Tag Archives: culture

News: Education & Technology, Librarianship

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Education & Technology

Xbox One News: Xbox One’s DRM policy reversal: an oral history | Engadget and Xbox One won’t play 3D Blu-rays — for now | CNET

Intel Has Acquired Kno, Will Push Further Into The Education Content Market With Interactive Textbooks | TechCrunch
We had a tip about, and have now confirmed, Intel’s latest acquisition: Kno, the education startup that started life as a hardware business and later pivoted into software – specifically via apps that let students read interactive versions of digitized textbooks.

Librarianship

Climb Your Family Tree With These Online Genealogy Tools | Gizmodo

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The questions of who we are and where we came from can often be answered, not by looking inward, but by looking backward. While nature and nurture certainly play the primary roles in our development as individuals, it’s only through the study of one’s ancestry that we develop a more complete view of ourselves as how we fit into the larger scope of human history. Luckily, tracing one’s roots is easier than ever thanks to the Internet.

The following web services are discussed:

  • Family Search
  • US Gen Web
  • Ancestry
  • World Vital Records
  • DistantCousin

via Climb Your Family Tree With These Online Genealogy Tools | Gizmodo.

Abha Dawesar: Life in the “digital now” | TED.com

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One year ago, Abha Dawesar was living in blacked-out Manhattan post-Sandy, scrounging for power to connect. As a novelist, she was struck by this metaphor: Have our lives now become fixated on the drive to digitally connect, while we miss out on what’s real?

via Abha Dawesar: Life in the “digital now” | Video on TED.com.

“The Book Thief” Wants You To Imagine A World Without Words, Starting With The New York Times | Co.Create

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As visuals go, it’s not the most mind-blowing advertisement you’ve ever seen–but the image of two consecutive blank pages of the New York Times, purchased to promote Fox’s upcoming film The Book Thief, is striking nonetheless.

Read:  “The Book Thief” Wants You To Imagine A World Without Words, Starting With The New York Times | Co.Create | creativity + culture + commerce.

Why Is the NYPL Hosting Convicted Rapist Mike Tyson? | Flavorwire

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Opinion. Read: Why Is the NYPL Hosting Convicted Rapist Mike Tyson? | Flavorwire.

I appreciate the LIVE Director at the NYPL explained his stance for choosing MT as a guest when requested. He could have ignored the request or made a general statement.

Epic Rap Battle: Nerd vs. Geek | Rhett & Link | YouTube

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via ▶ Epic Rap Battle: Nerd vs. Geek  | Rhett & Link | YouTube

Canada Reads 2014 seeks inspirational novels | Quill & Quire

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Canada Reads, the CBC’s “battle of the books,” is underway again. The annual radio showdown seeks to elevate one book that all Canadians should read.

This year, advocates will debate not only the best book, but also “the one novel that could change Canada.”

Read the story for the full details: Canada Reads 2014 seeks inspirational novels | Quill & Quire

50 Foreign-Language Films Everyone Needs to See, 1963-2013 | Flavorwire

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It’s true that American filmmaking inspired a global appreciation of the cinematic art form, but it’s impossible to deny the international influence on film by important auteurs from countries around the globe. With the inclusion of Federico Fellini, Luis Buñuel, Costa-Gavras, François Truffaut, Akira Kurosawa, Pedro Almodóvar, and countless others, this list of essential films from non-English-speaking countries proves that American filmmaking has taken inspiration from countless artists working in many languages. Spotlighting just one film per year in the last half-century, here’s our list of 50 foreign-language films any true movie buff should see. 

See the list: 50 Foreign-Language Films Everyone Needs to See, 1963-2013 | Flavorwire.

21 Muppets Find a Much-Deserved Home at the Smithsonian | Gizmodo

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Thanks to a donation from the Henson Foundation, on Tuesday, Miss Piggy, Kermit the Frog, and 19 other Muppets and well-loved characters gained their rightful place in history, entering into the collection of the Smithsonian Museum.

The Muppets

Read: 21 Muppets Find a Much-Deserved Home at the Smithsonian | Gizmodo.

DragonCon Carpet Cosplayers Copyright | The Mary Sue

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How about a Monday morning diversion?

At DragonCon last month, a couple of cosplayers decided to sidestep the usual fare of superheroes and cartoon characters in favor of dressing up as the carpet at the Marriott hotel where the con takes place. Yup, there was carpet-colored camo. That is a real thing that now exists. Naturally, other people wanted to emulate the design, but, alas, this psychedelic carpet army was not to be – because Courtisan Inc., the company that designed the original rug, issued a Cease and Desist soon after the design went up.

Carpet Cosplay

Volpin Props, the cosplay designer, posted on their facebook page about the incident and received almost 300 comments, ranging from serious discussion of copyright and intellectual property to expressions of surprise that anyone would admit to having designed such an ugly carpet. Still, Volpin Props has gracefully stated that they are “in complete agreement with [Courtisans] decision,” so it looks like anyone looking to blend in with the carpeting in the future will have to make their own costume. Or maybe they should try the wallpaper? Carpet controversy aside, I think that we all can rest easy knowing that this photo exists:

Carpet Cosplay

The moral of the story is A. Cosplayers are will always find new ways to be creative and awesome and B.You can’t sell carpets that don’t belong to you, no matter how ugly they are.

via DragonCon Carpet Cosplayers Copyright | The Mary Sue.