Closing Wednesday

Hi all. We'll be CLOSING Wednesday, May 18, so that we can do inventory and spruce the place up a bit. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Graduation Ceremony

Come by the lab Monday morning and watch the graduation ceremony and speeches (President Gutmann, Denzel Washington, and more!) on the big screen in the lab while you work on your media project! Plus, you won't have to get wet out in the rain.

Congrats Anu!

Congratulations to Dr. Anu Vedantham, Director of the Weigle Information Commons, who will graduate tomorrow, earning her doctorate in Higher Education Management from Penn's Graduate School of Education.

Mashup Contest Voting

The Mashup Contest Entries are in! And they're up for your voting pleasure. Check them out and cast your vote at:


http://wic.library.upenn.edu/wicideas/mashup/2011voting.html

The Future of Music?

Music fans aren't just consumers anymore... they are tastemakers, music distributors and even collaborators with artists. How does this impact artists' careers? Will anyone get paid for making music anymore? How does this up the ante for concerts and festivals? Is touring and playing out 200 times a year the future of music?

Visit WHYY's Philadelphia Studios on Friday, May 20th as Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot, hosts of the nationally distributed rock 'n' roll talk show Sound Opinions, discuss the impact of the unprecedented changes in the new music world.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO/TO REGISTER

Prior to the discussion with Jim and Greg, guests to this event will enjoy a cocktail reception sponsored by Maker's Mark. Following the event at WHYY, guests are invited to a post-discussion after-party (also sponsored by Maker's Mark) at Philadelphia Bar and Restaurant.

EVENT INFORMATION*:
Sound Opinions: The Future of Music
Friday, May 20, 2011
WHYY (150 N. Sixth Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106)

Pre-Event Reception (Sponsored by Maker's Mark) - 6:00 pm
Discussion - 6:30 pm
Event Conclusion - 8:00 pm
Post-Event After Party (Sponsored by Maker's Mark from 9 pm - 11 pm) - Philadelphia Bar and Restaurant (120 Market St. Philadelphia PA 19106)

WHYY Members - $8
Non-Members - $12

* You must be at least 21-years-old to attend this event.

Mashup entries due

Don't forget that your Mashup entries are due by 9pm today!
Fill out our online submission form and get your masterpiece in.
In case you've forgotten here are some of our guidelines:

Length: Run time not to exceed 2 minutes

Format: DVD quality video and/or online video (through YouTube, Vimeo, etc.).

Eligibility: Currently enrolled Penn undergraduate and graduate students (individuals or teams). Each student can be the lead filmmaker on only one entry.

WIC Chosen for 2011 Senior Parents Project

Each year, the parents of the graduating senior class select a project for their fund-raising focus. We are very grateful to the Parents Fund for selecting the Weigle Information Commons for the 2011 Senior Parents Project.

The “Parents of the Class of 2011 Fund” will allow WIC to offer advanced programs to undergraduates on a range of topics and enable the Commons to provide students with access to the most up-to- date technologies – poster printers, video cameras, graphic design software – for their projects.

originally posted to the PennWIC Blog.

What the heck is Fring?

Well, I'm glad you asked. Fring is an app for iPhone and Android that allows you to make phone calls, video calls, and text message. Um ok? I already have Skype, right? What's the deal? There is a new feature with Fring that supports group video chats! So now you and three friends can all video chat at the same time. Check out this Youtube promo video (sorry the song is a little annoying).

The Googlization of Everything - and Why We Should Worry

Penn Libraries will be hosting a lecture by Siva Vaidhyanathan, Professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia about his latest book The Googlization of Everything - and Why We Should Worry

It will be held Tuesday, May 10 from 9:30 - 11:30 in the Class of '55 conference room.

Siva Vaidhyanathan is a cultural historian and media scholar, and is currently a professor of media studies at the University of Virginia. Vaidhyanathan is a frequent contributor on media and cultural issues in various periodicals including The Chronicle of Higher Education, New York Times Magazine, The Nation, and Salon.com. He is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio and to MSNBC.COM and has appeared in a segment of "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart. In March 2002, Library Journal cited Vaidhyanathan among its “Movers & Shakers” in the library field. In November 2004 the Chronicle of Higher Education called Vaidhyanathan “one of academe’s best-known scholars of intellectual property and its role in contemporary culture.” He has testified as an expert before the U.S. Copyright Office on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. He is noted for opposing the Google Books scanning project on copyright grounds. He has published the opinion, that the project poses a danger for the doctrine of fair use, because the fair use claims are arguably so excessive that it may cause judicial limitation of that right. (more info at http://www.law.virginia.edu/lawweb/faculty.nsf/prfhpbw/sv2r)

There will also be three respondents from the University of Pennsylvania:

• Joseph Turrow, Robert Lewis Shayon Professor of Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication
• Shyam Balganesh, Assistant Professor at the School of Law
• Roch Guerin, Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Networks at the School of Engineering

This invitation is extended to the entire Penn community

Mac Defender

From Penn Information Systems and Computing:

Information is trickling in from both on and off campus about the distribution of fake security software targeted directly at the Macintosh desktop OS. The program, MAC Defender, is similar to existing "rogueware" which has existed on the MS Windows platform for a while.
The app claims that the Mac is heavily infected with malware. An unsolicited install dialog box appears prompting the user to type in an administrator password.

Once installed, software alerts users with pervasive pop-ups indicating that their system is infected and that only the "full" program will remove the threats. The full program, of course, is easily downloaded once the user types in a valid credit card number.

Symantec's response, including Antivirus Protection Dates (pending):

http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2011-050313-0713-99

Additional information from Intego:

http://blog.intego.com/2011/05/02/intego-security-memo-macdefender-fake-antivirus/

Please let us know if you are seeing the above behavior. We'll share any additional information that we receive about this threat.

Now Lending Macbook Chargers

We're now lending Mac laptop chargers for you forgetful (or lazy) Mac owners who left yours at home. You can check one out for up to 4 hours at a time. Now that we're lending these in an official capacity, we are allowing borrowers to take them out of the lab as well.

More Flip Videocameras!

The Flip videocameras have proven so popular that we've purchased an additional 10 for our equipment lending program. They shoot Hi-Def video and they hold up to 2 hours of footage. Plus they're super easy to use--just press the big red button to record, then press it again to stop recording. You can charge the battery or transfer the footage to your computer with the built-in USB plug.

Reserve one online now at http://wic.library.upenn.edu/wicfacilities/lending.html

JENGA!

The WIC Seminar Room will be open from Friday, April 28 to Tuesday, May 10 whenever the building is open. Come and explore our games and puzzles when you are ready for a break!

You can post ideas and suggestions to this tumblr blog.

Harry Potter Legos

Please check out the amazing Harry Potter greenhouse created by Penn Professor Louise Krasniewicz and her son. They are semi-finalists in the LEGO Harry Potter Building Challenge!

See the a slide show of this incredibly detailed structure at http://www.flickr.com/photos/52237454@N05/sets/72157626503416188/show/

And perhaps more importantly, be sure to vote for it (Greenhouse 3) in the contest at http://harrypotter.lego.com/en-us/contest/default.aspx (you'll need to register for a free LEGO account).

Done with Posters for Today

Hey all. All of the poster printing slots are filled for the day. As I write this, there are still 4 slots available for tomorrow (Friday). Head over to http://wic.library.upenn.edu/wicfacilities/lending.html if you'd like to reserve one.

Farewell Photo

Thanks to the waitress at Tap House for taking this photo of the end-of-year dinner photo of the lab consultants. L-to-R: Rico, Thomas, Chase, Janice, Terry, and Kaitlyn.

Tis the Season for Resumes

QR CODE - Content-rich Resume from Victor petit on Vimeo.

Here is a video via Make:Blog showcasing a clever use of QR codes in your resume. Giving a resume some type of interactivity is a great way to set yourself apart from the pack.

No Food in the Lab

Although we (generously, IMHO) allow beverages in the lab (with a lid, please), we ask that you not eat in the lab. But you should feel free to step outside occasionally to take a bite.

Thanks.

Visual Studies Senior Thesis Show tonight!

What are you doing tonight from 5-7pm?
You should head over to the Fox Gallery in Claudia Cohen Hall. There's going to be a great show-it's the senior thesis show for the Visual Studies students. Many of these students have been hard at work here at the lab. Now is the time to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Go!

Dropbox Advice

A word to the wise about Dropbox.
Dropbox is a great service. Lots of cloud space + very few/no dollars=peace of mind.
But, Dropbox is not designed for use on public computers.

I've been seeing a lot of Dropbox folders pop up here at the lab. This makes me nervous for you users. If you establish an account with Dropbox from a public place, Dropbox will ask you to download its application. Doing this sets up a permanent folder at your computer. If you do this, the application grants access to your files to anyone who sits down at said computer. Even after you leave it. Not good.

You can still sign up for DB at a public computer, just don't download the application. Save that for your personal computer. You cannot upload the same amount via the web interface as you can with the application, but you still have far more space than you would if you were trying to e-mail something to yourself.