noemi

The Noun Project: Get Your Fill of Symbols

June 30, 2023 by noemi

What’s a noun? Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary gives a simple definition:

A word that is the name of something (such as a person, animal, place, thing, quality, idea, or action) and is typically used in a sentence as subject or object of a verb or as object of a preposition.

It’s the first part of speech that English learners pick up – everyone knows what a noun is! This is the premise behind one of the newest projects you can find on the Internet: The Noun Project. The guys behind the endeavor aim to share, celebrate and enhance the world’s visual language by creating symbols (based on nouns, of course) and sharing them with the rest of the world.

When you visit the site, you will be greeted by lots of black and white symbols of the most common things you encounter in daily life. The images themselves are not something to drool over – they are very simple, stark even. Then again, that is what the whole concept is about. Going back to the basics, keeping things simple – that’s what they want to do with the project.

Simplicity does have its perks. Whether you need an image to stick on to a blog post or a presentation, or you need a base image to modify for aesthetic purposes, The Noun Project’s collection do the trick for you. You simple have to hover your cursor over an image and download it for FREE. Their pledge is that the images will be ALWAYS be free.

One thing I am looking for – which they say is forthcoming – is the ability to search the images. For now, they are still trying to raise enough funds to continue the project, so head on over to Kickstarter to help them out. Learn more about the project by watching the video below.

Will You Be on Cloud 9 Thanks to Google eBooks?

June 30, 2023 by noemi

I read about the launch of Google eBooks yesterday when they posted the announcement in The Official Google Blog. I did find myself chewing on the idea for longer than I should have been, so I decided to take a look at some other topic. Needless to say, the bookworm in me just can’t ignore the ~~supposedly~~ more than 3 million books that Google eBooks is supposed to have on offer.

So what makes Google eBooks worthy to read/write/think about?

To be honest, I am not sure. Aside from the fact that it is Google who is behind the new product, I am not clear as to how the “new” concept is beneficial to me (or the average consumer for that matter). Aside from the fact that there are millions of books available on demand – some free, some for a fee, of course – what else has Google eBooks to offer? (Also consider the fact that Amazon, B&N, etc. have lots on their roster anyway.)

One distinct feature of Google eBooks is the fact that all the books are going to be stored in the cloud. This offers convenience above all – that is, if you are located in a country where Internet connection is not an issue. Yes, there are countries where Internet access is still sluggish and not omnipresent. With the cloud as storage, though, readers can pick up where they left off in a book using whatever device they feel like using. The video below showcases this and more.

That’s a pretty cute video, you have to admit. It reminds me of the e-book that Google recently release – 20 Things I Learned. Still, one cannot deny that Google is not offering something revolutionary here, can you? As great as Google is, I don’t think this development is a Cloud 9-instigating one.

Apple City to Be Designed by Norman Foster?

June 29, 2023 by noemi

News came out recently that Apple had bought HP’s old campus in Cupertino. For exactly what reason, we common people can only make informed guesses. It does seem logical, though, that this property will eventually be transformed into a new campus for Apple. While that in itself is not something one should spend more than one second of thought on, the ~~rumors~~ details surrounding the “mystery” campus just might pique your curiosity.

Architecture enthusiasts will certainly recognize British architect and designer Norman Foster. He is arguably the most known builder of landmark office buildings in Britain, and his company has worked on countless high profile projects all over the world. From the IBM pilot head office in the UK to the Carre d’Art Nimes in France to the Hearst Tower in New York to the Expo MRT Station in Singapore – this is only a handful of what this man has achieved.

In the next year, he just might have another groundbreaking project to take on: the building of Apple City (yes, that is the rumored name of the new campus). While nothing has been confirmed yet, rumor has it that Apple City (I don’t know about you, but there is something that doesn’t sound quite right here) will be based on the concept and design of Masdar City in Abu Dhabi. This city holds the distinction of being the first city without cars and carbon emissions, and this is what Apple City is going to be, if the rumors come true.

I didn’t know about Masdar City before I read about this piece of news, but it does look awesome, doesn’t it? And, I am sure that if Steve Jobs gives Norman Foster the go signal (now that is another story altogether), Apple City just might be THE place to be/see.

It Only Takes Lady Gaga to Get Past U.S. Military Security

June 29, 2023 by noemi

Everyone has heard about WikiLeaks by now. Truth be told, I have been avoiding writing about it as everyone and their mom has been jabbering non-stop about the site anyway. However, I simply cannot pass up on this piece of information: how you can get past the “strict” security measures that the U.S. military has in place.

Believe it or not, you simply have to get Lady Gaga on your side. It is that simple. In a report released by The Guardian early this week, it is said that the main culprit behind the information leak is soldier Bradley Manning, 22 years of age. The soldier is said to have taken the information out of secure premises by bringing in a CD-RW labeled Lady Gaga. Once inside, he would delete its contents and copy classified information. Walking out of the the complex with some of the government’s secrets was a simple matter.

Of course, just because it was that easy to steal the information did not mean that Manning would never have been caught. As a matter of fact, he has been in solitary confinement for the most part of this year, where he is awaiting court martial.

This does not change the facts – that more than 200,000 dispatches are now in the hands of the general public, so to speak. And, while I don’t feel like talking about what I think about the whole WikiLeaks issue, I think that Lady Gaga should be given kudos for assisting one of the biggest information heists ever. I wonder if a Michael Jackson CD would have worked as well?

via The Guardian