It’s truly amazing, the wealth of information we all have at our fingertips — that is, of course, unless your fingertips are how you have to access that information. An innovative new tablet that uses magnetically configurable bumps may prove to be a powerful tool for translating information like maps and other imagery to a modality more easily accessed by the visually impaired.The tablet, unnamed as yet, has evolved and improved over the past few years as part of Europe’s BlindPAD project, which aims to create a cheap, portable alternative to touchscreen devices. READ MORE: BlindPAD’s tablet makes visual information tactile for the vision-impaired | TechCrunch
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales launches Wikitribune, a large-scale attempt to combat fake news » Nieman Lab #news #fakenews #librarianship #factcheck #crowdsourced #journalism #media
Feeling more skeptical than hopeful about the launch of this new service…unless that is the crowdsourced fact checks are completed by only volunteer librarians!
The crowd-funded news platform aims to combat fake news by combining professional journalism with volunteer fact checking: “news by the people and for the people.” READ MORE: Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales launches Wikitribune, a large-scale attempt to combat fake news » Nieman Journalism Lab
This experimental e-book gets edited every time it changes hands | engadget #ebooks #editors #sharing #tech
A Universe Explodes is an unusual e-book in a variety of ways. Best viewed on a mobile device, it’s about 20 pages long and has 128 words per page. Only 100 people “own” the original version, though the book itself is free and can be read by anyone at any time. Each copy can be shared with up to 100 others, but first each owner must personalize it by removing two words and adding one to every page. Since each copy is subtly different, they are all considered “limited editions.” Owners are required to share the book with a friend once they’re done editing it — and each time the e-book is passed on, more and more words disappear until there’s only one left per page. READ MORE: This experimental e-book gets edited every time it changes hands | engadget
Samsung develops emoji-based chat app for people with language disorders | Ars Technica #emoji #language #disabilities #apps #tech #communication
You may know someone who sends messages with more emojis than words, but chances are they don’t need those symbols to communicate. For some with language disorders such as aphasia, a disorder that can make it difficult to read, talk, or write, emojis can be an ideal way for those with the disorder to communicate with others around them. Samsung Electronics Italia, the company’s Italian subsidiary, just came out with a new app called Wemogee that helps those with language disorders talk to others by using emoji-based messages. READ MORE: Samsung develops emoji-based chat app for people with language disorders | Ars Technica
Discover “Unpaywall,” a New (and Legal) Browser Extension That Lets You Read Millions of Science Articles…Behind Paywalls | Open Culture #research #publications #openaccess #science #academics
While many science publishers put a paywall in front of scientific articles, it’s often the case that these articles have been published elsewhere in an open format. “More and more funders and universities are requiring authors to upload copies of their papers to [open] repositories. This has created a deep resource of legal open access papers…” And that’s what Unpaywall draws on. READ MORE: Discover “Unpaywall,” a New (and Legal) Browser Extension That Lets You Read Millions of Science Articles Normally Locked Up Behind Paywalls | Open Culture
We Need More Alternatives to Facebook | MIT Tech Review #socialmedia #news #business #intellectualfreedom #communication #community #privacy #society
Chastened by the negative effects of social media, Mark Zuckerberg says he will tweak his service and upgrade society in the process. Should any company be that powerful? READ MORE: We Need More Alternatives to Facebook – MIT Technology Review
Supreme Court Printer Cartridge Case Could Be the Citizens United of Products | Gizmodo #copyright #DRM #law #patents #intellectualproperty #consumers
Verdict will have significant reverberations for copyright, DRM and innovation.
No further progress on this case is expected until at least June, but if a boring story about printer cartridges pops up you might want to pay attention. It could be a decision that leads to a virtual DRM on everything. READ : Supreme Court Printer Cartridge Case Could Be the Citizens United of Products | Gizmodo
Librarians Provide the Tools for Readers to Rise Up | BOOKRIOT #libguide #subjectguide #LIS #libraries #advocacy #fakenews #libraries #librarians #activism
Libraries…are acting as flash points of resistance, putting together special book displays, hosting timely exhibits, collaborating on art projects, and more. And then there are the libguides. READ MORE: Librarians Provide the Tools for Readers to Rise Up | BOOKRIOT
Libguides, aka research guides aka subject guides aka study guides aka topic guides aka pathfinders aka resource lists aka information portals, have a special place in my heart. Whenever I find a great one I always have one of those Hallelujah ah-ha moments. Then I bookmark!
Librarians have probably created libguides for every topic you can think of. The libguides mentioned in the above article are relevant to the current news cycle of nationalism vs populism and the shifting economic climate of globalization to protectionism. Librarians advocate for and uphold intellectual freedom, diversity and privacy. Libguides represent these values as they provide unbiased, valid sources of information on a specific topic and are a helpful tool in verifying information and combating fake news.
How entrepreneurship librarians help campus accelerators grow | University Affairs #librarians #business #entrepreneur #careers #LIS
While academic librarians have supported campus start-ups and entrepreneurs since before the dot-com boom, the title “entrepreneurship librarian” is a relatively new one. When I started in that role at University of Toronto Library (UTL), St. George Campus, I was given a lot of freedom to define the role as I saw fit. I started by reaching out to the growing network of campus-linked accelerators formalized under the campus entrepreneurship office. READ MORE: How entrepreneurship librarians help campus accelerators grow | University Affairs
Neon is an experimental web browser that’s filled with glorious content bubbles | Mashable #webbrowsers #content #search #discovery
Image Source: Mashable/Opera
Opera, which released its first browser in 1995, has quietly been innovating its products over the last two decades with features like built in ad-blocking and VPN. Now, the company has launched Neon, a new concept browser. REDA MORE: Neon is an experimental web browser that’s filled with glorious content bubbles
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