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Google Transliteration tool: Hearing is…understanding

Posted on by Shalin Hai-Jew

Has anyone ever started speaking to you in a foreign language that you couldn’t make heads or tails of? A new tool out of Google Labs may be of help — if you have a good memory for sound and know the originating language.

Google Transliteration is a tool that allows you to type a word in English and have it appear in a target language. The workspace for this new tool is an open space. To start using the tool, go to www.google.com/transliterate.

Define the target language by using the drop-down menu at the top left. Your choices are Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Sanskrit, Serbian, Sinhalese, Tamil, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Urdu.

Continue reading “Google Transliteration tool: Hearing is…understanding” →

Twitter not just a “what am I doing now” service

Posted on by Eric Dover

Twitter started out as a micro-blogging system that served the basic function of answering the question, “What am I doing now?” Over the last few years, this status-update service has grown in different directions, all of which have been user-driven. Although there are plenty of “I’m at work” updates floating around Twitter, users are expanding the horizons of Twitter into an emergency-update service, information exchange, marketing system, and a more robust status-update system.

Continue reading “Twitter not just a “what am I doing now” service” →

IT Security Threats blog now available for K-Staters

Posted on by IT editors

The IT Security Threats blog is now available to alert K-Staters about the latest threats to K-State information and technology resources. The blog will be updated by K-State’s IT security team with news and alerts about malicious software (malware) and other types of security attacks; vulnerabilities in applications and operating systems used at K-State; patches to those vulnerabilities; and the latest e-mail scams to appear in K-Staters’ inboxes.

“We needed a way to improve communication with the campus about IT security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, and reach as many people as possible by providing the information through multiple channels,” said Chief Information Security Officer Harvard Townsend. “With this blog, people can choose a method for receiving information that best fits their communication preferences.”

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New emergency notification system, K-State Alerts, to be tested November 19

Posted on by Amanda Tross

K-State Alerts, the system previously known as the Emergency Text Messaging System, will be tested starting at about 10 a.m. Wednesday, November 19, to ensure the service is functioning properly.

Feedback is needed from all K-Staters who enabled this service, since K-State cannot guarantee that alerts will be received, or how quickly they will be received. An e-mail will be sent immediately after the test to gather this information. K-State Alerts users who do not receive the test alert should contact the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@k-state.edu or 785-532-7722.

K-State Alerts includes new features to make the system more accessible and user friendly. All current K-Staters with an active eID are eligible to sign up through ePrfolie at http://eid.k-state.edu.

Continue reading “New emergency notification system, K-State Alerts, to be tested November 19” →

Instant messaging popular with K-State Libraries’ patrons

Posted on by dtheiss

Students have discovered that instant messaging is a fast and easy way to interact with K-State Libraries. The library implemented its instant-messaging reference service in October 2006, and word of the service has continued to gradually spread ever since.

image of the Libraries' instant-messaging icon plus IM channels or gatewaysIn spring semester 2007, 610 general-reference questions were fielded through instant messages. This spring semester, 1,274 questions were received, for a 109 percent increase in use of the service.

Popular questions received via instant messaging include:

  • Whether the library has a particular book
  • Help with research questions, such as how to search the library catalog
  • How to use a particular databaseLibrary hours

To instant message the Hale Library Help Desk, use these channels:

  • AIM, MSN: halelibraryhelp
  • Yahoo, Jabber, GTalk, meebo: halelibraryhelpdesk

For more information about instant messaging at K-State Libraries or how to use the service, see the Ask a Librarian webpage.

by Danielle Theiss-White, K-State Libraries, and Betsy Edwards, Information Technology Assistance Center Continue reading “Instant messaging popular with K-State Libraries’ patrons” →