WhatsApp Desktop App

This is a new application and is very useful. Second year medical students use it for sharing lecture PowerPoints and notes, and for the class to view class video real-time as lecture takes place. I watched it in action today, by chance. This is a better and faster way for students to share or distribute lecture materials before class begins. It can be done 15 minutes before class.

Read here first (How to)
http://www.thewindowsclub.com/whatsapp-desktop-app-windows-pc

Download link
https://web.whatsapp.com/

Follow the instructions online.

The QR code is the B/W square piece. Hold the smartphone in front of the computer or laptop. When accepted, the QR code will disappear and WhatsApp will appear on the desktop.

Any file can be shared in this way. But the files need to be first copied and uploaded to WhatsApp by the class leader or whoever is appointed to do this for the class. Files can be anything - PPT, DOC, videos etc.

Will WhatsApp Desktop replace Moodle?

It depends. If Moodle is used but by restricting lecturers' access to each course except those that they lecture, then naturally, lecturers will resort to WhatsApp Desktop, which is better for sharing resources purposes and for chat.

FAQ
https://faq.whatsapp.com/faq/web/28080002

Osmosis Osmoseit

Osmoseit is a learning platform by Osmosis for medicine
https://www.facebook.com/OsmoseIt/

Osmosis
https://www.osmosis.org/

Icons

Icons are useful for preparing maps and plans.

Some icons are free and some can be bought.

Some icons are 2D and others are 3D.

Some icons are B/W while others are two tone or multi-coloured.

Some icons are outlines and some are filled icons.

Some icons have shadows.

Vector icons can be re-sized and do not lose their resolution.

Non vector icons lose their resolution and become pixelated when enlarged or when projected for large screen.

Some icons allow editing but most will not look nice after editing.

Common icons are location icons, house icons, transportation icons, communication icons, etc.

Most free icons require a back link to the website where they were downloaded, hosted or displayed.

Some icon owners allow first 5 icons free and then require a payment for further downloads

Even though there are a lot of icons on the Internet, it is worthwhile to learn how to create icons, and then create your own set of icons. When you have your own icons, you are not bound by requirements made by others or terms set by others.

Learn and then create your own icons.


House icons
http://all-free-download.com/free-vector/house.html

Freepik
http://www.freepik.com/free-icon/country-hotel-house_734073.htm

Icons8
https://icons8.com/app

Icon finder
https://www.iconfinder.com/icons/134213/building_home_house_main_icon

Dreamstime
https://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photography-house-icon-image24661687
https://www.dreamstime.com/business-stock-photos

Icon archive
http://www.iconarchive.com/show/refresh-cl-icons-by-tpdkdesign.net/System-Home-icon.html
http://www.iconarchive.com/show/3d-house-icons-by-seanau/School-icon.html
http://www.iconarchive.com/tag/doc

Deposit photos - Victorian ornaments
https://depositphotos.com/4547124/stock-illustration-vector-victorian-ornament-set.html

Fontgate

Calibri is a nice font to use for writing documents, academic and other.

It was released in 2007.

Fake documents which used the Calibri font and dated before 2007 can be detected using font detection apps.

In checking whether documents have been fabricated and therefore are fakes, it is necessary to also check the font(s) used in creating such document(s).

Understanding fonts and keeping track of fonts development should expand beyond the realms of graphic artists and photographers. Court writers, document archivists, and university records officers must understand fonts, in order to be able to detect fake documents.


External links
https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/how-a-microsoft-font-brought-down-pakistani-prime-minister-nawaz-sharif/

NOOK

Publishers decide what digital formats they want to use and for what books they want to publish. Authors do not have these rights. Authors do not know these digital formats and how they can manage them for their manuscripts. So everything is left to the publishers. Some publishers are selfish but there are some good editors who share their knowledge of these digital formats with prospective authors.

NOOK is commonly used for tablets in the US market for digital editions of books (old and new).

There is no NOOK tablets in Malaysia.

Therefore, there is no need to make digital editions for NOOK tablets for Malaysia.

There are many new things to learn about in the digital marketplace.


External links
https://help.barnesandnoble.com/app/nook_support/
https://help.barnesandnoble.com/app/marketplace/list
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/nook/_/N-1pbl

Digital Rights Management (DRM)

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is attached to all digital documents to protect creators, authors, publishers and re-sellers.

You can buy and download and read it on your device, but you can't transfer it elsewhere or more than once. Copying is not allowed and therefore disabled.

The DRM acts like a key as well as a seal. It seals the document. Only readers or users who paid for it get a DRM which they can use to open and read or use the document. The DRM is non transferable. This annoys almost everybody who uses the computer.

DRM varies from publisher to publisher as well as from re-seller to re-seller. Amazon has its own DRM. Google has its own DRM. Digital books bought from Google won't open and can't be read on Amazon devices, and vice versa.

There are workarounds for removing DRM, but the software that does it is must also be purchased first. And removing DRM is against the law because it was implied in the original purchase agreement, even for private use.


External links
https://www.kobo.com/help/en-US/article/3501/using-adobe-digital-editions

Adobe Digital Editions (ADE)

Publishers use Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) for publishing digital content and for proof-reading. These activities are closely guarded by publishers. The digital documents are secured with unlock-able password held by the publisher.

Publishing
Publishers publish 2 types of content - print and digital.

(a) Print
Print is of 2 types - hardcover and softcover. The widely accepted printed book size is 9" x 6 "- also called tradebook. Other sizes are not printed unless price is set higher. Book packaging also caters for this convenient tradebook book size. Popular fiction books and comics also fit this tradebook size.

(b) Digital
Digital book has many formats. Different formats are made for different digital reading devices. Digital books for the US market are made for the digital devices available for the US market. These devices are not sold in other markets and thus, digital content specific for such devices are not available outside the US market. Same goes for Canadian or UK markets. The downside of specific digital formats made for specific devices for specific markets, help to control download of digital content, but make it difficult for many who wish to download a particular digital book (and that is not available for the user's country). Kindle has a limited market. Most Malaysians use their smartphones for reading digital content, but they will not be able to download a lot of digital books, simply because digital content is device-specific.

Proof-reading
Book authors receive a low-resolution PDF galley which allows partially editing. This low-res galley does not have images - only text. The publisher then updates the original high-resolution document (Word and PDF). The author does not get to work on a high-resolution Word or PDF.

External links
http://www.adobe.com/solutions/ebook/digital-editions.html
https://www.kobo.com/help/en-US/article/3501/using-adobe-digital-editions