Article: Dayton Community College Trains Students for the Exciting Kind of Drone Jobs

This is kind of cool, actually.

Dayton Community College Trains Students for the Exciting Kind of Drone Jobs
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2012/03/05/dayton-community-college-trains-students-for-the-exciting-kind-of-drone-jobs/

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--Brad

The future of online work is here

http://www.google.com/reader/i/?hl=en&gl=us#stream/user%2F12857850095717931967%2Fstate%2Fcom.google%2Freading-list

--Brad

Interneternity?

QR scan tags on memorial headstones, and online condolences - you can't escape the Internet, even in death.

--Brad

Article: MIT launches free online 'fully automated' course

The future of education, the university as a "freemium" service.

MIT launches free online 'fully automated' course
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17012968

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Video about Social Media

Nice video - shout out to Ruth for sending me this link:

On "Apple's Sweatshops"

A colleague sent me this email (quoted in it's entirety):

> I am interested in your take on the current controversy about Apple's China sweat shops. Thanks.
I'll post my reply here. At the bottom of the post are two URLs: one for a recent article about worker raises and increased attention of the factories; the other perhaps the best article I have read on the issue, from the New York Times. I urge you to read the Times article in its entirety - it contains some very insightful observations about globalization and America's place in the new economy.

My response to my colleague follows:

---

Well, first, other that having a tremendous appreciation for Apple products, I am no industry expert, nor an economist, nor a social philosopher.

I assume you are referring to Foxconn, and specifically its plant in Shenzen which has around a quarter million workers, many of whom live in company dormitories.

While the working conditions and expectations for a factory worker at Foxconn probably sound alien (and harsh) to an American worker, but global standards perhaps not. Six-day work weeks and 12-hour shifts for the American equivalent of $20 a day may be interpreted as a "sweat shop" here, but Foxconn's factories are modern, well-lit and ventilated, clean and safe.

It should also be pointed out, in the context of your question, that the factories are not Apple's. Foxconn and the other suppliers in Asia, South America and Eastern Europe make components for and assemble virtually all the electronics Americans consume - not just iPhones but televisions, stereos, computers, automotive electronics, home energy controls, and on and on and on.

Largely as the result of Apple's success in the smartphone market and Foxconn's central role in iPhone manufacturing, the company is getting a lot of attention. A few years ago there was a "rash" of worker suicides that many were quick to ascribe to the "inhumane" working conditions. But with a worker population of a quarter-million, the number of suicides in that period were within the background frequency.

From the point of view of the worker, Foxconn is a pretty good deal. Most of its unskilled or semiskilled laborers are fleeing an agrarian - and largely unmechanized - lifestyle. A 12-hour shift in a well-lit and clean factory with wages above the regulated minimum plus overtime and bonuses must sound pretty decent to someone who is slogging pig shit by hand into a muddy field for 14 hours a day.

It is not a fair comparison to judge Foxconn's working conditions and wages in China (or Brazil or Mexico or the Czech Republic) against American middle-class sensibilities. American workers recoil at descriptions of Foxconn's working conditions, but only because they would prefer to spend more time with family, coaching their kids' soccer teams, and watching football on TV. But those are not choices workers in most of the world get to make. Their choices are often between working and starving.

There is also the matter of whether Apple (and others) really have a choice whether to employ Americans or go overseas. According to the NY Times article linked below, they really do not. The supply chain is in Asia. The Chinese government is willing to invest in factory expansion to enable Foxconn and other suppliers to bid and win contracts. They have a vast and willing population of appropriately-trained skilled and semi-skilled workers.

Foxconn workers are not slaves, and they are not children. They stood in line to apply for their jobs. They do this because factory work is their best option for a better life. I'm not claiming that Foxconn is Willy Wonka and everybody is happy and singing all day - I know I would not much like working in those conditions. But not that many generations ago, our own ancestors stood in line to work in the coal mines, or the garment shops, or meat packing plants. I would argue that a worker assembling glass screens for an iPhone in 2012 Shenzen is better off than a meatpacker in 1906 Chicago. And I would also argue that they are both in the same position economically and morally - because those conditions are better than the ones they left, and because middle class demand for inexpensive products, whether gadgets or beef, is driving the supply chain.

Upton Sinclair exposed the brutality and profit-driven conditions of the Chicago meatpacking trade, and that eventually led to better conditions for the workers, for the cattle, and for safer products for consumers. Today, the technology bloggers serve that role - calling out the Apples and Foxconns when profits seem to trump humanity, and forcing by strength of public opinion changes when changes are warranted.

Chicago and America emerged from the industrial revolution to build the largest economy the world has ever known, and has sustained that for more than a century. China (and other emerging economies) are poised to do the same in this century.

For what it's worth... Thanks for the question. Do read the Times article.

Article: The Internet is a Major Driver of the Growth of Cognitive Inequality

"Moral of the story: the internet makes dumb people dumber and smart people smarter. If you don't know how to use it, or don't have the background to ask the right questions, you'll end up with a head full of nonsense. But if you do know how to use it, it's an endless wealth of information. Just as globalization and de-unionization have been major drivers of the growth of income inequality over the past few decades, the internet is now a major driver of the growth of cognitive inequality. Caveat emptor."

Indeed. Access to a vast reserve of information, uncataloged and mostly uncurated, without a robust set of critical thinking skills and information literacy techniques, is a recipe for hyperstupid.

The Internet is a Major Driver of the Growth of Cognitive Inequality
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2012/02/internet-major-driver-growth-cognitive-inequality

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Article: Forbes Among 30 Clients Using Computer-Generated Stories Instead of Writers

Uh oh. 

Forbes Among 30 Clients Using Computer-Generated Stories Instead of Writers
http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/forbes-among-30-clients-using-computer-generated-stories-instead-of-writers_b47243

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--Brad

Everything That's Wrong with Patent and Copyright Laws in One Brilliant Video [Video]

A very nice recap of the original intent of copyrights and patents, as well as a scathing condemnation of the litigious free-for-all they have become.

Everything That's Wrong with Patent and Copyright Laws in One Brilliant Video [Video]
GIZMODO | FEBRUARY 16, 2012
http://pulse.me/s/62ZOK

Read more

Article: ‘App economy’ job prospects booming

‘App economy’ job prospects booming
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/app-economy-job-prospects-booming-1327623.html?cxtype=rss_ece_frontpage

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Article: The iPad Dominates the Future of Retail Point-Of-Sale Purchasing | PadGadget

This article underscores the rapid shift toward off-the-shelf hardware and downloadable apps for point-of-sale support in retail.

"According to Aruba’s survey, 56 percent of businesses plan to implement mobile technology systems using the iPad and 38 percent plan on using iPhones. The big news in business-related mobile solutions is mobile PoS solutions."

The iPad Dominates the Future of Retail Point-Of-Sale Purchasing | PadGadget
http://www.padgadget.com/2012/01/16/the-ipad-dominates-the-future-of-retail-point-of-sale-purchasing/

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Article: Buffalo Wild Wings Plans to Go iPad in its Restaurants

I have a feeling those are going to be some gamey touchscreens...

Buffalo Wild Wings Plans to Go iPad in its Restaurants
http://www.padgadget.com/2012/02/08/buffalo-wild-wings-plans-to-go-ipad-in-its-restaurants/

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Article: Hand Over Your iPad – The Cat Is Bored

You know who you are...

Hand Over Your iPad – The Cat Is Bored
http://appadvice.com/appnn/2012/02/hand-over-your-ipad-the-cat-is-bored

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Article: What Have You Built?

What Have You Built?
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/what-have-you-built

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Article: Rice University announces open-source textbooks

Rice University announces open-source textbooks
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/02/07/rice-university-announces-open-source-textbooks

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Article: Crack this: How to pick strong passwords and keep them that way

Good advice about passwords.

And if you don't like all the reading, XKCD covered this back in August. Http://XKCD/936

Crack this: How to pick strong passwords and keep them that way
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/crack-this-how-to-pick-strong-passwords-and-keep-them-that-way/

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Assistant

There's a new icon on my keyboard at the microphone and with this microphone I can dictate the contents of an email using the Siri assistant for the Apple iPhone 4S using just my voice I can create compose and send an email. This email can be sent anywhere and we'll post to Facebook and twitter. And in fact this particular post was done entirely as a dictation with no editing. I see if you Meyer errors but probably no more than I could make what I'm typing especially on the small keyboard and I can do this virtually hands-free. This seems to work at least as well as some of the dedicated text to speech applications I've used. In fact it seems to be a little bit smarter about contractions and alternative words. I'm really looking forward to wear this Siri assistant can go in the near future. --Brad

Article: Web economy 'to double by 2016'

Web economy 'to double by 2016'
http://digg.com/news/technology/web_economy_to_double_by_2016

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Life in a Day, and why YouTube and Wikipedia matter

Life in a Day is, at its core, a documentary film. But its scope is what sets it apart - it is nothing less than a global snapshot of humanity.

The project asked people all over the world - and in places where "media" is not as ubiquitous as in the West, the film's producers and editors sent cameras - to video record their lives on a specific day: July 24, 2010. The producers expected to receive perhaps 15,000 submissions; they got more than 80,000, a total of 4500 hours of images mundane and extraordinary.

Through a process of cataloging and culling, the editors present the finished film in 1:35. It is available for full viewing on YouTube, and is also now available on NetFlix or DVD.

Life in a Day is sponsored by YouTube, and took advantage of YouTube's massive video servers to collect and catalog the clips. The clips were shot by amateurs - ordinary people - using HandyCams and $100 flash memory cameras, iPhones, what have you. Some clips are grainy, poorly lit, jittery, out-of-focus - it doesn't matter. The content is so compelling in aggregate that the intercutting and juxtapositions become lyrical.

The structure is loose, the themes broad, and there is no plot. The entire film may be summed up as "Life happens." There are funny moments and inspiring ones, profound moments and tragic ones. It's like, you know, life.

I picked out one particular contribution, about an 11-year-old shoeshine boy from Peru. His story is woven through other stories. He appears briefly, we move on to something else, and just about when we have forgotten him, he reappears, framed in his doorway holding his green and white laptop, supplied by the One Laptop Per Child project. This boy lives in conditions the poorest Americans would consider appalling. He works because his mother has died and he must help support his family, and he finds both refuge and escape through Wikipedia. "Wikipedia has everything," he says. "It has stories, and history, and maths, and science." He uses his laptop to play games, to draw, to write stories. "It is my friend," he says, "like my sister."

We leave him, believing - or wanting to believe - he will make it, will succeed, escape the tragic conditions life has dealt him. His worldliness and joie de vive, despite his core sadness, seem well beyond his years, and too strong to fail. That is, if disease or hunger or street thieves after the coins in his pocket don't do him in first. He has connected to the larger world, a world he might never even know of if not for the OLPC and Wikipedia. We in higher education can bemoan Wikipedia's "amateur" nature all we like, but for millions, and soon billions of people, it may be the closest they ever get to a library, or a school.

The internet is not for Americans only, or for the well-to-do. It's not just shopping and friending and World of Warcraft. It is a lifeline, a potential rescue out of desperate conditions, perhaps the only chance millions upon millions will ever have.

It is incumbent upon us - the internet wealthy - to not just focus on how the web can entertain us, or make us richer, but how it can make the world better. Life in a Day helps us remember that, and more.

Article: Codecademy and The White House Announce Code Summer+ Youth Education Program

Codecademy and The White House Announce Code Summer+ Youth Education Program
http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/17/code-summer-plus/

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Article: iPad a Solid Education Tool, Study Reports

iPad a Solid Education Tool, Study Reports
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/01/ipad-educational-aid-study/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: can changing how we teach make our kids smarter, more creative?

First the $50 tablet and now self-organized learning... The education revolution is happening in the slums of India, and in America we keep building cathedrals to 1950s-style worker factories and call them "schools."

can changing how we teach make our kids smarter, more creative?
http://blog.ted.com/2012/01/24/new-ted-book-asks-can-changing-how-we-teach-make-our-kids-smarter-more-creative/

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Article: iPads in Education: Wake up and Smell the Future

From what I've seen of it, iBooks Author is a game changing piece of software.

iPads in Education: Wake up and Smell the Future
http://ipadinsight.com/ipad/ipads-in-education-wake-up-and-smell-the-future

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iTunes U Puts Entire College Courses on Your iPad

http://m.gizmodo.com/5877532/itunes-u-puts-entire-college-courses-on-your-ipad

--Brad

Article: Tech giant unveils iBooks2, iBook Author, and upgraded iTunes U

Tech giant unveils iBooks2, iBook Author, and upgraded iTunes U
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/01/19/digital-textbook-world-awaits-apples-education-announcement

(Sent from Flipboard)

 

--Brad

Article: U.S. Department Of Education Calls For Action To Develop 21st Century Citizens, Strengthen Democracy | National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

U.S. Department Of Education Calls For Action To Develop 21st Century Citizens, Strengthen Democracy | National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
http://www.servicelearning.org/news-notices/news/us-department-education-calls-action-develop-21st-century-citizens-strengthen-demo

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--Brad

Web Video Gets Real-Time Translation In 50+ Languages

If this works, even kind of sort of a little bit, it's a major WOW from CES!

Web Video Gets Real-Time Translation In 50+ Languages
FAST COMPANY | JANUARY 11, 2012
http://pulse.me/s/4TRgl

Canadian startup Ortsbo's new product can instantly translate Internet video into more than 50 languages in real time. And Gene ... Read more

Infographic: The Growth of Enterprise Mobility

Some really interesting numbers here...

Infographic: The Growth of Enterprise Mobility
READWRITEWEB | JANUARY 11, 2012
http://pulse.me/s/4Tn8f

No industry vertical has been more disrupted by the evolution of the smartphone than the enterprise. Since Apple released the ... Read more

Hybrid HTML5 Apps Are Less Costly to Develop Than Native

Hybrid HTML5 Apps Are Less Costly to Develop Than Native
READWRITEWEB | JANUARY 9, 2012
http://pulse.me/s/4P3kX

It seems like a fairly straightforward question: As a developer, business and enterprise, do I develop Web apps, native apps or ... Read more

Article: More Left Brain / Right Brain Nonsense

More Left Brain / Right Brain Nonsense
http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/more-left-brain-right-brain-nonsense/

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--Brad

Why College Is Still Relevant in the Age of Free Information

Why College Is Still Relevant in the Age of Free Information
MASHABLE! | JANUARY 6, 2012
http://pulse.me/s/4JNgV

Hansoo Lee is co-founder and CEO of Magoosh, an online test prep company with products for the SAT, GRE, and GMAT. The ... Read more

Article: Small Demons — Welcome to the Storyverse

A new way to think about books as an immersive experience!

Small Demons — Welcome to the Storyverse
https://www.smalldemons.com/#request-invite

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Article: Meeting the demand for workers with social media skills

Meeting the demand for workers with social media skills
http://www.communitycollegetimes.com/Pages/Technology/Colleges-adjust-program-to-meet-demand-for-workers-with-specialized-online-skills.aspx

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Article: Job Board

This could be fun! Looks like a web designer internship (unpaid) at Fifth Third for the Dragons.

Job Board
http://www.creativesyndicate.org/blog/job-board

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: Win $1,500 in ED’s College Net Price Calculator Student Video Challenge | ED.gov Blog

Win $1,500 in ED’s College Net Price Calculator Student Video Challenge | ED.gov Blog
http://www.ed.gov/blog/2012/01/win-1500-in-eds-college-net-price-calculator-student-video-challenge/

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Website Design Contest!

ChooseOhioFirst.org wants you to design their new website!

http://www.chooseohiofirst.org/

The purpose of the website is to recruit talented Ohio students into STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) fields. The website should encourage students to pursue a degree as part of the Choose Ohio First scholarship program.

Do it!

Article: The 11 Best Innovation Essays We Published In 2011

As good a collection of essays on creativity, innovation and change as you will find. 

The 11 Best Innovation Essays We Published In 2011
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665706/the-11-best-innovation-essays-we-published-in-2011

(Sent from Flipboard)

 

--Brad

The No-Resolution Resolution: How to Really Be Happy in 2012

The No-Resolution Resolution: How to Really Be Happy in 2012
GOOD | DECEMBER 30, 2011
http://pulse.me/s/4uFo8

In mid-December, I celebrated my 30th birthday at a little Scandanavian restaurant in a quickly-changing part of DC. I was ... Read more

Codecademy Builds ‘Labs,’ A Web-Based Code Editor

Codecademy Builds ‘Labs,’ A Web-Based Code Editor
TECHCRUNCH | DECEMBER 22, 2011
http://pulse.me/s/4fFpH

Smoking hot startup Codecademy, a service which teaches you how to program online has launched its Labs feature today, as a ... Read more

This New App Turns Your iPad Into Your Classroom

This New App Turns Your iPad Into Your Classroom
GOOD | DECEMBER 22, 2011
http://pulse.me/s/4f3On

Thanks to the popularity of the Khan Academy's simple video lessons, millions of people around the globe have learned ... Read more

Tweet by Mindset Digital on Twitter

Here are a couple of new job titles to keep an eye on. 

Mindset Digital

(@mindsetdigital)

Posted at 2:26 PM December 21, 2011

 on Twitter

"We're Hiring! Two positions: Social Media Strategist and Community Manager/Trainer: http://t.co/NG1ckRJc #socialmedia #jobs #smjobs"

(Sent from Flipboard)

 

--Brad

Article: MITx: The Next Chapter for University Credentialing?

MITx: The Next Chapter for University Credentialing?
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/mitx-next-chapter-university-credentialing

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--Brad

Article: YouTube for Schools and Lecture Capture

YouTube for Schools and Lecture Capture
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/youtube-schools-and-lecture-capture

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Article: SylvanSport Go Camper Trailer

These are really cool camper/haulers, and they are built in Sidney at Hydro!

SylvanSport Go Camper Trailer
http://uncrate.com/stuff/sylvansport-go-camper-trailer/

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Article: Brand Madness, Round 4 Match 2: Teradata vs. Midmark

Almost 5,000 votes cast and it's a dead heat! Show your support for Midmark, one of Edison's great community partners. 

Brand Madness, Round 4 Match 2: Teradata vs. Midmark
http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/blog/brand-madness/2011/12/brand-madness-round-4-match-2.html

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Article: Why Schools Need to Get Social, Local and Mobile

Faculty - be honest. How many of you read this and don't know what these services are or do, let alone how they can potentially impact teaching and learning?

Get out there! Mix it up. See what works and what doesn't. We area in a Cambrian Explosion of SoLoMo apps, and no, not every one will succeed. But some will, and they will dominate the landscape for the next decade and beyond.

Why Schools Need to Get Social, Local and Mobile
http://mashable.com/2011/12/01/education-social-mobile/

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Kepler Team Confirms First Earth-like Planet in a Habitable Zone, And Finds 1,094 More Worlds

This is seriously cool! I think we're starting to get the idea - there's a whole bunch of planets out there, and a big chunk of them are going to be life-friendly. 

Kepler Team Confirms First Earth-like Planet in a Habitable Zone, And Finds 1,094 More Worlds
POPULAR SCIENCE - NEW TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE NEWS, THE FUTURE NOW | DECEMBER 5, 2011
http://pulse.me/s/3LG6z

Kepler 22b Kepler-22b, just 2.4 times the size of Earth, is the first planet known to comfortably circle in the habitable zone ... Read more

Article: Tim Pool

Those of us old enough to remember the "Scud Stud" and those night vision images from the 1991 Persian Gulf War may recall how, regional politics aside, we were witnessing the rise of a New Thing - the 24-hour news channel as "something important". We can debate about whether cable TV is still relevant, and whether CNN et al squandered their legacy. But in this report about Occupy Wall Street "live stream" Tim Pool, I sense the rise of a new New Thing.

Tim Pool
http://pressthink.org/2011/11/occupy-pressthink-tim-pool/

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Study: More Than 15% of Workers Get Hired Through Social Networks

Connect, connect, connect!!!!

Study: More Than 15% of Workers Get Hired Through Social Networks
READWRITEWEB | NOVEMBER 16, 2011
http://pulse.me/s/3dKQd

In a survey released today, recruiting software platform Jobvite noted that more than 22 million Americans used social networks ... Read more

Photographer Annie Leibovitz recommends iPhone as a camera

Uh-huh, uh-huh! See what I'm saying???!!!

Photographer Annie Leibovitz recommends iPhone as a camera
TUAW - THE UNOFFICIAL APPLE WEBLOG | NOVEMBER 16, 2011
http://pulse.me/s/3dANa

In the world of photography, there's one person who stands out for her classic portraits of such ... Read more

Networked Society - a new short film about connectivity

A very interesting and insightful perspective on how we stand just at the brink of a truly networked society.

"We are the last generation that grew up in a dumb society, where things were stupid and uninteresting."

"All of the devices we make today have the potential to communicate with each other and have a reason to do it."

"When the light bulb was the thing, they dug up New York so that everyone could have lightbulbs in their houses. They didn't really see the extension of light bulbs, that you could have other electrical appliances. ...Jeff Bezos of Amazon ... thinks we are at the lightbulb stage of the internet."

Not a lot of "new" technology here, but a step back to look forward.

--Brad

We've covered most of these, but good tricks nevertheless....

Use Photoshop to alter reality

http://gizmodo.com/5857150/how-to-use-photoshop-to-pop-pimples-change-facial-...

Wired.com to begin releasing images under Creative Commons licensing - Dig in!

Like many other sites across the web, we’ve benefited from CC-licensed photos at Wired.com for years — thank you, sharers! It seems only fitting, and long overdue, to start sharing ourselves.

http://www.wired.com/rawfile/2011/11/creative-commons/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29&utm_content=Google+Reader&pid=1358

This should be good! It will expose Creative Commons licensing to a much broader audience. Please read the article to determine what is off limits and what you can "remix" for yourself.

Siri hype, backlash and the long view

But the thinking here has to extend beyond the present and your own self. It reminds me a bit of the people who used to say that they needed a physical keyboard on their phone. And that Apple would eventually have to add one to the iPhone. It was a certainty.

http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/05/that-iphone-keyboard-is-still-coming/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Article: Codify – iPad

This looks really cool. I'm going to spring for the eight bucks and give it a try.

Codify – iPad
http://twolivesleft.com/Codify/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: New Software System for Realistically Adding Objects Into Photos

New Software System for Realistically Adding Objects Into Photos
http://laughingsquid.com/new-software-system-for-realistically-adding-objects-into-photos/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: Steve Jobs: “Death Is The Destination We All Share”

Full text of Jobs' 2005 Stanford commencement address.

Steve Jobs: “Death Is The Destination We All Share”
http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/05/stay-hungry-stay-foolish/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Apple' Steve Jobs has died

Sad, sad day.

http://www.apple.com/

Reporting events

NET225S Writing for Electronic Media

Blogging and Reportage


A great number of blogs, maybe most, are reporting blogs. Some are affiliated with established publishing companies, and a great many more are independent.

When reporting an event, you can take a number of approaches. One is the “objective” report - that is, you attempt to report the event as it happened with no particular point of view expressed on your part. This is both difficult to do and largely a fallacy. With all due respect to Fox News (not much) “fair and balanced” is almost exactly NOT what they do. Fox has a clear point of view, and their reportage reflects that point of view.

Not long ago, newspapers openly declared their point of view, and in some cases were even named for political affiliation or philosophy. Did you know there used to be a newspaper in Sidney called the “Shelby County Democrat.” Can you imagine such a paper existing today?

Driven in part by backlash against how the Vietnam War was being reported, the major television networks in the 1970s attempted to instill a “values-free” reportage philosophy. Walter Cronkite’s signature sign-off phrase “And that’s the way it is...” is a declaration of what Bill O’Reilly now laughably calls a “spin-free zone.”

For individuals, it is all but impossible to separate one’s personal point of view from the reportage of events. After all, it is through our own point of view that we witness, process, recall and retell events. Studies show that human perception is incomplete, and memory is flawed, and changes over time.

The only way to be truly “fair” then is to admit up front - to your audience and to yourself - what your point of view is. You don’t have to go into a formal analysis, but if you are pro-Ohio State football, for instance, that should be reflected in the context of your blog. That way, when your audience (who will tend to think like you) reads your report of the trinkets-for-tattoos scandal, they will understand the context in which you present it.

Your assignment is to cover an event, gather information, photos, etc., and then report the event on your blog.

One approach is the “live blog,” where you write short entries and post them immediately as they happen. Another approach is to gather information, process and organize your thoughts, and then post a longer, more crafted blog entry some time after.

What I do NOT want is what Fox often calls reporting, which is repeating what others are saying about the event. That’s just conflict mongering, and is about as useful and interesting as listening to dogs bark.

You can pick your event, but it must be one that you can attend in person. If you are witnessing something via television, then you are already (at least) one filter removed from reality. It can be a sporting event, a meeting, or other event public or private.

In your report, which you will post to your blog, describe the event - date, location, who is there and why. Then establish a point of view for the event - are you an active participant, an interested bystander, a critic?

Decide whether you will live blog or write your report after the fact (you could, I suppose, do both). Use proper spelling and grammar.

If you have difficulty picking an event, let me know and I’ll help you find something.

Have your finished reports posted no later than class time October 5. This week’s class time September 28 will be open lab and optional, if you need my help.

Please email me with any questions.

Article: Word as Image

Oooh, this looks fun!

Word as Image
http://www.coolhunting.com/design/word-as-image.php

(Sent from Flipboard)

list of QR software

Student Barb asks:

Are QR codes a form of a web app? I know what they do, my son showed me last night, I've been seeing them popping up everywhere but didnt know how to use them.

http://www.qrtists.com/s/

Have you ever tried any of the software on this list?

I thought I would answer on the blog, as this could be of interest to a number of you.

I have experimented with two types of scannable tags - the classic QR code (black square pixels) and Microsoft's mobi tags, which are generated using colorful triangles.

Here's an example of an application for mobi tags:

http://smartdoor.weebly.com/

The photo description panels for my iPhone Photography art gallery exhibit have QR codes. Users with smartphones can scan the tags and they take are directed to web pages for more information about the images.

QR codes are not really a form of web app. They are more related to the URL shorteners Bit.ly and others.

The classic QR codes generated by Kaywa (free to use, no account setup necessary) can forward to a URL, display a text message, dial a phone number or send an SMS message.

The Microsoft mobi tag types are URL, app download, free text, vCard and dialer. Microsoft tags are free to create and use, but do require an account setup.

By setting up an account, users can track statistics about how often the tags are scanned and when.

[cid:B5D285F1-D03D-4B03-A922-99220E8BDEA8@edisonohio.edu]

There are three parts to implementing QR tags: Tag creation, tag management, and tag scanning.

Scanning tags

Users download an app, usually to a smartphone, to be able to scan and interpret the codes. Some readers are generic, able to read several formats, while others are specific to a single format. This may be a temporary barrier - a number of technologies are in the works to both make tag scanning an integrated function of the smartphone camera so no additional app is necessary, and to extend the concept to real-world images, not just generated tags.

Creating tags

When a company, organization or individual wants to implement scannable tags, there are a number of questions to answer. First, of course, is who is your audience? If you are implementing tags for an internal audience, then specialized or even proprietary systems may be appropriate.

However, if you intend to use codes in a public forum, then you need to take into consideration what your audience knows about scannable codes and how they will be placed. For instance, I chose the Microsoft mobi tags for the Smartdoor project because it is part of an art exhibit and the colorful tags were more appropriate to the venue, even though I knew few people had the Microsoft tag reader app installed before seeing the sculpture.

However, for the art gallery exhibit, I decided to use the more generic QR tags from Kaywa because more readers are capable of interpreting the codes, the exhibit would be in place for just one month, and black and white worked well with the display's aesthetics.

Tag creation software can be free or paid, depending on the level of customization and management needed.

Managing tags

If you do not want user statistics and the tags are "one use" then a free service like Kaywa may be enough. Microsoft is climbing uphill against the larger QR community, so they are making their service available for free to build market share, but they offer a pretty decent set of tag management and analytics tools.

For the Smartdoor, one advantage to using the mobi tags is that when the exhibit closes I can redirect the tag URLs and repurpose the Smartdoor for other events.

Conclusion

This is definitely something to explore, and thanks for the questions, Barb. Scannable tags and related technologies are strategies for integrating the real world with the online environment, and those who understand and can apply theses technologies will have a competitive advantage.

On Sep 22, 2011, at 7:07 AM, Schwarz, Barbara wrote:

Huge spider web!

Must be close to Halloween!

--Brad

Zuckerberg To Give Teachers $10k Each In Two Year Grant Program

Here's an idea I can get behind!

Zuckerberg To Give Teachers $10k Each In Two Year Grant Program
READWRITEWEB | SEPTEMBER 21, 2011
http://pulse.me/s/1MZSw

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg will be giving $10,000 grants to Newark teachers who come up with innovative programs as a ... Read more

g.reedonly@gmail.com sent you a link to content of interest

g.reedonly@gmail.com sent you a link to the following content:

With Version 2.0, Instagram Focuses On Re-engineering The Camera
http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/20/instagram-version-2/

The sender also included this note:

Instagram - a social media tool for images - has just launched a major upgrade!

NET225S - Getting Started

NOTE: I'm reposting this so that everyone catches it. Please read the post, then post responses to your own blog.

OK, we're all set up with our blogs and social media accounts. We'll start looking at ways that writing for electronic media differs from "traditional" media. We've already talked about some - location awareness, atemporality (time factors), chunkiness, non-linearity....
Here's the first question, though. What are you reading? What do you read online? How is that different from what you read in print? Is your process of reading different online than it is offline?
One of my favorite things to read online is a blog written by Dr. Steven Novella called Neurologica. The blog focuses on critical thinking, skepticism, and investigating incredible claims in science and medicine. (I also regularly listen to Novella's weekly podcast, The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe.)
One of the things I like are how over time the blog entries have been linked together, so that Novella only has to provide a brief sentence or two of background on a topic covered before. This allows him to focus his readers' attention on the new claims or new data being examined.
In the last two years, my online reading has perhaps quadrupled, while my offline reading is about a quarter of what it was. I am reading more, and more broadly, now.
How about you? Post to your blog.

Article: Javascript Class For Programmers Online (Big Savings)

Javascript Class For Programmers Online (Big Savings)
http://www.women2.org/blazing-cloud-offers-javascript-for-programmers-online-class/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Hidden Super Powers of Apple's Preview utility - Image Editing

Using Preview Advanced Features - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E8vMmpVtqjoJ5j515mClLb1o32lRbWSBlkJG5All2O8/edit?hl=en_US

Photographer turns to iPhone to break from the pack

A photographer covering the Tour de France tries to break free from the pack of photographers covering the event by using his iPhone as his camera and taking the "outsider's" view of the race.

Challenge seeks mobile photos or videos

What urgent problem or need do you foresee becoming especially important in 2012?  Submit a compelling photo or video taken on a mobile device that reflects the World in 2012.

https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9932925

Article: Get Textbooks on your iPad Using Amazon’s Textbook Rental Service

Game-changer...

Get Textbooks on your iPad Using Amazon’s Textbook Rental Service
http://www.padgadget.com/2011/07/18/get-textbooks-on-your-ipad-using-amazon%E2%80%99s-textbook-rental-service/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: The value of college

Or as John Adams put it like 230 years ago: "There are two types of education... One should teach us how to make a living, And the other how to live." 

The value of college
http://www.dailyillini.com/index.php/article/2011/06/the_value_of_college

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: A politician stays on message. Weirdly.

Bwaaaaah-hahaha aha!

Oh, and these strikes are wrong...

A politician stays on message. Weirdly.
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/politics/-nbsp-var-a2a-config.html

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: Blackboard Gets Bought

MORE focused on earnings? Doubtful. BB is already run like they get paid by the click.

Blackboard Gets Bought
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/07/05/blackboard_bought_by_providence_equity_partners

(Sent from Flipboard)

10 Creative Bar Code Designs [PICS]

Interesting if for no other reason than the documentation of Troy's place in retail history.

10 Creative Bar Code Designs [PICS]
MASHABLE! | JUNE 26, 2011
http://pulse.me/s/oa8A

On this day in 1974, Clyde Dawson made history as the first consumer to buy a product which had been scanned into a till by its ... Read more

Dear Photograph

This is such a great idea!

Dear Photograph
DARING FIREBALL | JUNE 17, 2011
http://pulse.me/s/95gX

“Take a picture of a picture from the past in the present.”  ★ Read more

6 Free E-Books and Tutorials on HTML5

6 Free E-Books and Tutorials on HTML5
READWRITEWEB | JUNE 4, 2011
http://pulsene.ws/1PuTJ

HTML5 is popular for building rich Web sites as well as cross-platform mobile applications. And it looks like with Windows 8 ... Read more

Kindle E-Books Now Outselling All Paper Books on Amazon

You'd think that someone who covers publishing for a living could spell bellwether. In any case, kindle took only four years to surpass all paper book sales on Amazon. Bellwether indeed!

Kindle E-Books Now Outselling All Paper Books on Amazon
READWRITEWEB | MAY 19, 2011
http://pulsene.ws/1FfKB

Amazon announced a bell weather moment for electronic books today - Kindle e-books now completely outsell hardcover and ... Read more

Is that a supercomputer in your pocket, or are you just happy to live in the future?

ONE core of the iPad 2 is equivalent to a Cray supercomputer circa 1985. Both cores may push it another decade, to 1994.

And, despite what the author says, 1985 is NOT a helluva long time ago.

http://gizmodo.com/5800193/the-ipad-2-is-as-powerful-as-a-supercomputer-from-the-80s

Adobe drafts CSS Regions spec to bring print-like layout to the web

For good or ill, CSS Regions would revolutionize web-based layouts. Anticipating the tablet-dominance of the web to come, Adobe is working on tools to make laying out web pages more like laying out print pages.

http://www.webmonkey.com/2011/05/adobe-envisions-brave-new-world-of-web-layouts-with-css-regions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Article: The Top 3 Daily Time-Wasters & How To Tame Them :: Tips :: The 99 Percent

Excellent tips for managing your time, from the 99% Conference website.

The Top 3 Daily Time-Wasters & How To Tame Them :: Tips :: The 99 Percent
http://the99percent.com/tips/7019/The-Top-3-Daily-Time-Wasters-How-To-Tame-Them

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Article: The 99 Percent - It's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen.

The name comes from TA Edison's quote.

The 99 Percent - It's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen.
http://the99percent.com/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: Community colleges wasting student time and money - Class Struggle

Wait, what!?!!??

" Their professors still struggle to communicate with students who do not fit the usual collegiate mold."

The reporter makes some Valid points about relying on single measures of readiness, but you can't just drop claims like that into the last graf, with no evidence and no attribution. I think most of us do a fine job communicating with students who do not fit "the collegiate mold." that's why we're working at community colleges.

Community colleges wasting student time and money - Class Struggle
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/community-colleges-wasting-student-time-and-money/2011/05/04/AF96bFyF_blog.html#pagebreak

(Sent from Flipboard)

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Sometimes I think humans, as a species, are better at teaching than at learning. And sometimes I think the opposite. And then I give up, and try to be good at both.

Cover letter in 140 characters

Tweet yourself into an internship with Under Armor!

http://gizmodo.com/#!5795597/how-to-apply-for-an-internship-in-2011-write-a-140-character-cover-letter-and-upload-your-resume

Video: 2011 Teacher Appreciation Day Message from Secretary Arne Duncan

2011 Teacher Appreciation Day Message from Secretary Arne Duncan

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Gore, Ex-Apple Engineers Team Up to Blow Up the Book

If they can bring this to the App Store for under $50 it could be a game changer.

Gore, Ex-Apple Engineers Team Up to Blow Up the Book
WIRED TOP STORIES | APRIL 28, 2011
http://pulsene.ws/1rIrx

What do you do after working for Apple, a company that disrupts entire industries? Easy. You start a company to create your own ... Read more

Mashup editor Pipes - how did I miss this?

OK, still not sure how I've missed this, but I've just run across a mashup editor from Yahoo! called "Pipes."

Using a visual editor resembling a mind map or flowchart tool, you can fairly quickly stitch together content sources and filters to create a "mashup." An excellent example is this mashup of US Census data to display the population of the states in map form.

Another more dynamic mashup called YouTunes uses iTunes download rankings to pick the Top 10 songs, then displays the YouTube for the music videos of those songs.

I was able to use Pipes as a workaround to the Flickr-Flash monster. I wanted a Flickr slideshow based on search results to display on mobile devices such as iPhones, but Flickr's slideshow is in Flash. By using Pipes, I was able to search Flickr based on pre-defined search terms and display the results as an image badge, which I then embedded in a Weebly page, and it displays in iOS just dandy!

So, those of you who are currently taking NET115S, here's a new tool you might want to explore. For those of you who will be taking NET116S in the Fall, guess what we're going to do?

The Wheel of the Sky - Beautiful stop-motion photography

Watch this in Hd if you can!

The Wheel of the Sky
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/meaning-of-it-all/the-wheel-of-the-sky.html

(Sent from Flipboard)

RIP, Flip

If you haven't heard, parent company Cisco has killed off the Flip camera division in a fit of corporate restructuring. Flips are great little video cameras since they upgraded to HD quality (720p), and here at Edison we use the heck out of 'em.

The main reason cited by Cisco for discontinuing the little buggers is that smartphones such as the iPhone 4 are killing off the low end of the market. Wonder if Brutus stood over Julius Caesar's body, holding the bloody knife, saying "What have I done?"

RIP, Flip.

In the meantime, you can get in on the scavenger-feeding frenzy. I scored a Flip Ultra HD at the Piqua HH Gregg store over the weekend for $75. At the time they had two Flip Mino HDs for $75 each, and two Flip Ultras (NOT the HD versions) for $50 each.

Here are some other sources:

http://gizmodo.com/#!5791601/where-to-buy-cheap-flips-now-that-theyre-dead

Interesting snapshot of mobile trends on Flickr

Yes, pun intended. By the time you read this, the iPhone 4 may be the most popular camera on Flickr.

http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/17/iphone-4-camera/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_m...

Article: Olympus PEN Your Short Film Challenge

Here are some seriously professional short films made with seriously inexpensive cameras!

Olympus PEN Your Short Film Challenge
http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/olympus-48-hour-films.php

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: Hanna :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews

First line of the week: "Hanna” is a first-rate thriller about the drawbacks of home schooling.

Hanna :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20110406%2FREVIEWS%2F110409995

(Sent from Flipboard)

Gizmodo, the Gadget Guide

My two favorite things Netflix and Mad Men, together at last. Like chocolate and peanut butter, vodka and olives, Bogie and Bacall....

http://m.gizmodo.com//5789263/netflix-nabs-exclusive-streaming-rights-to-mad-...

--Brad

Article: How To Steal Like An Artist (And 9 Other Things Nobody Told Me)

1. This is really neat. 2. I didn't make it.

How To Steal Like An Artist (And 9 Other Things Nobody Told Me)
http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: The Web's Copernican Moment

" The second wave is the rise of startups that are adopting a mobile-centric view of the world from the outset."

The Web's Copernican Moment
http://bigthink.com/ideas/37708

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Article: Ancient Tablet Found: Oldest Readable Writing in Europe

I was surprised to learn this was NOT an iPad...

Ancient Tablet Found: Oldest Readable Writing in Europe
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110330-oldest-writing-europe-tablet-greece-science-mycenae-greek/

(Sent from Flipboard)

Article: A quintessence of dust

This is absolutely beautiful! Ebert has truly found his voice.

A quintessence of dust
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2011/03/a_quintessence_of_dust.html#more

(Sent from Flipboard)

A brilliant piece of motion graphics

Excellent use of palette and sound in illustrating on of the most powerful speeches in American history...

http://www.visualnews.com/2011/03/23/the-gettysburg-address-in-motion/

Online news overtakes paper - mobile claims half

You read it here first (in the paper tomorrow).

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/15/online-news-overtakes-paper-and-nearly-hal...

On becoming an American

When I first saw the headline of this Slate article, I thought it would be another "everything you know is wrong" sort of thing. But actually it is an interesting, insightful and quite touching recollection of the citizenship naturalization process.

The Problem with Question 36

--Brad