Translating my thoughts into words.
Today I posted two articles on Sacred Techs about Apple’s update to their Mac operating system. In the first post I review the new features coming this summer with the release of Mountain Lion. In the second I consider whether this signals a significant shift in Apple’s approach to desktop computing. If you are interested in things Mac and Apple it might be a worthwhile read.
The December (or is it January?) Biblioblog Carnival is up and through it I discovered that Chris Heard had this great post on using Hebrew with vowels on the iPad.
Until recently, iPad-using Hebraists had no good options for typing Hebrew with vowels on the aforementioned iPads. Apple provides a Hebrew keyboard for the iPad, but it does not include the נְקֻדּוֹת. Recently, however, third-party developer Žiga Kranjec released Unicode Maps, an app with an unattractive name but a very attractive function. Unicode Maps allows you to look up and copy any Unicode glyph available on the iPad. Even better, you can create your own customized keyboard and type—but only on a notepad within Unicode Maps—using that keyboard.
I am very pleased to announce that the first post and podcast of Sacred Techs are now up! (The podcast is even available via iTunes.) This site is a collaboration between myself and Dr. Robert Cargill. We describe the site as, “posts and podcasts relevant to the study of things ancient using things very modern.”
With “Sacred Techs” we wanted to bring together information focused upon using technology in the real of biblical and ancient studies. It will be periodically updated, on a monthly basis at the least, with articles and interviews on various topics around this general theme. We are very hopeful that others will be willing to contribute to the site, there are many within the world of online ancient studies who are very (and more) adept in these areas, many who are creating the very technology that we will be reviewing, citing, and discussing. This is particularly true if you use something other than Apple products and MacOS, iOS, or Android software. It is not that we are prejudiced against other platforms, but the reality is that Robert and I both tend to use those products and platforms. If you are interested in contributing please drop us a line or leave a comment!
So welcome to Sacred Techs and stay tuned for what we hope will be a great year. First up on the podcast (see below!) is an introductory discussion and then we will follow up with a few interviews from 2011 SBL. Be sure to let us know whom you would like to hear us interview and what products you would like reviewed or compared.
@Targuman @sacredtechs @xkv8r Here’s one. How can Bible software help non-experts evaluate translations as never before? Long term effects?
Last night I gave a presentation at Penn State about how one can use the iPad for school work, whether that is as a student taking notes in class or an academic researcher. There are also two student presentations that are well worth watching (perhaps more than my own presentation). The first, is about how one of our honors students, working with another faculty member, used the iPad in the research and preparation of an article. The second presentation is about how a Civil Engineering student showed the company he was interning with how to use the iPad for design and business. The presentation is now available online!
“Student Showcase: How Tablets and Apps Transformed My College Internship” will be presented from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday Nov. 7, in the Foster Auditorium (Room 102) Paterno Library. The event is being sponsored by the Penn State iPad User Group and the University Libraries. The presentation will also be streamed live and archived at http://tinyurl.com/psustudentshowcase
Christian M. M. Brady, dean of the Schreyer Honors College, will give the keynote address. Student presenters, including Mike Burkentine, majoring in civil engineering in the College of Engineering, and Lisa Lotito, majoring in history in the College of the Liberal Arts, will discuss how they used tablets and apps in internships this past summer and how knowing technology helped them to get a “leg up in the job market.” Ari Hiller, Penn State’s Apple student representative, will be there to demonstrate apps, and the evening will include a technology “petting zoo” after the presentations so attendees can see the apps more closely.
This is a bit geeky, but maybe some of you have found need of this as well. Sometimes I want to copy the path of a folder or file in the Finder in the Mac OS (in this case Lion). For example, I might want to describe where you should install this file I am providing for you. Once you download it you should install it in the following directory:
/Users/<YourUserName>/Library/Services/
This little file (an Automator Services AppleScript) goes into the Services directory. When you highlight a folder or file and control-click (two-finger click on track pad or right click on some mice) a contextual menu will pop up. Simply select “Get Path” and it will copy the path of that folder or file to your clipboard.
Let me know if this is useful or if there are questions about how to install and use it.
File: Get Path Workflow document.
