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Archives for January 2022

Join #BCITSweaterDay on February 3rd and Help Make a Difference

January 31, 2022 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

BC has experienced so many extreme weather events this year. From droughts, to heat domes, catastrophic fires, devastating flooding, extreme cold and destructive king tides, the weather has affected everyone in the province.  It can leave you feeling helpless.  But small personal acts can still make a difference. Choosing to put on a sweater instead of turning up the heat is something you can do to help save energy usage, reduce costs and reduce the impact of climate change.

It is also the message behind World Wildlife Fund’s annual Sweater Day campaign, and BCIT Green Team is a proud participant.

And you can join us!  On February 3rd, share your sweater selfie** on social media with the hashtag #BCITSweaterDay for a chance to win a warm BCIT hoodie of your choice.

**Furry friends’ sweater pics are also completely acceptable & welcome.

Feeling camera shy? You can also share other small personal ways to make a difference in the comments, too, such as washing clothes in cold water, commuting by bike, etc, instead of a photo.

Filed Under: Contests, events

Today’s Special …

January 28, 2022 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

by Glenice Lilje

The Joy of Numbers

 Numbers can be found everywhere around us, from the tiniest of atoms to the biggest of stars.  They may show up as tangible items in our day-to-day interactions or as abstract concepts found in nature that surrounds us.  All around the world, numbers can, for the most part, look quite similar. So similar, that they can almost be deemed as a universal language. Numbers can help to communicate with others even if other language barriers exist.

Like any language, one must learn the basics before becoming fluent: first, we are taught commonly used words, which then become phrases, and eventually we progress to conversations. With numbers, we first learn to count and progressively advance to more complex formulae.

Below are some helpful materials that attempt to demystify the languages of math and physics, and also how to utilize these new skills to create your own 3D projects.

Tensor Analysis for Engineers: Transformations – Mathematics – Applications by Mehrzad Tabatabaian, 2020.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term tensor analysis, it is a branch of mathematics used in applied science and engineering fields.  It is used in calculations of physical quantities in different systems of coordinates and transformations that are necessary in scientific computations.  Tensor Analysis for Engineers… provides definitions, formulations and procedures used in tensor analysis to assist engineers and applied scientists to perform their calculations in arbitrary coordinates systems.

 

Features include:

  • Several examples and coordinates sketches with related calculations
  • Expanded content on the rigid body rotation and Cartesian tensors by including Euler angles and quaternion methods
  • Easy to follow mathematical concepts using numerous figures, solved examples and exercises
  • List of gradient-like operator for major systems of coordinates.

This edition is available in eBook format.

Print book (2019) is available in the library’s collection.

Fusion 360 for Makers: Design Your Own Digital Models for 3D by Lydia Sloan Cline, 2018.

Looking to make your own original 3D projects? Have a 3D printer or a CNC device? Fusion 360 for Makers is a wonderful guide for beginners to 3D modeling and Autodesk Fusion 360 software.  Lydia Slone Cline includes several tutorials and DIY projects with step-by-step tutorials and colourful illustrations.  Readers will be ready to design, analyze and print their own solid, direct, organic, surface and parametric modeling projects as well as edit downloaded designs.  Common problems and solutions are also available to assist with troubleshooting.

 

 

The World According to Physics by Jim Al-Khalili, 2020.

In The World According to Physics, Theoretical and Quantum Physicist Jim Al-Khalili shines a light on what physics can teach us about the natural world around us, the universe that surrounds us, the possibility of a theory of everything and how to make scientific idea accessibly and interesting. Al-Khalili introduces the reader to the fundamental concepts of energy, matter, space and time as well as the three pillars of modern physics: quantum theory, relativity and thermodynamics.  Using thought-provoking analogies and examples, Al-Khalili strives to bring the reader up to speed on the biggest ideas in physics in just a few sittings.

Available in eBook format.

 

Filed Under: Books, online resources, Today's Special

Today’s Special …

January 21, 2022 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

by Glenice Lilje

Kanopy: Diversity in eSports

 Around the globe, people dream of having a professional career as a gamer.  Every year, millions of viewers are following online tournaments as competitive gaming increases in popularity. eSports (aka electronic sports or e-sports) are organized video game competitions that have long been a part of video game culture. It wasn’t until the late 2000s where we see professional gamers and spectatorship on live streaming events blow up in mainstream culture with many game developers actively designing and sponsoring tournaments and other events. By the late 2010s, eSports would have 454 million viewers with more than a US$1 billion in revenue.

Unfortunately, there is a dark side to the gaming community.  There have been reported instances of player exploitation, illegal gambling ties, performance enhancing drug use, and discrimination to name a few.  While pro gamers are usually obligated to behave ethically, there is much to be improved in terms of social conduct and inclusivity.

Check out these stories in BCIT Library eResources collection. More must-see titles from Kanopy, an on-demand streaming video platform available for all students and staff.

For off-campus access current students, faculty and staff can login with their BCIT email address and password.

GameChangers: Dreams of BlizzCon, FilmRise, 2018

A fascinating documentary that looks at Korean gaming culture.  GameChangers: Dreams of BlizzCon follows two young boys with modest beginnings, hanging out in internet cafes known as PC Bangs. We watch their journey as they strive to rise out of poverty and achieve championship status in the programing world.  This level of success also come with a cost and we find out just what it takes to compete at the highest level.

 

 

GTFO: Get the F&#% Out, Collective Eye Films, 2015

An exposé into the $20 billion industry of the video game world focusing on the discrimination and misogyny in the industry. Despite women making up half the gaming community, they are often subjected to harassment, trolling and severely underrepresented in video game design field. GTFO seeks to convey the message that women have the right to be gamers and inclusivity will only improve gaming culture, not destroy it.

 

State of Play: The World of South-Korean Professional Video Gamers, Visual Antics, 2013.

All across the world, millions of viewers tune in to watch the Pro League, a live sports event where professional gamers battle it out to be the best at one game, StarCraft.  Although the game is decades old, it is known as a national pastime in South Korea. But once you are at the top, you have to fight to keep your spot or be brought down.  In this story, we follow gamers at different stages in their career and the costs that come with training and competing.

Having trouble accessing these titles? For help click here.

Filed Under: online resources, Today's Special

AskAway Winter Term (January 17 – April 15th) Dates and Hours of Service

January 17, 2022 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

Link to BCIT AskAway Chat :
https://www.bcit.ca/library/library-contacts/ask-a-librarian/

AskAway Hours of Service :
Monday-Thursday | 9am – 9pm
Friday | 9am – 5pm
Saturday | 11am – 5pm
Sunday | 10am – 9pm

Stat Holidays the service will be closed:
Monday, February 21, 2022
Friday, April 15, 2022

BCIT Librarians and Library Techs will be staffing BCIT AskAway :
Monday | 10am – 1pm
Tuesday | 11am – 12 noon
Thursday | 11am-1pm, and 5pm –7 pm

What BCIT Students and Instructors are Saying about AskAway
(Comments from last week’s early opening)

” OK great. Thanks for all your help!!!”

” Thank you very much! Big big help!”

” I am okay for now, thank you so much.”

“Very user friendly, thanks a lot!”

Filed Under: AskAway, Research Help

Today’s Special …

January 14, 2022 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

by Glenice Lilje

Women’s Health

Geriatric Millennial.  That is a term that I would never thought to be described as. Personally, the terms sounds more like an oxymoron, but here we are.  The term “Geriatric Millennial” is used to label the microgeneration of those born between the years 1980-1985.  We were the last generation to play outside, survived dysentery on the Oregon Trail, ordered pizza on a rotary phone and made mixed tapes from songs recorded off the radio. I am in my last year of my thirties, hardly anywhere near the age that I would be medically considered as geriatric.  Well, aside from the fact that my knees may disagree, or that I am constantly misplacing my keys.  Geriatric though? Hardly.

Hollywood and has deemed this demographic as “women of a certain age”.  You see this group type casted in mother roles or spinsters and typically in a supporting role. Yet, men in their 70’s have no problem getting lead action roles.  Products and companies start targeting us at an early age with age-defying creams, hair dyes and cosmetic procedures. Celebrities and influencers try to turn back time by promoting pseudoscience solutions or alternate healthy lifestyles under the guise of New Age or Alternative Medicine.  Now, I am all for doing whatever makes you feel good, but in the last decade, my social media has been inundated with so much “health” and “wellness” ads, it’s hard to distinguish fact

With much gratitude, I have had the privilege of watching my mother and grandmothers age gracefully.  They grew up without the internet, and followed the advice of their mothers and their mothers before that.  I wouldn’t take everything they say as gospel, considering that they use to rub baby oil and iodine on their skin to build up a really good tan. Finding a balance between old school beauty routines and access to information that we have today is a delicate dance that should always include the advice of your medical and health professionals. As I look forward to resembling the matriarchs of my family, I also hope to live vibrantly as long as they do as well.  I mean it probably doesn’t hurt to sneak in more fruits and vegetable into our diets and keep an active lifestyle….Geriatric millennial or not.

Below are some books that dive into the topic of female health and wellness.  Though they do offer a plethora of information, it is always best to consult a medical provider in regards to your own personal healthcare plan.

Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun, 2020.

NO, this isn’t another book on menopause or how to deal with hot flashes. Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis is a book on the new struggles Generation-X women are facing today.  Known as the generation raised to “have it all” (career, family, etc.), today’s women are left feeling exhausted and overwhelmed from having to juggle financial and housing stresses, career performance, caregiving, and parenting.  Ada Calhoun interviews more than 200 women to find out what keeps them up at night. Readers will find that this book is a testament to Gen-X women to keep striving to attain the life they so desire and not to fall into the trappings of societal expectations.

The Vagina Bible: the Vulva and the Vagina – Separating Myth from Medicine by Dr. Jen Gunter, 2019.

Canadian OB/GYN Dr. Jen Gunter unlocks the mysteries of female sexual health with this modern user’s manual to the vagina and vulva.  As a clinical physician of twenty-five years, Dr. Gunter hilariously  “Jensplains” the fears, fallacies and misinformation surrounding vaginal health.  Topics discussed include but not restricted to:  the medical needs of Trans men and Trans women, basic sex ed, debunking the G-Spot, basic vaginal and vulvar functions as well as common health concerns she encounters in her own practice. Readers will enjoy and learning more about reproductive and sexual health in addition to explanation behind non-evidence based “natural” practices (think: vaginal steaming) and internet-propagated misinformation in general.

 

Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer by Barbara Enrenreich, 2018.

Why do we over prepare and waste our time worrying about the inevitable? We make appointments for preventative medical screenings, subscribe to wellness and mindfulness influencers, succumb to dietary fads and idolize fitness culture? Barbara Enrenrich dives deeper, like cellular level deep, and looks into the basis of aging and how little control we actually have over it.  We can buy all the anti-aging creams and eat only organic superfoods and antioxidants we want, at the end of the day, these things only offer the illusion of control. Natural Causes… examines the way us humans obsess over our immortality or lack thereof and helps us to better prepare ourselves for the end.

Filed Under: Books, Today's Special

Today’s Special …

January 7, 2022 by Sandra Matsuba Leave a Comment

by Glenice Lilje

The “New Normal” of Living in the Digital and Information Age

In 2020, everyone had been shaken up by a global pandemic.  Lines between home and school/careers had been blurred and most people found themselves having to acclimate to a “new-normal”. Some took on double roles as teacher on top of their parental duties. People everywhere have had to adopt new technology, come up with innovative ways to carry out daily operations and sometimes by using foreign platforms.  Meetings, training, and lessons were altered to try and match the quality of face-to-face delivery. There is no denying that there was an increase of screen usage in the last year and some.

Looking back as what started off as a “pause” in the world or even a hindrance, became an opportunity for expansion as well as accessibility.  Libraries not only saw an influx of new users, but of electronic resource usage as well.  Families and friends found new ways to keep in touch by learning to use various video conferencing platforms.  I was even able to graduate early with the increase of courses being offered online whereas previously I would have had to wait until the next on-campus offering.  As we start to head back into our offices and school (or not), we can’t deny this paradigm shift has offered us a chance to change the way we do things, sometimes for the better.

Below are some resourceful materials found in our collection for those who also have had to adapt in the modern digital and information age.

Cryptography: The Key to Digital Security, How it Works, and Why it Matters by Keith Martin, 2020.

Not just for spies and hackers, cryptography reinforces our online security. Cryptography plays a critical role in our everyday lives, hiding behind the scenes of our cellphone calls, texts, online shopping transactions, household smart devices and cryptocurrency. Information security expert, Keith Martin, helps readers to understand how cryptography works starting from binary code to more advanced topics like symmetric encryption and has functions.

 

On the Line: Business Education in the Digital Age by Anshuman Khare and Deborah Hurst, 2018.

Business educators, administrators, and practitioners who are interested in offering their services online-this is for you.  This guide provides different perspectives of online business education, from how it is designed to the best platforms and tools to use.  The book is divided into three sections: “why”, “how” and “so what?”  The “why” explains how education is a service and shares new techniques for delivering a better online business education experience.  The “how” clarifies how online business education works using conceptual models for different disciplines.  The final section, “so what?” delves into the outcomes, impacts and where online business education is headed in the future in terms of supporting sustainability, ethical decision making and inclusive and collaborative leadership.

Available in both print and eBook format.

Against Amazon and Other Essays by Jorge Carrion, 2020.

Picking up where Jorge Carrion’s previous book, Bookshops: A Reader’s History left off, Carrion travels the world to explore the impacts and pressures of Amazon and other technologies on bookshops and libraries. Interviewing writers and librarians for their insights and opinions in the innovative ways they have had to adapt to ensure the conservation of these vital social, cultural and intellectual spaces.  Although Against Amazon… is in part a celebration of books as well as an optimistic overall take the future of reading and retailing, it also serves as a manifesto against the damaging impact of late capitalism.

Available in eBook format.

Mini Book of Teaching for Librarians by Andrew Walsh. 2018.

The Mini Book of Teaching for Librarians is a misnomer as it is packed with practical advice, tips and guidance about how to use them in a teaching session.  Librarian and trainer, Andrew Walsh provides general teaching tips and examples of teaching interventions making this guide an excellent resource for any librarian’s toolkit as well as anyone who teaches information skills.  The book is also designed as a resource guide where one can easily dip in and out of to refer to instead of a read-through completed text.

Filed Under: Books, Today's Special

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