Current CITE-ings from the popular and trade computing press
Article Type: Current CITE-ings from the popular and trade computing press From: Library Hi Tech News, Volume 32, Issue 4
So much is going on at a very fast pace and libraries need to be on top of all of these consumer trends that will likely, through innovation, become integral parts of our environments. New tools and applications offer libraries with entrepreneurial opportunities for community engagement and user empowerment.
Computer hardware and software
Most of us use PCs and Macs in our daily work, yet it is the Chromebook that is a top choice in education. The platform is cloud-based, it is intuitive and requires less experience to operate and it has a lower cost. The cost of a Chromebook and Tablet together is lower in cost than outfitting a student with a typical Notebook computer. The Chromebook makes use of Google apps, freely available and perfect for education. According to the author, the Chromebook inspires literacy, numeracy, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity, global awareness and citizenship (Tynan-Wood, 2014).
Universities are providing spaces to showcase the latest technologies and where students and faculty are encouraged to try them out. By doing this, university officials hope to spark ideas on how technology can improve teaching, and how students can become entrepreneurs (Wong, 2014). What a wonderful opportunity for libraries to be the spaces where new technologies can be exhibited demonstrating their strength in digital resources and services.
IBM’s Watson supercomputer is improving in its capabilities. Watson can be accessed from anywhere in the world, and it learns, as people use it using artificial intelligence. It is an aggregation of diverse software engines with a logic deduction engine and a language parsing engine running on different chips in different locations. This is all integrated into artificial intelligence (Kelly, 2014).
Apple’s iOS 8 has a lot of plusses. It offers app developers access to iOS functions. It offers continuity across Apple products via the Handoff feature. It offers QuickType that suggests words and phrases depending on who you are writing to (Permentor, 2015).
Developers are integrating the credit-card-sized Raspberry Pi’s new computer module into new products. Raspberry Pi has a larger user community and a strong base of Unix applications. It therefore also has an abundance of tutorials, software updates, code examples, programs and circuit diagrams. (Richardson, 2015) The Raspberry Pi has become an integral product of many library makerspaces.
An article comparing 3D printers focused on print quality. The printers they tested were the Taz 4, Printrbot Simple Metal, Ditto Pro, Beethefirst, Type A 2014 series 1, Afinia H480, Felix 3.0, Deegreen, Zortrax M200 Da Vinci, Airwolf HD, HDX and HDX2, Idea Builder, Deltamaker, Seemecnc Orion, Ultimaker Original X, Bukobot 8, Bukito V2 and the Project 1200. They found that the best in printer quality was the Ultimaker 2 (Kaziunas-France, 2015). 3-D printers are truly integrated into most library spaces today, with libraries at the forefront in embracing this still fairly new technology.
Custom installations in home automation are reaping in a lot of revenue, and continue to do so. Equipment prices are falling. Home networking projects are on the upswing. Home networks support audio/video streaming, security communication, Web-connected thermostats, home automation and more (Knott, 2015). Libraries have much to learn from smart homes, as there is no reason we can’t also have “smart” libraries.
On the analytics front, the best analytic data visualization tools are dashboards such as Chartbeat, Klipfolio and Domo. Web site professionals need to understand the data that digital properties and virtual communities generate so that they can increase engagement and revenue (Prestipino, 2014).
On the monitor front, 4K-display monitors are now here. One problem is that you need sufficient graphics power to push all the pixels. LCD and TN are being improved and OLED is on the horizon (Laird, 2014). Older smart TVs' prices are being slashed to make room for new high-end audio-visual experiences.
Social media
Social media data are on the mind of business people. Businesses measure volume and engagement as metrics. Facebook alone is not doing the job. One company is using Instagram to drive its market penetration. It brings social conversation back to the company's Web site, where people can sign up for events, shop and become a member of their rewards program (Dressier, 2014). Libraries may be limited due to issues of privacy, unless users opt-in or use anonymous aggregated data.
On the online education front, Khan Academy reaches 500,000 educators. It provides instructional videos. Sal Khan’s mission is to provide free world-class education for anyone (Elgie-Domier, 2014). Online education is also now very social. The Khan Academy is just one of a myriad of options of free education, including MOOCS – massive open online courses. Some public libraries are now acting as gateways to the wide range of free educational opportunities available.
Emerging technologies
Drones are popular. There are now 1,500 models available in the marketplace. They allow people to have the power to project their intelligence into the air and exert influence into space. People feel that drones that do surveillance are superheroes. (Wallace-Wells, 2014). Libraries might find drones for more practical uses such as outreach and engagement efforts.
In stressful situations, people turn to escapism. Many times it is through technology. More to the point, it is virtual reality. Two products that offer this are the Oculus VR Headset and Sony’s Project Morpheus (Griliopoulos, 2014). VR and augmented reality have many applications for libraries.
On the speech technology front, speech recognition is finding its way into smart watches, fitness trackers, remote control devices, Google Glass and connected cars. Ineda Systems is producing chips toward this effort. Speech technology has improved in part because of a branch of artificial intelligence called deep learning (Schneiderman, 2014). Deep learning is a trend for libraries to watch.
Mobile computing
There are eight free apps for the environmentally conscious. They are GoodGuide, Paperkarma, iRecycle, Dirty Dozen, Seafood Watch, CommuteGreen, Skeptical Science and the Green Tissue Guide (DuFoe, 2015).
The mobile industry has to keep pace with the consumers' demand for more data at faster speeds. As a result, the industry is working on 5G. The push is the Internet of Things, and big data. Twenty-four carriers, system makers and research groups, including Alcatel-Lucent, Ericsson, France Telecom, Huawei, Intel, Nokia Solutions and Networks and Telecom Italia, have published a draft proposal that says that 5G networks should have 1,000 times higher capacity than 2010 networks (Slovick, 2014). With greater mobile power and capabilities, libraries need to put more focus on mobile rather than Web applications.
References
Dressier, A. (2014), “Social media magic tricks”, WebSite Magazine, November, p. 24.
DuFoe, A. (2015), “Stay green all year long”, iPhone Life, January/February, p. 56.
Elgie-Domier, K. (2014), Sal Khan, Khan Academy, Innovation & Tech, p. 82.
Griliopoulos, D. (2014), “The future of escapism”, MaximumPC, p. 50.
Kaziunas-France, A. (2015), “3D evolution”, Make Magazine, December/January, p. 31.
Kelly, K. (2014), “Brain power”, Wired Magazine, November, p. 118.
Knott, J. (2015), State of the Industry, CE Pro, p. 34.
Laird, J. (2014), “4K for real”, MaximumPC, December, p. 30.
Permentor, C. (2015), “Hands ON: IOS 8”, iPhone Life, January/February, p. 22.
Prestipino, P. (2014), “Break through with digital analytics”, WebSite Magazine, October, p. 24.
Richardson, M. (2015), “Inside raspberry pi”, Make Magazine, December/January, p. 26.
Schneiderman, R. (2014), “Deep learning propels speech tech”, CEA, p. 30.
Slovick, M. (2014), “5G the mobile tech of 2020”, CEA, p. 20.
Tynan-Wood, C. (2014), “Proven mettle”, EDTech Magazine, p. 13.
Wallace-Wells, B. (2014), “Drones and everything after”, New York Magazine, 6-19 October, p. 46.
Wong, W. (2014), “Innovative engagement”, EDTech Magazine, p. 20.
Lois Trapasso (ltmanuscript@hotmail.com) is based at Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, USA.
