Over 1 Million digitized November 30, 2007

 

 

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania (AP) — Nearly a decade ago, computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University embarked on a project with an astonishingly lofty goal: Digitize the published works of humankind and make them freely available online. The architects of the project said this week they have surpassed their latest target, having scanned more than 1.5 million books — many of them in Chinese — and are continuing to scan thousands more daily. “Anyone who can get on the Internet now has access to a collection of books the size of a large university library,” said Raj Reddy, a computer science and robotics professor at the university who spearheaded the project. The latest phase in the development of the so-called Universal Library, called the Million Book Project, began in 2002 after Reddy’s team successfully scanned 1,000 books. Much of the recent work has been carried out by workers at scanning centers in India and China, helped by $3.5 million in seed funding from the National Science Foundation and in-kind contributions from computer hardware and software makers. The United States, China and India each have contributed $10 million in cash and contributions to the project, undertaken with partners at China’s Zhejiang University, India’s Indian Institute of Science and Egypt’s Library at Alexandria. At least half the books are out of copyright or scanned with the permission of copyright holders. Excerpts of copyright-protected works are available, though organizers expect complete texts to become available eventually. The project is not the first of its kind. Online search engine operator Google Inc. and software giant Microsoft Corp. have begun similar endeavors, though Carnegie Mellon representatives say theirs is the largest university-based digital library of free books and that its purpose is noncommercial. It’s a step toward the creation of an online library that would make traditionally published books available to all, said Reddy. “The economic barriers to the distribution of knowledge are falling,” he said in a statement. Michael Shamos, a Carnegie Mellon computer science professor and copyright lawyer working on the project, said the library’s mission included making vast amounts of information freely available and preserving rare and decaying texts, among other things. Books have been borrowed for scanning from various institutions and individuals worldwide, though institutions in Europe declined to participate, he said. The library so far has books published in 20 languages, including 970,000 in Chinese, 360,000 in English, 50,000 in the southern Indian language of Telugu and 40,000 in Arabic.

Retrieved from CNN

Roadside America November 30, 2007

 

RoadsideAmerica.com provides articles about offbeat tourist attractions across the country. Example entries include  information about the Salt and Pepper Shaker Museum in Tennessee, the largest ball of string, not twine, and many more bizarre adventures. It’s sure to be hours of reading fun!

New Sticker at Librarian Avengers November 30, 2007

 

New Sticker at Librarian Avengers, originally uploaded by Librarian Avenger.

Mobile learning November 29, 2007

Finally, your greatest and weirdest dream can be realized. Besides being able to check your Facebook account, email your girlfriend, call your Mom on the holidays, or play a Java version of Golden Axe, you can take a college class via your mobile phone. The questionably named Cyber University in Japan has begun offering a mobile class on the “mysteries of the pyramids,” but instead of a typical PC’s display of text, images, sound, and video, the mobile version offers a streaming Power Point presentation on the topic. The university — 71-percent of which is owned by Softbank, a mobile service provider — has 1,850 students, and offers almost 100 courses, though only one is available for phones. Sakuji Yoshimura, head of Cyber University, says that the technology will allow those with jobs or who have disabilities greater access to education. “Our duty as educators is to respond to the needs of people who want to learn,” he said — then went on to add, “Even if the course is interrupted by an SMS.”

Retrieved via Engadget

Seniors learn from teens November 29, 2007

 

I hope that more libraries catch on and offer similar services.

Just ask the 10 Old Bridge seniors who took up Guitar Hero III as part of the Old Bridge Library’s “Senior Spaces” program on Nov. 8. Seniors, alongside teenage volunteers, tested their mettle in the ubiquitous air-guitar video game and various other games available for the Nintendo Wii gaming system as the first step in the library’s plan to make seniors more technologically proficient and to include them in what Allan Kleiman, assistant director of the Old Bridge Public Library, called the inevitable redesign of libraries. “We want to get them to feel they are part of the 21st century library and not left out,” Kleiman said. Kleiman said libraries have undergone enormous technological changes in the past decade, citing Internet databases, more electronic media access and, of all things, video-game stations. Kleiman said gaming in libraries is becoming more and more common but using the video game to slowly introduce modern technology to seniors is a relatively new idea. “This is a lot less frightening to play with than learning to use a computer,” he said. Kleiman said seniors should be able to snap a photo with a digital camera or surf the Internet or use the various other technologies surrounding them. The program, he hopes, will provide the catalyst for further learning and inclusion among that community.

Retrieved from the Home News Tribune

Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective November 29, 2007

I cannot wait to share ”The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective” with my third graders. My students were thrilled today when I ”donated” a Nintendo DS to our class. One student per day may use the Nintendo DS during a free choice to play games selected by me.  :)  

Who says gaming encourages a sedentary lifestyle? “The Incredible Adventures of the Amazing Food Detective” is a new video game that teaches kids to fight childhood obesity by staying active. 

“The Amazing Food Detective” is the only free, online video game in English and Spanish that encourages kids to eat healthier foods, get more active, and limit their time in front of the computer and TV.

The video game, launched by Kaiser Permanente, is being distributed to thousands of public schools and includes a teaching guide and family fun pages. And you don’t have to worry about kids playing the game all day—it automatically shuts off after 20 minutes and won’t let them back into the game for an hour.

The game also includes printable scavenger hunts that teach children how to interpret food labels and experiments to show them how to measure sugar in soda drinks, as well as healthy recipes, muscle-building exercises, and family activities that encourage better eating habits.

There’s also a section for parents and educators that includes a teaching guide, healthy tips for families, and a profile chart that helps families set healthy goals.

Post found via School Library Journal.

Interval Library November 28, 2007

 

Found via You Tube videos « Avagomum’s Weblog

“Speak Up” is the new “Shhh…” November 28, 2007

“Speak Up” is the new “Shhh..”, originally uploaded by scampion.

Visual dictionary online November 28, 2007

 

 Webster’s new visual search dictionary connects words with images. Right now there are only 6,000 visual entries, which showed because it took six words before one showed up.  I’m not sure how many students I’ll send here because it is ad heavy, albeit it holds great potential. Try it out at http://visual.merriam-webster.com/ . Thanks toLisnews for the original post.

Teddy leads to arrest November 27, 2007

November 27, 2007

NAIROBI, Kenya

Sudanese police arrested a British schoolteacher and accused her of insulting Islam after she allowed her 7-year-old pupils to name a class teddy bear Muhammad, Sudanese officials said Monday.

The teacher, Gillian Gibbons, was arrested Sunday in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, after a number of parents complained, said Rabie Atti, a government spokesman. “How can you call a bear Muhammad?” he asked. “Muhammad is the holy prophet of Islam.”

Rabie said the authorities obtained a letter Gibbons sent home with students explaining that her primary school class was doing a project on animals and adopted a teddy bear named Muhammad.

“Her letter said there was an intelligent bear named Muhammad, and the letter instructed parents to take pictures with this bear,” Rabie said. “This is not acceptable, according to the general opinion of our society.”

In Islam, insulting the Prophet Muhammad is considered a grave offense, and the law of northern Sudan makes this a crime.

The students at Unity School are the children of wealthy Sudanese families and foreign diplomats, a mix of mostly Muslims and Christians, and the lessons are in English.

Gibbons is in jail, pending further investigation, Rabie said. “If she is innocent, she will be set free,” he said. If she is guilty, Rabie said, she will face punishment, possibly including lashes.

“I hope she didn’t mean what the people thought,” he added, saying it was possible that Gibbons did not intend to offend Islam.

“This was a completely innocent mistake,” Robert Boulos, the director of the school, told the BBC. “Miss Gibbons would have never wanted to insult Islam.”

According to the BBC, Gibbons, 54, asked a 7-year-old girl to bring in a teddy bear and asked her classmates to pick a name. “They came up with eight names including Abdullah, Hassan and Muhammad,” Boulos said.

When it came time to vote, 20 of 23 children chose Muhammad, one of the most common names in the Muslim world.

Retrieved from the Chicago Tribune

Freerice.com November 27, 2007

Freerice started on October 7, 2007. You’re given a word and four possible definitions. For every correct answer, the UN World Food Program will receive 20 grains of rice.  You’re making the world a better place while exercising your brain! (Thank you Patti for rushing up to me in the hallway to discuss this wonderful idea.)

Linney Returns to Broadway November 27, 2007

 

Laura Linney blew me away  in Sight Unseen. It looks like another Broadway trip will occur between April and June.

Stage and screen star Laura Linney will return to Broadway in the forthcoming Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Christopher Hampton’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Rufus Norris (Festen) will helm the work scheduled to play the American Airlines Theatre this coming spring. The run is tentatively slated for April 11-June 29, 2008.

“For long-time friends and occasional lovers Vicomte de Valmont and Marquise de Merteuil, love is simply a game of chess,” reads Roundabout materials. “But in a few false moves, they find themselves locked in the ultimate checkmate. Filled with seduction, betrayal, and plenty of illicit passion, this dark comedy paints the pre Revolutionary French aristocracy in all its cynicism and decadence.”

Retrieved from http://www.playbill.com/news/article/112963.html

Don’t text and drive November 27, 2007

Jott is a hands free solution to texting and driving! YAY! (Donna, can you feel my pure bliss?)

OCD may run in families November 27, 2007

 

This morning I heard about a new study that suggests that OCD may run in familes.  It reminded me of a book that I came across a few weeks ago called Mr. Worry: A Story about OCD. This book helps explain OCD to children in a simple vocabulary and through an easy answer. A more detailed review and descriptions are avaliable at Amazon.

Scientists have discovered new evidence on why obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) runs in families.

They studied people with OCD and their close family members and found they shared distinctive patterns in their brain structure.

The experts, from the University of Cambridge, said it was the first time an anatomical trait had been linked with familial risk for the disorder. Their findings, published in the journal Brain, could help predict risk and lead to more accurate diagnosis of OCD.

The condition affects around 2% to 3% of the population and can cause great distress and anxiety. Sufferers experience recurrent thoughts about subjects such as contamination and germs. They may also take part in rituals, such as repeated hand-washing, checking windows are locked or lining items up in a specific order.

OCD is known to run in families but little is known about how genes contribute to the disorder, although one theory is they may influence brain structure.

In the latest study, researchers tried to determine whether there were biological markers of genetic risk for developing OCD.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), they took pictures of the brains of 31 people with OCD as well as scans of 31 healthy close relatives (such as a brother, sister or parent). A second group of 31 healthy people acted as controls.

Those involved also sat a computerised test which meant pressing a left or right button as quickly as possible when arrows appeared. When a beep noise sounded, they had to try and stop their responses, with the aim of measuring their ability to halt repetitive behaviours.

The results showed that OCD sufferers and their families performed the computer task less well and also had less grey matter in the areas of their brain associated with suppressing responses.

The researchers concluded they had found “substantial evidence that variation in motor inhibitory control” was correlated with grey matter density changes in parts of the brain.

Retrieved from The Press Association