Adobe Software just got cheaper

Adobe is discounting their already-discounted student and teacher prices on their software through december 3. Check out the details here.

Wacom Inkling

Wacom has produced a new, unique product that we are very excited to try out. It is called the "Inkling" and it has the ability to capture what you draw with a physical ink pen on any plain sheet of paper. You can then transfer your drawing into the computer as vector lines. This is an incredible idea that will be very useful for illustrators, designers, and anyone who likes to doodle. Here is Wacom's promotional video for it.

Here is a comparison of a scan of an original drawing (left) and the vector file (right) that Inkling generated.

You can see it isn't exact, but still pretty impressive. If you click the image above you can see the YouTube review of the Inkling that this still was taken from. The lab will hopefully be adding the Inkling to our checkout inventory soon. Wacom has been releasing it in small batches on Amazon, and we haven't been able to grab ours yet.

Which is the best Music Service?

Life Hacker has a new post up evaluating the 3 major music services: iTunes, Google Music, and Amazon Mp3. In addition to a straightforward evaluation of each service, looking at the pros and cons of each, it goes a little deeper and talks about WHO will get the most out of each service, recognizing that people with different needs, likes, and personalities will prefer one service over another. They also touch very briefly on some of the smaller services and streaming music services that are out there.

As always, be sure to also read the comments section. One reader posted about a site called Beatport, which I was unfamiliar with, for listeners of electronic music, trance, house and (*shudder*) dubstep.

User Storage Down

Our User Storage drive has crashed, so the files on it are currently unavailable. We are hoping to have it working again next week, but we can't make any guarantees. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Please let us know if you have any specific concerns we can help to address.

Cory Doctorow tonight!

Author, activist, journalist and blogger (co-editor of BoingBoing.net) Cory Doctorow will be giving a free talk tonight at Huntsman Hall, open to the general public. You should go.

https://undergradmediaentertainment.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/cory-doctorow-best-selling-author-for-the-win-jmhh-245-on-111711-at-5pm/

Free $50 Store Gift Card with iPad 2

The Computer Connection (that neat computer store at the back of the Penn Bookstore) is having a deal:

"Buy any iPad2 and receive a $50 Computer Connection gift card".

This applies to all models of the iPad2, and is open to all folks purchasing with individual funds. The promotion will run from now through December 2nd.

Lab closing

Hi all. The lab will be closed this Thursday, November 17, from 4:30pm-6:30pm for a class. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Lab closing

Hi all. The lab will be closed this Thursday, November 10, from 4:30pm-6:30pm for a class. Sorry for any inconvenience!

November Workshops

• PhotoShop Basics, Wed. Nov. 2, 10 am to Noon
• Illustrator, Thurs. Nov. 3, 10 to 11:30 am
• iMovie, Thurs. Nov. 3, 6:30 to 8 pm OR Wed. Nov. 9, 10:30 am to Noon OR Thurs. Nov. 10, 10 to 11:30 am
• First Year Fridays - Make Your First Movie! Fri. Nov. 4, 2 to 4 pm
• Networking with Twitter, Mon. Nov. 7, 5 to 6 pm
• Census Data with New American FactFinder, Tues. Nov. 8, 10 to 11:30 am
• Top Hat Monocle, Wed. Nov. 9, 2 to 3 pm - Vendor presentation on mobile and web open-ended audience response during classes
• From Assignments to References: Zotero, Wed. Nov. 9, 5 to 6 pm
• Excel Basics, Sat. Nov. 12, 2 to 3:30 pm
• Social Media 101, Mon. Nov. 14, 10 to 11:30 am
• Majors Dinner, Mon. Nov. 14, 5 to 6:30 pm
• Excel Charts, Wed. Nov. 16, 11 am to 12:30 pm

All workshops are open to Penn students, faculty, and staff unless otherwise noted. Registration and details: http://wic.library.upenn.edu/wicshops/

Lab closing

Hi all. The lab will be closed this Thursday, November 3, and next Thursday, November 10, from 4:30pm-6:30pm for a class. Sorry for any inconvenience!