of data center links in progress.

Read: UPDATE: Encrypt the Web Report: Who’s Doing What | Electronic Frontier Foundation

UPDATE: Encrypt the Web Report: Who's Doing What | Electronic Frontier Foundation

 

Oculus Rift-based virtual reality game could help restore 3D vision | Engadget

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Many will tell you that video games are bad for your eyes, but James Blaha doesn’t buy that theory. He’s developing a crowdfunded virtual reality title, Diplopia, that could help restore 3D vision. The Breakout variant trains those with crossed eye problems to coordinate their eyes by manipulating contrast; players score well when their brain merges two images into a complete scene. Regular gameplay could noticeably improve eyesight for adults that previously had little hope of recovering their depth perception, Blaha says. The potential solution is relatively cheap, too — gamers use an Oculus Rift as their display, and they can add a Leap Motion controller for a hands-free experience. If you’re eager to help out, you can pledge $20 to get Diplopia, and $400 will bundle the app with an Oculus Rift headset. Check out a video demo of the therapeutic game after the break.

Read: Oculus Rift-based virtual reality game could help restore 3D vision | Engadget

The Future of MOOCs | Ellyssa Kroski | OEDB.org

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Great MOOCs resource which includes links for:

  • History of MOOCs
  • Major MOOC Providers
  • MOOC Aggregators
  • MOOCs and Libraries
  • The Future of MOOCs

Read: The Future of MOOCs | Ellyssa Kroski | OEDB.org