The Digital Minute

Updates from the Richmond Public Library's Digital Literacy Department

[rpl-digitallit-blog]

Solving a Century-Old Typographical Mystery

How a strange face in a random 19th-century newspaper ad became a portal to a forgotten moment in ASCII art history

Possibly the first instance of ASCII art ever created? 

We may take it for granted, but the use of letters as art, emoticons or the modern emoji are examples of an evolution of using technology in new ways to express ourselves. 

Here’s to the pioneers that saw new potential in communication by being tapped in to the hot new tech!

[rpl-digitallit-blog]

First came zoetropes as the original “gif” of the 19th century, now make way for the Stereogranimator! If you want to make the past come alive, New York Public Library has the tool for you. Their newly launched project, Stereogranimator allows you to take an old stereo image and introduce movement by shifting the gaze from one image to the other. 

They have partnered with the National Archives and have a number of stereo images that they supply, or you can use your own from a Flickr account. Street scenes, Civil War battlefields, circuses - all come alive through the magic of the Stereogranimator. 

Find it here: http://stereo.nypl.org/

[rpl-digitallit-blog]

Know CPR? Have a smartphone? Use it to save a life. 

An app called PulsePoint links more than 700 fire departments across the United States with volunteers that are trained in CPR. When dispatch sends out the call, volunteers who use PulsePoint get a notification on their phone if they are within a certain radius.

Start saving a life today, by downloading the app from the iPhone or Android app store today. You never know when you might be the one to make the difference. 

[rpl-digitallit-blog]

Full disclosure: math was never my strong suit. It still isn’t. But, I’m not worried- Photomath has solved that problem! 

This app (available on iPhone and Android) uses your camera to not only solve a math problem, but will show your work as well! Of course I am NOT recommending that students use this instead of doing their homework, but it is up to you how you will use the technology. With great power comes great responsibility. 

That said, thank goodness this wasn’t around when I was in school or I’d never have learned how to do math. 

https://photomath.net/

[bodleianlibs]

Treasure Tuesday: Gutenberg’s Invention

For many, the ‘Gutenberg Bible’ represents the revolution of the printing press. It is the first substantial book to be printed in the West using metal type, replacing the more cumbersome woodblocks with fixed lettering.

To print a book using a press you essentially need a raised surface of letters, onto which ink is rolled. The block of letters is then pressed onto paper and the ink transferred, creating a page. Previously, people were carving each individual page out of wood, but the revolution of metal type meant printers could arrange a page of letters and then dismantle them to make another page. The Printing Press is not the real revolution, as it’s just a way of pressing the type and page together. Instead, the actual type was the revolution.

The second item is a souvenir printed on the river Thames after it froze over on Christmas Day in 1739. By this point the printing press had become so common and cheap to use that it wasn’t unusual in the slightest to have one printing souvenirs at a fair.

The river has frozen some 23 times since 1309, but not since 1831.

See more of our Treasures.

Gutenburg Bible: Arch. B b.10, fols. 4v-5r.

Souvenir: JJ Printed on the Ice 1 (22).

[rpl-digitallit-blog]

How far we’ve come! Imagine how long it would take to send out a tweet if you had to carve each letter out of wood, like they would have had to before Gutenberg...

[rpl-digitallit-blog]

Why the small iPhone is a big deal

Apple today announced the 4-inch iPhone SE, which is essentially an iPhone 5S with 6S specs and a new low price of $399. For many people, that alone will be sufficient reason to be excited, but the...

iPhone 6S too big for your hands or pockets? Worried that the next iPhone will be bigger than an iPad (and three times as expensive)? Worry no more! 

Apple announced recently that the next iPhone will be a cheaper model that is slick and speedier than even the 6S (if that’s even possible, Apple...), and will come in the same size as the old iPhone 5.   

What’s the takeaway for digital literacy purposes? Essentially, we’re getting an updated phone in a size and price that was tested and true. There may be some new fancy features in the iOS, but the new phone should fit in the palm of your hand without breaking the bank.  

[rpl-digitallit-blog]

Want to watch the game, but the bar’s too loud or the screen’s on mute? Technology to the rescue! 

The new app Tunity uses the camera and location services on your smart device to determine which channel you are watching. It will then access a live sound feed and you can listen on your headphones, and never miss the commentary or the sound of the crowd going wild at a buzzer-beating shot.

And if you’re in the Richmond Public Library area today at 1:30, please join us for the game! We will have staff on hand to help you learn how to use the app, if you want to download it and use your own device to listen in on the Rams take on Oregon.

Available free for iPhone and Android. http://www.tunity.com/

[rplteenspace]

Teens at North Avenue learning about 3D printing.

[rpl-digitallit-blog]

While some of us may struggle to use a smart phone, these kids could be printing a new case for it. If only we tap into that same enthusiasm, think of the innovation we could accomplish!

[rpl-digitallit-blog]

And don’t just take my word for it...

http://www.engadget.com/2016/01/20/former-mozilla-ceo-makes-web-browser/

[rpl-digitallit-blog]

Be Brave!

Fresh from the latest Computers in Libraries conference, I was inspired to share some of the ideas, devices, and apps that are taking the digital world by storm. I’ve decided to start off what I’m calling The Digital Minute by talking about a new web browser that Gary Price covered in his session “30 Mobile Apps for Librarians,” called Brave. 

Brave was created by Brendan Eich (co-founder of Mozilla, creator of Javascript, tech guru extraordinaire), and is one of the fastest, most secure web browsers that we have seen in quite some time. It automatically blocks ads, lets you know what is tracking you (via cookies, spyware, location services, your mom checking in to see if you’ll be home for dinner), and gives you the power to disable or enable far more plugins than you have been able to interact with before. Which is also good if you want to watch that Captain America: Civil War trailer that popped up but would have been blocked. 

Check it out at this link, it’s available for Mac, PC, Android, and iPhone! https://www.brave.com/