Serendipity

NetBeans goes to the university

2007-06-09T14:24:00.000Z

I am pleased to report that since February 2007 all but one Open University courses involving Java, use NetBeans! The exception is the introductory course M255 "Object-oriented programming with Java", using BlueJ as its Java environment.

I would like to think that, by telling others (on the course and the Open University Students Association forums) about my good experience with NetBeans (emphasising the ease of use and the fact that the basic installation comes packed with features) I made a small contribution towards this decision :-). I must add, I was not the only one!

Find out more about:

Do you do NetBeans?

2007-06-05T20:07:00.000Z

I do.

Netbeans is an Open Source IDE (Integrated Development Environment). I have been using it since 2005 for developing Java applications, but it can be used for working with other programming languages (C/C++) too. (If you wish to find out more about my experience with Netbeans, see NetBeans page of my website.)

I like NetBeans, because, in my experience, it is easy to install and use, the standard package is packed with useful features (in my case, I was able to start developing web applications straightwaway, using the standard out-of-the-box NetBeans install) and a lot of additional modules are available. And, it is free.

Why not try it yourself? Visit NetBeans website for more information and a download.

RNIB changes corporate identity

2007-06-01T09:27:00.000Z

Today RNIB, formerly known as the Royal National Institute of the Blind, officially changed the name to the Royal National Institute of Blind People. The abbreviation remains the same.
New logos (national and regional) and a new strapline accompany the name change. (The old logo contained an image of a person with a white stick and was seen as stereotyping.) Audio and tactile logos are also available.
The new logo is:

The change follows an in-depth customer research conducted by RNIB in 2006. The research indicated that the RNIB's objectives may have seemed unclear to the public.
The new corporate identity is intended to address this problem, and give RNIB a modern appeal. The new strapline "Supporting blind and partially sighted people" emphasises that RNIB is here to represent the interests of, and provide assistance to, both groups.
You can find out more about the change in RNIB article published on its website.

Cambridge appoints transgender Mayor

2007-05-30T09:28:00.000Z

If you thought of Cambridge (UK, the home of the University of Cambridge) as a steeped in tradition historic city, think again.

Cambridge City Council has just appointed (on Thursday, 24 May) its first transgender Mayor, Cllr Jenny Bailey.

But the winds of change haven't stopped there: the new Mayoress, Jenny's partner of 15 years, Jennifer Liddle, is transgender too!

Jenny and Jennifer have met while undergoing hormone replacement therapy.

Both have served Cambridge as elected councillors.

You can find the full story on the Cambridge Evening News's website.

This is Jenny's profile published at Cambridge City Council's website.

There's something about DAISY ...

2007-05-27T20:23:00.000Z

The DAISY in question stands for the Digital Accessible Information SYstem. It is a type of a Digital Talking Book (DTB; Digital Talking Book is a multimedia book). A DAISY book consists of the text and synchronised speech. The speech synthetised by a computer or a recording of real speech can be used.

DAISY standard was developed by the international DAISY Consortium and it was built using existing standards, such as XML (yes - it is the same XML, which is used by Blogger), Synchronised Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) and standards governing audio files.

DAISY is one of the alternative formats used by the print-impaired people. Print impairment includes a wide range of conditions which make reading ordinary printed books difficult or impossible. Examples of print impairment are: visual impairment, blindness, dyslexia, certain types of physical disability, learning disabilities. Because of its multisensory approach DAISY format is considered a truly accessible format. Other alternative formats, such as large text, Braille or audio alone are not accessible to everyone.

One of the main objectives of DAISY standard was to provide the digital book reader with an experience as close as possible to the experience of reading printed book. A DAISY book, like an ordinary printed book, contains a table of contents. Unlike the printed book, it allows to jump the reader directly from the table of contents to the chosen section of the book. Like with the printed book, DAISY book reader can use bookmarks to mark places within the book. There are other ways to navigate through the DAISY book, too: the reader can skip through the book from one heading to another heading of the same level (chosen by the reader) or move from phrase to phrase.

So, what is the catch?

In order to be able to read a DAISY book one needs a special player. Hardware and software DAISY players are available. Unfortunately, hardware DAISY players are expensive, though they can sometimes be hired (for example in the UK subscribers to RNIB Talking Book Service can hire one). The good news is that many software players are available for reading DAISY books on a computer - and many of them are free.

For more information visit:

DAISY Consortium

RNIB Talking Book Service

The website of AltFormat campaign, led by Sir Steve Redgrave.

2007 Royal Society Prizes for Science Books' Winners Announced!

2007-05-19T09:53:00.000Z

UK, Tuesday 15 May 2007 - The Royal Society announced the winners of its 2007 Prizes for Science Books competition.
The competition is for the new popular science books (the 2007 competition entries were the books first published in 2006). There are two categories: General Prize and Junior Prize.
The 2007 winners are:

General Prize: Stumbling on happiness by Daniel Gilbert, published by Harper Press.

Junior Prize: Can you feel the force? by Richard Hammond, published by Dorling Kindersley

The annual competition has been running since 2004.
You can find out more about the competition and its winners, past and present, from the Science Books website.
Happy reading!

Just about ...

2006-05-30T19:19:00.000Z

... anything
Hi, this is my first post - I have just set up my Blogger. I'll be back ;-) later.