Kids Code & Computer Science

Interesting stories about computer science, software programming, and technology for June 2020.

Learn Sign Language

Drops, an app-based language learning company, has made available it’s courses for American Sign Language. Download their app and learn how to sign.

https://languagedrops.com/scripts-collection/learn-asl-alphabet
https://www.cnet.com/news/want-to-learn-the-asl-alphabet-this-app-can-teach-you-in-just-5-minutes-a-day/

Build an Aquarium in Your Web Browser

Orb.farm is a DIY aquarium that lets you fill a bowl with sand then add water, fish, grass, algae, and more. Create stones for your fish to swim around. Click buttons and drag the mouse around the inside of the aquarium. There’s also an oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) meter to tell you whether or not your aquarium is healthy.

https://orb.farm/
https://www.theverge.com/21263587/orb-farm-max-bittker-ecosphere-aquarium-browser-game
https://maxbittker.com

Build a Real Microscope with Legos

An IBM researcher in Switzerland built a working microscope with Legos, a 3D printer, and Arduino and Raspberry Pi boards. The cost? About $300. IBM was so impressed they published details about how you can build a microscope on their YouTube channel and Github. The Lego microscope replaces a much larger high end imaging setup needed to do the same tasks.

https://github.com/IBM/MicroscoPy
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a32388863/lego-microscope-ibm-research/

Archaeologists Find a 1700 Year Old Board Game

An archaeology team from the University Museum of Bergen in Norway recently found a 1700 year old board game among the pots and pans and other materials in a dig site. The game is unusual because the die is a long skinny stone instead of the cubed dice we’re used to. There are 18 additional pieces to the game. The game appears to be related to a Roman game as well as an early version of a later Viking game.

https://www.uib.no/en/culturalhistory/135652/gaming-roman-iron-age

MIT App Makes Self-Care Like a Video Game

MIT’s Guardian Project looks for ways to help people with basic self care using game design principles to improve how they feel about themselves and the world around them. Their app is a therapeutic tool for people who experience anxiety and depression, a way to help motivate people to get enough sleep, eat well, or maybe exercise.

https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/guardians/overview/
https://guardians.media.mit.edu/