Two years ago, we wrote about zombie cookies (the web kind) that won’t die and continue to track Internet users despite efforts to kill them.…
Author: editor
The OPLIN 4cast is a weekly compilation of recent headlines, topics, and trends that could impact public libraries. You can subscribe to it via RSS feed at www.oplin.org/4cast.
OPLIN 4cast #355: The BARD goes mobile
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A couple of weeks ago, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) released the BARD mobile app for iOS devices, with…
OPLIN 4cast #354: The personal touch
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There is a strong temptation among libraries to be all things to all people. As the inscription over the front door of the Columbus Metropolitan…
OPLIN 4cast #353: The way we read
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Several articles appeared last week about a study suggesting that e-readers are better for people with dyslexia than paper-printed texts. Actually, this study was just…
We’ve recently seen a couple of intriguing stories about research projects involving unexpected uses of hands. One project uses vortices of air to enable people…
There’s a quiet revolution going on in the way information is presented on the web. Largely driven by the preferences of mobile web users, web…
OPLIN 4cast #350: Flexible OLEDs
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Librarians seem to love acronyms – at least we seem to use a lot of them – so here’s one to watch in the near…
OPLIN 4cast #349: Telltale MACs
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Modern smartphones contain quite a few sensors that apps can use to gather data about you. The tri-axial accelerometer, for example, can be used by…
OPLIN 4cast #348: Goodbye, Skeuomorphs
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Back in June, Apple announced that it was going to start avoiding skeuomorphism. Skeuomorphism is not some contagious disease; it’s a design principle that, when…
OPLIN 4cast #347: Photocopier gotcha
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We have a confession to make. We used to chuckle at people using the library photocopier who carefully compare their fresh copy to their original…