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Daily Archives: May 2, 2019

From Clay Tablets to Smartphones: 5,000 Years of Writing

The New York Times – London – “The writing’s on the wall, we’re told. Whether it was Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press in the 15th century, the invention of the typewriter 300 years later, or the emoji of today’s smartphones, the act of writing seems to be forever on the precipice of extinction, without quite falling off. “Writing has never been static,” said Adrian Edwards, a curator at the British Library who put together the exhibition “Writing: Making Your Mark,” which runs through Aug. 27. “The marks we make on the page have always changed and developed in ways in tune with our needs,” he added. “I think writing’s going to be around for quite some time to come,” Mr. Edwards said.

With 120 objects that represent 44 different systems of writing from the past 5,000 years, “Writing: Making Your Mark” examines the intriguingly similar past, present and future of writing, showcasing a Mesopotamian tablet that has an early form of cuneiform worked into its clay, an ancient Egyptian monument covered with hieroglyphs and the ink-stained, slightly damaged quill of the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The sheer breadth of the show suggests that writing will most likely never go away, even as new technologies change the definition of what it means to write…”

Unraveling the JPEG

“This article is about how to decode a JPEG image. In other words, it’s about what it takes to convert the compressed data stored on your computer to the image that appears on the screen. It’s worth learning about not just because it’s important to understand the technology we all use everyday, but also because,… Continue Reading

The Measure Of Things – search engine for finding comparative or relative measurements of physical quantities

“Wondering how big, small, tall, long, fast, heavy, or old something is? The Measure of Things is a tool to help you understand physical quantities in terms of things you (or your audience) are already familiar with. Need a metaphor to emphasize a written measurement? Try including a comparison to the size of a whale,… Continue Reading

CRS – The Emoluments Clauses of the U.S.Constitution

CRS In Focus via LC – The Emoluments Clauses of the U.S. Constitution. Updated May 1, 2019 “The Emoluments Clauses of the U.S.Constitution Recent litigation involving President Trump has raised a number of legal issues concerning formerly obscure constitutional provisions that prohibit the acceptance or receipt of “emoluments” in certain circumstances. This In Focus provides… Continue Reading

Administration Proposal to Reorganize the U.S. Office of Personnel Management

CRS Insight via LC – Administration Proposal to Reorganize the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), May 1, 2019. “The U.S.Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the federal government’s central personnel agency, is an independent establishment in the executive branch. Created by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the agency’s statutory authority is codified in… Continue Reading

Marking 500th anniversary of death of Leonardo da Vinci

Oxford University Press Blog: “For over 500 years, the masterworks of Leonardo da Vinci have awed artists, connoisseurs, and laypeople alike. Often considered the first High Renaissance artist, Leonardo worked extensively in Florence, Milan, and Rome before ending his career in France, and his techniques and writings influenced artists and thinkers for centuries after his… Continue Reading

What Amazon knows about you – more than you may have considered

“Depending on how much you shop, watch and read with Amazon, the e-commerce behemoth may know more about you than any other company on earth, Axios chief tech correspondent Ina Fried reports. [Note – this is an extensive report – I have included just a portion] Naturally, Amazon knows what you’ve browsed or bought on… Continue Reading