#steambooks

[mizamour]

Viví Loves Science by Kimberly Derting is the latest in a series that includes the picture books Libby Loves Science, Cece Loves Science, and several early reader books. I adore these books for how they normalize and celebrate girls and POC in STEM, and their genuine excitement as they explore science in hands-on experiments and experiences.  In this title, Vivi is overjoyed to go to the aquarium with her class. When she wonders how fish can float when they swim, the guide introduces her class to a marine biologist, who explains and shows, using a balloon, how a fish's swim bladder works to increase and decrease their density so they can float and sink. The book, like the others in its series, provides instructions on the back for how kids can do the experiment themselves!�� Love the inquiry, collaboration, and fascination with science in this book!  #earlyreaderbooks #earlyreaders #icanread #weneeddiversebooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensbiographies #girlsinsteam #girlsinstem #librariansofinstagram #schoollibrarian #teacherlibrarian #teachersofinstagram #primaryschool #primaryteacher #diversebooksmatter #childrensbooks #steambooks #marinebiologist #marinebiology https://www.instagram.com/p/CnQX8m5MqKl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[whyareallthegoodnamesaretaken]

"Steambook Pro"

I've been doing some thinking - I think Valve ought to get into the OS game.

Steam's not just the biggest digital distribution platform on the PC, it basically IS gaming market for the PC. But its biggest weakness is that it runs on Windows, and by extension is basically at the mercy of Microsoft.

Should Microsoft ever try to make the PC a closed platform, by locking out third-party app stores in favor of its own, then Valve basically dies overnight.

(Just for the sake of discussion let's ignore for a sec how viable that move would really be, legally or otherwise)

Without a platform to work on, where then does it go? The only other serious OS in town is Mac OS, which is effectively a closed platform and Apple's not likely to share.

That leaves Linux. Desktop distros have made strides over the last decades but it's still far from being a drop-in replacement for Windows, especially for gamers.

Software compatibility's probably the biggest issue. There have been attempts over the years to address this; Cedega, a proprietary fork of the Wine project, was one of the first of its kind I'd encountered. Wine itself is a "Windows Compatibility Layer" that allows you to run Windows software on Linux distros and the forks thereof extend that capability. Valve's already got it's fingers in this pie with the Proton project, and by all accounts its looking good. They've allegedly been hiring people specifically to work on it, which is SUPER COOL to me, because its about time desktop Linux got the love it deserves.

Then there's hardware compatibility. Every time I've tried to install Linux on a personal computer there's always one piece of vital hardware (mostly network cards) that doesn't work right. At work I had the pleasure of installing Ubuntu on an old Dell and the touchpad didn't work correctly. I had to dig through documentation to figure out how to get it to turn the touchpad off while I was typing so my palms didn't accidentally activate it. On another machine at home, an Asus Zenbook, the Wifi stopped working and Pop OS! didn't recognize the USB wifi adapter that I bought to replace it (the wifi "card" itself was a part of the motherboard).

And this leads us to Valve. They've already dipped their toes into the hardware space with the Steam Machines, the Valve Index VR Headset, the Steam Controller, and now the Steam Deck. They've also got Steam OS - a Debian-based Linux distro that's "optimized for a living room experience". On top of that they're actively developing Proton specifically to run Steam's library of games on Linux, and alongside it a whole slew of open-source libraries/drivers/projects like Mesa and the Vulkan API.

I think the next logical step for Valve is to get into the laptop/desktop business, ala Apple and the Macbook Pro. The MBP is a designer product that runs propietary, closed-source Apple software and fits into a proprietary, closed-source ecosystem. Imagine a "Steambook Pro" running a desktop-optimized version of Steam OS on Valve-approved hardware (so as to minimize compatibility issues), maybe even marketed as a Windows replacement.

Once it's widely available (see how well the Steam Deck is doing?), you've got a user base. And once you've got that all third-parties from developers to hardware manufacturers will have a reason to take Linux seriously - to port stuff over to Linux _natively_ rather than just aiming for compatibility. And Valve will have reached the "promised land", an ecosystem where they don't have to worry about Microsoft turning the desktop PC landscape into a walled garden.

The PC OS market's been in a stalemate for a while now - Microsoft Windows is top-dog and the only serious competitor is Apple's OSX and their numbers lag far, far behind Windows. To break a stalemate you need a wildcard, a third-party that can shake up the meta and I think that Valve is that wildcard.

[acorntops]

7 days until Autumn begins! More pumpkin facts can be found in the back of Peggy's Little Pumpkin, as well as STEAM activities, comprehension questions, a glossary, and more! #fallcountdown #fallintoreadingchallenge #pumpkinfacts #pumpkinbooks #STEAMbooks #steamofinstagram #STEAMactivities #homeschoolofinstagram #homeschoolingresources #teachergifts #teachersofinstagram #librariansofinstagram #ChildrensLiterature #childrensbook #readersfavorite #pumpkinsofinstagram #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #fallreads #fallvibes #autumnreads #autumnvibes #autumnofinstagram #fallofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CT2Vr6tpdTV/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jessica-lucci]

Order your #cybermonday book packages now! Perfect gifts for everyone on your list! https://www.jessicalucci.org/online-store #bookgifts #freeshipping #taxfreeperiod #freegift #freegiftwithpurchase #giftsforteens #booksforteens #booksforteenboys #booksforteengirls #giftsforteenboys #giftsforteengirls #giftsforreaders #giftsforbookworms #lgbtqcharacters #lgbtqcharacterswithdisabilities #neurodiversecharacters #booksaboutaddiction #steambooks #steampunkbooks #stembooks https://www.instagram.com/p/B5mFLmEAsEP/?igshid=iwfq74ztb25b

[andystechgarage]

‪Omelettes will never taste the same!! From eggs to ice, rainbows and even #raynauds phenomenon, Mr @martyjopson (Twitter handle) explains it all!! We really ❤️ this great book!‬ This morning we read about #rainbowlogy (Mr. Jopson's new word and our new hashtag) and #boomerang . @andystechgarage #andystechgarage #atg #andystem #evastem #atgstem #stemandy #stemeva #stematg #stembooks #stembook #steambook #steambooks #science #science #sciencerocks #sciencebook #sciencebooks #sciencebooksforkids @omarabooks #omarabooks

[mizamour]

The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier, illustrated by Sonia Sanchez: This inventive twist on the Little Red Hen features a go-getting girl, Ruby, “whose mind was always full of ideas,” who is determined  to build a fort. Though the boys around her are naysayers, telling her she can’t build because she’s never done it before, and refusing again and again to help, Ruby perseveres, drawing plans, gathering supplies, cutting boards, and more (with some help from the adults around her). When the fort is complete and the boys are suddenly eager to join in, Ruby calls them out on their actions and gives the traditional Red-Hen response that they didn’t help, so she would play in it herself. But then, in a restorative twist, the boys realize what they need to do - and they build supplements to the fort like a garden and a mailbox, after which Ruby delightedly invites them to a fort-warming party.  I love this book! I want to to collab with our awesome STEAM teacher on a lesson with this now! #retellings #girlpower #littleredhen #steambooks #collaboration #childrensbookstagram #librariansofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CWi-p2WPWg3/?utm_medium=tumblr

[acorntops]

Today is #NationalHoneyBeeDay & the day I submitted my new #bee #childrensbooks to Amazon When the school mishandles a bee swarm, Ben and his mother have a conversation about different ways to save the bees and how the little things can make a big difference... Link to follow #kidslit #kidsbooks #ChildrensLiterature #booksofinstagram #honeybeesofinstagram #homeschoolofinstagram #gardeningcommunity #gardensofinstagram #teachersofinstagram #steamofinstagram #STEAMactivities #STEAMbooks #gardenbooks #beebooks #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CS2ERv7lncJ/?utm_medium=tumblr