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Thursday, 12 June 2025

From Sand Based (1997) to the createwithpixels app (2025)

Written for those interested in the createwithpixels app's development history.

Create With has just released its createwithpixels app on Google Play. It's an amateur bitmap editor for novices wanting do low-resolution raster designs on their mobile phones, or tablets. Easy to learn, the app offers a resizable pencil, plus web-friendly colour palette. Images can be exported locally, or shared via a createwithpixels.com library. Here's a short, visual story on key developments towards the app:

1997 "Sand Based"exhibit

Fellow Middlesex MA in Digital Art graduate, Stephen Wolff, and Travis worked on a concept inspired by his 'Sand Based' exhibit. Figure 1's screenshot showed how a sprite created interesting aesthetic trails. They originally wanted to design software that would give its end-user more control over the serendipitous effects of algorithmic rendering...

Figure 1. Almonds and pomegranates (cycle 3), Sand based exhibit (1997)

Figure 2's from Travis' exhibit as part of the MA Digital Arts 1996-97 group's year-end show. Middlesex University's Centre for Electronic Arts' exhibited at OXO towers, London).

Figure 2. Sand Based installation by Travis Noakes for his Middlesex University MA in Digital Art year-end's exhibit (1997).

Jython test bitmap graphic capture (2001)

Figures 3 & 4. Jython test bitmap graphic captures (2001)

Jython test bitmap graphic capture 2 (2001)

Michael Cope wrote Jython scripts for Travis to achieve a similar effect in a PC's browser (see Figures 3 & 4).

2003 Pixel Player

In doing a student project for the CTI Education Internet Development Specialist Diploma, Travis developed a mock website's graphic user interface (GUI) for a bitmap animator.

Figure 5. Pixel Player graphic user interface concept page 5 (2004)

He first named it Pixel Player, then Easy Pixels (see Figure 5). Workwise, Stephen and Travis were busy for Loopo/Max Gate Digital and Winning Wellness/BODYiQ/Virgin Life Care, respectively. Nonetheless, work on the bitmap animator continued as fun 'digital art for bitmaps sake' diversion. In 2008, Travis setup Crafty Pixels CC (T/A Create With) as a vehicle for pursuing his auteur-ish visual design projects.

2008-9 Crafty Pixels GUI concept

Figure 6. craftypixels.com mockup (2009)

Figure 7. Crafty Pixels desktop application GUI mockup (2009)

One of which was to mock-up a Crafty Pixels website (Figure 6) and desktop application (7)- this fancy screensaver's pre-sets could be adjusted in real time. Stephen Wolff developed a private prototype for Travis and he to experiment with.

Figures 8 & 9. Pixel Player bitmap outputs (2008)

The prototype was promising in supporting some pleasing aesthetic outputs (yebo, yes, Figures 8 & 9!)

2010 createwithpixels.com - private Alpha for desktop

Travis wrote a PhD in Media Studies proposal to study the use of creatwithpixels.com and other bitmap drawing software in High Schools. However, his preliminary research at an elite one suggested that focusing on free online portfolio software would be more worthwhile for the Visual Arts. In response, he pivoted to developing a visual arts e-portfolio syllabus (2011-13) at a private school with its HOD, and a repurposed one for a government school...

2012 createwithpixels.com - public Alpha

Max Gate Digital released a public website at createwithpixels.com, and a test hosting site at beta.createwithpixels.com. Travis' lead supervisor, Dr Marion Walton kindly permitted him to reference Processing bitmap code she wrote for a coding outreach project at an iKamva Youth branch.

Figure 10. Create With Pixels homepage (2012)

Figure 11. createwithpixels.com configure wizard GUI (2014)

Figure 12. createwithpixels.com elements wizard GUI (2014)

2016-18 Beta GUI for a mobile createwithpixels app

Figure 13. createwithpixels library GUI (2016)

Figure 14. Color selection in the createwithpixels bitmap editor GUI (2016)

Following createwith.net's launch, with fresh Create With branding by Jon Whelan consulting, Jon developed a matching, revised front-end for createwithpixels (see Figures 13 & 14).

Figure 15. createwithpixels.com testing on iMac

This new GUI focused on bitmap illustration, versus serendipitous animations. It also added a scalable version for small-screen, mobile phone use (NOT shown in Figure 15!) An MA in Digital Art colleague, Dr Julie Freeman (Translating Nature) reviewed the app, and provided many helpful suggestions on its improvement, plus future development possibilities.

2023-25 createwithpixels app v.1 development

Michael Pretorius and Rafeeq Weideman, both then at Younglings Africa, worked to prepare createwithpixels' front-end for Apple iOS and Google Android apps. Michael continued work on the app's front-end as a freelancer, liaising with Stephen Wolff to integrate with the back-end. In 2025, the Android version was approved by the Google Play Store. The Apple version is currently under review.

'Art is long, life is short.' Hippocrates.

Monday, 21 August 2023

Four categories for Anti-Bullying Apps (ABAs), with examples for each

Written for people interested in learning about the wide range of anti cyber harassment apps that exist.

There are many Anti Bullying Apps (ABAs) seeking to inform and assist recipients of cyber harassment. Some ABAs may even assist cyberbullies with curbing their anti-social behaviours. ABAs vary in their specific functions and features. These can be categorised into three groups [1]: (1) general protection, (2) information, and (3) reporting to authorities. This post suggests a fourth, (4) in-platform interventions (such as Instagram's anti-bullying tools). This accommodates tools that are distinct in being specifically developed to exist inside a particular platforms (such as WhatsApp, versus being a standalone app outside it). Such sub-apps (or tools) may also combine different aspects of the top three categories:

1 General protection

1.1 Bark at https://www.bark.us/learn/cyberbullying is an online protection tools for US parents to limit the amount of time their children spend on various websites, view their children’s browsing history, and for receiving alerts when keywords and phrases that might indicate bullying or harassment in their child’s electronic communications (such as text messages). Mentioned in [1].

1.2 BullStop at https://www.bullstop.io/ aims to help young people's proactive combating of cyberbullying, and monitors social media accounts by regularly reviewing messages as they are received. It uses artificial intelligence for analysing these- flagging offensive content like abuse, bullying, insults, pornography, spam and threats. [1]

2 Information

2.1 ActionPoint aims to help families build stronger communication skills, set healthy boundaries for social media use, define a teen's cyberbullying risk and identify instances of cyberbullying. Ultimately its designers seek to decrease the negative outcomes associated with cyberbullying (view app's research at https://ysilva.cs.luc.edu/BullyBlocker/publications&posters.html).

2.2 Bully Mysteries (available as an Android package to download and install from https://apkcombo.com/bully-mysteries-4cv/udk.android.apptoapp.mystery.l1c5/) is an interactive mystery app that includes the chapter, 'The Case of the Cyberbully'- In it, 'A defenseless victim is being mercilessly harassed by someone. But who could it be and for what purpose? Katie and TC are extra motivated to solve this case and help protect those who can’t protect themselves!'. [6]

2.3 ClearCyberbullying (available as an Android package to download and install from https://apkcombo.com/clearcyberbullying/com.Clear.CyberBullying/) uses Drama Education for creating awareness on cyber-bullying among students and then develop an education video-games exploiting traditional “Puppet characters” or “shadow theatres” coming from the six partners countries. The project at https://www.clearcyberbullying.eu/ seems to have been discontinued. [6]

2.4 Cyberbullying by Grey Lab (available as an Android package to download and install from https://apkgk.com/com.iggnovation.cyberbull) provides information on 'what cyberbullying is, why it works and how to prevent it'. [6]

2.5 Cyberbullying First-Aid was developed in Germany by the klicksafe Youth panel for Android and Apple users. https://www.klicksafe.de/en/materialien/cyber-mobbing-erste-hilfe-app described how the app includes short videos from the coaches Tom and Emilia for recipients of cyberbullying. The app gives 'those affected concrete tips on how to behave, encourage them and accompany in the first steps to take action against cyberbullying. In addition to legal background information and links to anonymous counseling centers, there are tutorials on how to report, block or delete offensive comments on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok or in the messenger WhatsApp.' The app is available in English, French, German, Luxembourgish, Lithuanian and Slovenian, dependant on the user's device's language setting. [6]

2.6 Cyberbullying Vaccine (available in Korea) aims to provide parents, guardians and other adults with an indirect experience of cyberbullying. [2]

2.7 Klikd at https://klikd.co.za/the-app/ covers many topics, ranging from how to manage tricky people online and cyberbullying, to online reputation to phone addiction. Each module contains multi-faceted components for keeping t/weens engaged throughout their learning journey. The app includes talks by teens, card games and quizzes, and offers plenty of opportunity for reflection. Parents and schools as also supported through updates. [9]

2.8 Know Bullying app at https://healthysafechildren.org/knowbullying-app gives US guardians and parents information on how to discuss online risks and cyberbullying with their children. The app was developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to; explain the warning signs of bullying, and to offer advice for parents on talking to their kids about bullying. It includes important strategies for preventing bullying for kids in varied age groups (3-6, 7-12, and older). [3]

2.9 Sit With Us is a US Apple app developed by a 16 year old. Natalie Hampton wanted to help pupils set up inclusive lunches with classmates who typically eat alone. [7]

2.10 SpeakOut! aims to help children and other vulnerable people with accessing the internet safely. The UK app presents storylines that tackle the topics of cyber bullying, grooming, sexting, fake news, body image and racism. The app was developed in response to 'the growing need for support specifically targeting 10-14 year olds as they face increased challenges as preteens and young teenagers growing up in a highly connected environment.' For example, the app tackles cyberbullying by featuring tools and techniques that help users recognise online bullying, and how to respond. [7]

2.11 Stand Up to Bullying shows an interactive educational video featuring Lucky Kat, The Kat Patrol, The Cheese Posse and Daren the Lion. It teaches children to identify the different types bullying and to know what to do when they see it happening. The app contains five (5) chapters of informative animation that cover verbal bullying, physical attack and nonverbal bullying. The final chapter instructs them on how to make a plan for when they see any of these situations. Each chapter closes with question and answer sections to support open discussion with kids and students. [7]

2+ Informational games

2.12 Cyberbully Zombies Attack at https://toucharcade.com/games/cyberbully-zombies-attack was developed by NetSmartz® Workshop, a program of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® and Gamelearn. The online game helps kids, tweens and teens learn how to handle cyberbullying [6]. It was funded by Sprint through its 4NetSafety(SM) program.

2.13 Cybersafe is a game for Android and Apple that Goffs School UK students created to help children deal with cyberbullying. [6] The app contains 3 fun mini games - each tackling a different issue chosen by the students: 'Detective Charlee: An endless flying game which teaches children to collect cyberbully evidence, by taking screenshots of nasty comments on social networks, to email to a trusted friend or adult. PaS$w0rdBlockr: A challenging puzzle game which encourages children to keep their passwords safe and be wary of people hacking their online accounts. Goof Run: An endless running game with helpful cyberbully advice along the way, set in a colourful chatroom.'

2.14 Professor Garfield Cyberbullying features a Garfield comic strip with examples of cyberbullying and advice on how to deal with it. These are followed by a short interactive quiz that tests what kids have learned. It is available on Apple. [6]

3 Reporting to authorities

3.1 117 Chat at https://apkcombo.com/117-chat/com.ucs.police_chat/ provides school violence-related real-time chatting in consultation with South Korea's National Police Agency. [2]

3.2 BRIM: Bullying Reduction Intervention and Monitoring provides tools and resources to US teachers, principals, counselors, and others in school communities to help tackle bullying.

3.3 Bully Button from https://bullybutton.fortresgrand.com complements US schools' anti-bullying programs by providing a multi-platform process for administrative intervention in situations of; abuse, bullying, cyberbullying, and social aggression.

3.4 CyberBully Hotline apk (available as an Android package to download and install from https://www.apkmonk.com/app/com.groupcast.android.cyberbullingapp/) provides 'schools with their own unique local phone number, to which students and parents can send a 100% anonymous text or voice message. School administrators can then send back replies which go directly to the person sending the report, without ever knowing their phone number or identity. This guaranteed anonymity provides a welcoming environment for addressing issues of bullying, violence, fighting, theft, harassment, and safety.' [6]

3.5 Dunk A Bully at https://www.dunkabully.com aims to educate users about bullying by providing examples and questions and answers to learn from. It also enables users to select a counselor for messaging anonymously [8].

3.6 FamiSafe at https://famisafe.wondershare.com is one of five apps described in resource [3] which parents/guardians can install on their child/ward's phone. Available on Android, Chrome, Kindle, iOS, Mac and Windows, FamiSafe empowers users to 'locate their kid’s phone, monitor app usage, site usage, and screen time'. The app also allows parents/guardians to filter web content and block certain apps.

3.7 Guardian Angel at https://guardianangelmobile.com is available on Android and Apple. It is designed to help children and teenagers 'cope with the horrors of childhood violence such as bullying and family related problems.' It includes: access to a 24hr crisis hotlines; optional, anonymous reporting directly to the child’s counsellor or social worker; playlists for affirmation, meditation and motivation; and journaling options. [6]

3.8 Speak Up! For Someone at https://www.gospeakup.com enables students to record bullying and to report it anonymously and securely to school officials. It's available for Apple users, and Android ones. [8]

3.9 STOPit Solutions at https://www.stopitsolutions.com allows individuals (including parents, peers, and community members) to anonymously report harmful images, messages, and videos to government entities that can provide victims with help. Individuals can also connect with trained crisis counsellors from the Crisis Text Line™ for assistance. [3]

3.10 Toot Toot is an Apple app funded by the UK's Department for Education which gives 'pupils and parents a voice by providing a safe and anonymous way to speak about concerns such as bullying, harassment, mental health and racism.' Its key features are: anonymous reporting from parents and pupils, from anywhere. Staff can log safeguarding and behaviour incidents to create a full picture. Admins and mentors receive notifications when new cases are logged. Users can quickly and simply manage their cases. Admins and mentors get a whole organisation overview to identify key trends in data. [7]

3.11 Upstander is an Android app at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ayaan.upstander develop as a student initiative to make schools bullying-free. It is a mobile platform through which students can report bullying instances at varying degrees of anonymity. [8]

3+ Reporting to self

3.12 ReThink – Stop Cyberbullying at https://www.rethinkwords.com/whatisrethink is a non-intrusive service that seeks to detect and stop cyberbullying before it does damage. Its users are flagged to reconsider potentially offensive content before re-sharing it. [5]

4 Platform-specific

4.1 BullyBlock or BullyBlocker for Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thebullyblocker) seems to have been superseded by the Action Point app (see 2.1) . BullyBlock resulted from research that 'designed, implemented and evaluated automated cyberbullying identification tools for social networks'. The mobile app for Facebook included several such tools. [1]

4.2 Instagram's Rethink and Restrict are described in https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-48916828. Rethink uses 'artificial intelligence to recognise when text resembles the kind of posts that are most often reported as inappropriate by users'. Rethink prompts users to pause and consider what they are saying before sharing content flagged as potentially being inappropriate. Restrict is 'designed to help teens filter abusive comments without resorting to blocking others - a blunt move that could have repercussions in the real world'.

4.3 Shushmoji® for WhatsApp is an anti-chat harassment resource (for Apple or Android users) that provides end-of-conversation stickers and information on tactics individuals can use against chat harassment. See general FAQs at https://www.createwith.net/shushmoji-app-faqs.

4.4 Vodafone’s #BeStrong Emoji Keyboard is available on Android devices. This keyboard developed from the Be Strong Online anti-bullying initiative. A suite of #BeStrong support emojis aimed help young people convey compassion and support to friends who are being bullied online. The idea for a support emoji was first brought to Vodafone by anti-bullying ambassador Monica Lewinsky. The app's emojis were chosen by 'almost 5,000 young people around the world, who identified with them as symbols of compassion and solidarity'. [7]

Conclusion

The examples of apps above are largely from the developed world's Anglo- and Asian spheres, with the full usability of these apps often being restricted to their country of origin (notably, Korea, the UK and US). Kindly let me know of any other interesting resources and/or ABAs in the moderated comments section below? Or you contact me directly. I will update this post on an ongoing basis with suitable recommendations for new apps/resources, plus new ones my research uncovers.

P.S. There are several apps listed in the resources below that are not highly-ranked for Google searches, nor available via the Apple or Android app stores (or may be hidden from searches from South Africa). These are Back Off Bullies [6], Be Cybersafe Game [6], Cyberbullying by Maple Tree [6], Cyberbully Hotline [6], Delete Cyberbullying [6], I Am Witness and Put an End to Cyberbullying [6].

N.B. The many discontinued anti-bullying apps suggest the importance of ongoing investment of human and financial capital. Sustaining ABAs availability requires costly resources to address code updates, app promotion and ongoing refinement.

Resources

[1] U.S. Parents' Intentions to Use Anti-Bullying Apps: Insights from a Comprehensive Model (2023) by Brittany Wheeler, Katie Baumel, Deborah Hall and Yasin Silva describes new technological avenues for parents and other guardians to reduce their child’s cyberbullying risk. The authors focus on understanding the factors that predict parents' intentions to use ABAs.

[2] 'The application of anti-bullying smartphone apps for preventing bullying in South Korea' by Insoo Oh in Tackling Cyberbullying and Related Problems - Innovative Usage of Games, Apps and Manga.

[3] 'Most useful bullying apps' at https://famisafe.wondershare.com/anti-bullying/usefull-anti-bullying-apps-or-ideas-for-parental-control.html.

[4] 5 Anti-Bullying Apps Every Family Should Have

[5] Anti-bullying apps are popular, but do they work?, Wyman, Christina (2022) in Wired magazine features an interesting critique of ABAs' limits, and their potential value, https://www.wired.com/story/anti-bullying-apps-schools-children.

[6] Topcu-Uzer, C., & Tanrıkulu, İ. (2018). 3 - Technological solutions for cyberbullying. In M. Campbell & S. Bauman (Eds.), Reducing Cyberbullying in Schools (pp. 33-47). Academic Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-811423-0.00003-1

[7] Top 10 anti-bullying apps at https://www.kcom.com/home/discover/categories/tech-corner/top-10-anti-bullying-apps/

[8] Searching #Antibullyingapp via Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/antibullyingapp/

[9] Recommended by this blog's readers.

Saturday, 15 April 2023

Use the Shushmoji app to learn anti chat harassment tactics and end anti-social conversations with WhatsApp chat stickers

Written for people wanting to learn strategies for ending chat harassment in WhatsApp and use chat stickers for this.

Apple users can now feed their trolls with Shushmoji chat stickers in WhatsApp using the free Shushmoji app at https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shushmoji/id1639680705. The app works on Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPods with an M1 chip (or later) and running Mac OS.11 (or later).

The Shushmoji app's sticker packs cover garden-variety trolls, academic bullies, silly asses, pesky sinners and torturous types. Check out two examples of their use below {or there's five here, thirty examples here or via Pinterest !} Download the app to use its free set with 30 stickers; premium sets are available for in-app purchase.

Create With Cape Town's Shushmoji app is also available for Android users at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.createwith.shushmoji&hl=en&gl=US. It's compatible with Android phones and tablets.

Stop silly troll! chat sticker example	Stop sinner! chat sticker example

The Shushmoji app also offers twenty anti-chat harassment tactics cards. These fall under four strategies for stopping trolls: ignore, report, respond and prevent. Install the app to scroll through all twenty cards on your phone or tablet.

Ignore strategy index card	Ignore tactic card

Why develop a Shushmoji app?

In the first place, there are few end-of-conversation chat sticker designs. Secondly, there also seemed a need for an anti-chat harassment cyber toolkit that targets of cyberbullying could quickly access for tactics. Hopefully knowledge of these can helps expand cyberbullying recipients' understanding of what else is possible than simply being silent and enduring harassment!

Being silent echoes the conventional advice, Do Not Feed the Trolls (DNFTT). It reflects how there are many downsides to communicating with harassers, since they are likely to be mentally unstable (Barnes, 2018). Online trolls score low in the Big Five Personality scores of agreeability and conscientiousness, but score high in Dark Tetrad traits of- narcissism, Machiavellianism, sub-clinical psychopathy and/or everyday sadism. Attempting rational engagement with perpetrators of cyber harassment is likely to provoke retaliatory attacks in excess of the original abuse. This may be further escalated via circling cyber vultures and mobs. Such amplification is common to unmoderated platforms where destructive, hostile and bigoted behaviour is rewarded with likes and re-shares.

While the responsibility for harassment should lie with its perpetrators, society often blames the victims for “putting themselves out there” (Citron, 2014). This reflects a slow-changing social reality in which support for targets of cyber harassment grows at a glacial pace; whether in institutional and organisational culture and policies, or in law and its enforcement. Individuals who fight back against cyber harassment must take a risky gamble in weighing up this battle's pros and cons. For many, the potential benefits of nudging discussion towards norms of respect, whilst repairing any reputational damage, seem unlikely to outweigh the severe downsides of escalating cyber-harassment.

Create With Cape Town's end-of-conversation stickers were designed to support targets' ability to disengage from cyberbullies. Unlike the DNFTT tactic, it does not mute their voice and right-of-reply.
These chat stickers can help end chats-gone-bad, whilst showing trolls and their audiences what one thinks of their behaviour.

Support using the Shushmoji app

Helpful FAQs on using the Shushmoji app are available at https://www.createwith.net/shushmoji-app-faqs/: These cover general users at http://bit.ly/3RfrAIG, Android users at http://bit.ly/3Hlt2VB and Apple users at http://bit.ly/3Y5akZ5.

Shushmoji app credits

Two intern teams from Younglings Africa coded the Shushmoji app in 2020 and 2021: Led by Russel Magaya, 2020’s Android development team comprised Diego Mizero, Shane Abrahams, Ethan Jansen and Johan van der Merwe.

In 2021 the development team focused on Apple and Android versions. It was led by Joshua Schell with Lindani Masinga and consisted of Zaakirah Abrams, Arthur Butler, Rayaan Karlie and Zainab Hartley.

Younglings Developer Solutions' Michael Pretorius completed the Android development in 2022 and the Apple roll-out in early 2023.

Shushmoji feedback

We trust you enjoy using the Shushmoji app. Any comments, concerns or suggestions on the #Shushmoji app, can be shared with me via Create with Cape Town’s email form at https://www.createwith.net/contact/. Do be patient for a reply- it may take one full working week for non-urgent correspondence.

Alternately, hashtag #Shushmoji and #CreateWithCapeTown and give a shout-out to our Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter accounts. Cheers!

Friday, 26 August 2022

Want emoji stickers to end #WhatsApp chats with #cyberbullies? The #Shushmoji app on #Android is here!

Written for emoji sticker fans and recipients of harassment via WhatsApp.

The Shushmoji app for WhatsApp on Android is now available via Google Play. This app was developed as an easy method of using Shushmojis as end-of-conversation points versus cyberbullies. As the Shushmoji ® name suggests, the app's emoji stickers are intended to silence irritating noise, just like a 'shush!’ silencing noisy brats.

Check out examples for Shushmoji use in WhatsApp on Pinterest or createwith.net.

The app was initially developed for Create With by interns at Younglings Africa. Michael Pretorius at Younglings Development Studio (YDS) completed the app for the Google Play Store's vetting. An Android version was developed first, since Younglings Africa had experience developing for it. It's also the easiest to develop and secure approval for. {P.S. Mac fans, YDS is working on an Apple iOS version for release in the fourth quarter}.

As this Slideshare presentation explains, my research into online academic bullying and strategies for countering cyber-harassment inspired both the Shushmoji ® concept and its apps. I maintain a Google research spreadsheet (http://bit.ly/2D8qv0k) that shares many strategies against cyber-harassment, plus links to salient online resources. One strategy is for a recipient of cyber-harassment to use emoji stickers for flagging the end-point of a low-value/anti-social conversation. However, high-quality designs that address a wide range of cyber-harassment activities seem to be M.I.A!

The Shushmoji emoji sticker sets were developed in response to this visual aesthetic communication gap. In the app, 30 stickers are available to use for free. Users may purchase sticker sets for the themes they like.

There are currently five sets to buy:

Stop, silly troll! was designed by Janine Venter to poke fun at all-too-common types of cyber-harassment.

Stop, sinner! was also drawn by Janine to flag many naughty (and not nice!) behaviours.

Stop, academic bully! was illustrated by Marlon Albertyn to spotlight the different kinds of academic bullies one can meet in the Ivory Tower.

Stop, silly ass! was drawn by Dominique Whelan, who loves drawing donkeys and worked on the set for "a(ss) laugh". These stickers flag a**holes with silly ass emoji stickers speaking to their asinine behaviours.

Stop, torturer! was illustrated by Studio Dolby and spotlights torturous "conversationalists".

An educational rationale also exists where Shushmojis can illustrate the particular dodgy roles and/or anti-social strategies that cyber harassers follow. For those interested in sampling these stickers, the vector designs for each set are for sale via: Silly Troll, Academic bully, Silly Ass, Sinner and Torturer.

New Shushmoji sets are planned (such as Stop, Dumb Bot!) to close visual gaps for different roles and types of harassment (vs. doxxers and bot farm orchestrators). Hopefully, each set will prove useful for those wanting to express disinterest in continuing chats with cyberbullies. WhatsApp stickers should prove useful to flag this and a perp’s particular style of harassment. Of course, the stickers may also be used to poke fun at tactless friends and colleagues…

Please download the app, use it and let the world know of your good experience via a Google Play Store app review.

N.B. For updates on the Shushmoji ® app versions, you can follow Create With on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter or LinkedIn, ta.

P.S. Several app iterations were trialed by Younglings Africa before the app's approval. Zaakirah Abrams led the most recent testing- her 2022 Shushmoji app report is here.

Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Shushmoji app briefing presentation to Younglings' interns and mobile dev leadership

Written for interns at Younglings who expressed an interest in working on the Shushmoji app for Android and Apple

I recently presented on the background to Create With's Shushmoji app to Younglings. Its interns will be working to complete an Android version this year and an Apple version for launch in 2022.

Shushmoji app for Younglings developers 2021 from Travis Noakes

The hyperlinks from the presentation are shared below for ease-of-access:

SLIDE 3

Travis Noakes' research at www.travisnoakes.co.za/p/researcher.html
Create With at createwith.net/

SLIDE 4

Anti-trolling graphics to end abusive conversations at samultimodality.wordpress.com/2018/11/26/anti-trolling-graphics-to-end-abusive-conversations-how-to-whack-a-troll/

Online academic bullying project at researchgate.net/project/Online-academic-bullying

SLIDE 5

The Noakes Foundation Lab for Low Carb Nutrition Research at researchgate.net/lab/The-Noakes-Foundation-Lab-for-Low-Carb-Nutrition-Research-Timothy-D-Noakes

SLIDE 6

Younglings’ Social Media and Internet Lab for Research (SMILR)

linkedin.com/posts/younglingsafrica_empowering-software-development-interns-activity-6844615195738816512-Kj_u

SLIDE 7

Hate Crimes in Cyberspace at hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674659902

SLIDE 10

Distinguishing online academic bullying at sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S240584402100431X#!

SLIDE 12

OAB reporting questionnaire at http://bit.ly/3pnyE6w
Strategies against cyber harassment at http://bit.ly/2D8qv0k

SLIDE 13

Examples of anti-bullying emojis at bark.us/blog/witness-helps-teens-stand-cyberbullying and mashable.com/2016/08/17/anti-bullying-emoji/

SLIDE 14

#GoodMannersEmojis at dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7665833/ and

#GoodMannersEmojis tweet at twitter.com/PennyMordaunt/status/1192378538726494208

Positive and critical responses at twitter.com/hashtag/GoodMannersEmojis?src=hashtag_click

@Iconfactory on Twitter at twitter.com/Iconfactory

SLIDE 15

Iconfactory lego icons example at design.iconfactory.com/lego-icon-suite

Icon finder example at iconfinder.com/iconsets/hand-drawn-emojis

SLIDE 16

UNICODE proposals at unicode.org/emoji/proposals.html

SLIDE 17

UNICODE oversight concerns at fortune.com/2016/11/06/unicode-consortium-no-emoji

External influence at shadycharacters.co.uk/2018/11/emoji-part-4-who-owns-emoji/

Sculptmojis at collater.al/en/sculptmojis-ben-fearnley

SLIDE 19

Emoji counts at emoji-counts.com

SLIDE 20

Emojitracker at emojitracker.com

SLIDE 21

Ideas for African emoji designs at businessinsider.co.za/african-emoji-we-would-like-to-see-2018-9

Madam & Eve's New South African emojis at mg.co.za/cartoon/2015-10-02-new-sa-emojis

SLIDE 22

Oju Africa launches the first black emoji sticker at npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/25/388945510/african-emoji-ceo-apple-missed-the-whole-point-with-its-diverse-emojis

SLIDE 23

Afro emoji sticker launch at buzzfeednews.com/article/monicamark/xx-emojis-only-nigerians-will-understand

SLIDE 24

ZA emojis at zaemoji.co.za

SLIDE 25

Zouzoukwa platform at zouzoukwa.notion.site/The-App-dda960d90ef64f579f24d1aea9ba62a8

Zouzoukwa app at play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=apps.oplerou.zouzoukwa

Zouzoukwa on Instagram at instagram.com/zouzoukwa_/?hl=en

O’Pleuro on Twitter at twitter.com/OPlerou

SLIDE 26

Younglings research on WhatsApp stickers at docs.google.com/document/d/1bsEuquI3p6pSdi5jvcXJBiKUNhl-PiVnqTnV7Na-YiE/edit#heading=h.9zcqnmu0zw1y

SLIDE 34

Shushmoji mock-up WhatsApp conversations examples at createwith.net/shushmoji_FAQ.html and za.pinterest.com/createwithcapetown/shushmojis/

SLIDE 37

Shushmoji usability testing Google form at docs.google.com/forms/d/1rSPrt-KkLABoErsy-fOpxEH7BI0gRCjuRifMl6ZwQ2E/edit

SLIDE 42

My slideshare account at slideshare.net/TravisNoakes

Saturday, 6 April 2019

My Cursed Referencing = Google Scholar citation imports + legacy Refworks

A cautionary tale for researchers using legacy Refworks and importing citations via Google Scholar (hint: it's not a "shortcut").

The Academic Referencing Horror Story- a neglected genre?

There seems to be a dearth of blogposts that share academic referencing disasters in detail. This should not be surprising, since all the role-players in such dramas have little to gain from sharing their time-sucking examples: Scholarly search engines and referencing software conceal their flaws within legalese and support departments. Institutions will not spotlight their limitations in offering minimal support. Academics' reputations may suffer for sharing referencing mistakes. Even students who share their frustrations and experiences publicly (i.e. via tweets) seem to lack the motivation for elaborating these into lengthier narratives (e.g. a twitter roll). Further, since the costs are paid by the "free time" and suffering of individuals, there seems to be "no need" for systemic interventions that might address the attendant losses of scholars' time and morale.

On the flipside, students and researchers who lack examples of what to avoid MUST be widely repeating the errors of their peers, surely? This may range from colleagues within a particular university to software users globally whose experiences of a service's functionality differs from its promises. Just, maybe, the downside of sharing academic referencing horror stories SHOULD not trump the importance of providing important learnings for online audiences?!

In the spirit of being transparent about such disasters for others to avoid similar suffering, here's 'My Cursed Referencing'. It compiles key incidents with a cast of fellow researchers, an Apple laptop running Microsoft Word 2010, Google Scholar, Refworks Legacy and ProQuest versions plus support, the University of Cape Town, plus yours-victim-truly.

MY CURSED REFERENCING

The internet was just becoming a thing when I completed my MA thesis using Claris Works in 1997, so I was pretty much an online referencing virgin when I returned to university 12 years later. In terms of this type of software, Refworks seemed the obvious choice. It was offered as a free tool at UCT and seemed easy to access and use. Besides, which PhD candidate can prioritise the time to: (i) research the universe of referencing software and compare their upsides and downsides, (ii) check they will install on Mac and integrate well with his or her university library's back-end, plus (iii) investigate if the support post-purchase will be sound? Doing the PhD reading on 'Diffusion Model of Innovation' and 'Concerns Based Adoption Model' was daunting enough, thanks...

The Unknown Evil of using Google Scholar exports for creating a bibliography

If Google Scholar valued 'Don't Be Evil', its 'import reference' function would be labelled 'import an (in)complete reference' as a fair warning. A bibliography made up of such exports for recent journal articles may well be accurate and complete. BUT should your sources range across old books, scholarly dissertations and online sources, be vigilant. Your citations are probably incomplete AND imported in the wrong format (i.e. a 'book section' can be indexed as a 'journal article' by default).

Evils is Even (bad things come in twos)

I was alerted to this conundrum after presenting a draft of 'Capital meets Capabilities' to the Technology in Education Postgraduate Researchers group in January, 2018. A senior researcher observed, 'You didn't generate your references with software'. Stunned, I answered that indeed I had. After requesting that he highlight the errors in my bibliography, I was mortified to see copious redlining that highlighted many of my references missing information...

This was horrific, because of the time it must take to correct. I was preparing my thesis for submission in early February and could ill afford prioritising additional work. My legacy Refworks database had around 1,600 references in it. If I used 1,200 of those in my thesis and 1,000 required correction with six minutes for finding the missing information, I would need to find 100 hours to fix this giant mistake.

On a related note, my main supervisor flagged another major citation evil. The particular Harvard referencing style I had used (since my BAFA Hons in '94, ahem) might be flagged as 'outdated' by external reviewers. They might prefer me to use one of the other nine Harvard styles. Prof. Marion Walton recommended that I shift to the American Psychological Association, which has just one style. It's widely used in Media Studies, so would also prove useful in developing articles from my PhD. In response, I learnt this new style and restyled my in-line citations.

Enter ProQuest Refworks, enter light (yellow)?

By default, the UCT off-campus login (see Figure 1) points to the old version of Refworks . The option to upgrade was listed in a tiny box on the top right of Legacy Refworks (see Figure 2). I clicked on this link to find out what had changed...

Figure 1. Screenshot of UCT off campus login at https://login.ezproxy.uct.ac.za/menu shows Refworks' high salience.

Figure 2. Screenshot of the Legacy Refworks screen, which shows the low salience of its top left link to ProQuest Refworks.

Probably the most helpful change for my purposes was that the Legacy Refworks did not flag incomplete citations. By contrast, ProQuest Refworks did this in yellow for essential and blue for optional information. This proved helpful for Lungile Madela and I as we worked through correcting my Refworks database in one week.

Exported references with Missing Parts

We had taken considerable care to ensure each reference was as complete as it could be, but some references became incomplete on export. For example, the PhD and Masters dissertations (in which we tried variations for 'Faculty' and 'Degree' under the 'thesis' type) would not display all their information under the citation view, nor in the exported bibliography. At the time, the only UCT specialist who could advise on a workaround was on leave. I did learn from ProQuest Refworks support that the university and type of degree are not mapped from the old database into the new one. So, I did a *. search for all thesis entries, then manually cut-and-pasted the correct version of each citation into my bibliography. This points again to the importance of understanding the constraints of the referencing software you use, versus what it does.

The Disconnected Bibliography of the Damned

Another important constraint existed in my use of an old version of Microsoft Word that did not support the use a ProQuest Refworks add-in. In particular, it automatically generates a bibliography from in-line citations. By contrast, read-through the bibliography to remove sources that had become irrelevant. I then passed my thesis through Reciteworks, a free APA and Harvard citations checker. It proved super-useful for matching in-line citations with the bibliography and also identifying stylistic errors to fix.

The Summoning of my Legacy Refworks database and its Zombie Citations

I eventually had to update to the latest version of Word for handling my large thesis file (Word 2010 crashed repeatedly while I combined all chapters into a thesis). After submitting it, I started to use the Refworks Citation Manager for manuscripts from my thesis and the 'online academic bullies and mobs' project. This add-in worked well for me until a 'new projects' functionality upgrade was launched. Projects are a better way for organising references at a high-level; rather than showing all of them at once, one can associate a Word document with a particular project's references. I split my projects into two; one for cyberbullies, the other for my 'Inequality in Digital Personas' PhD.

Figure 3. The ProQuest Refworks add-in for Microsoft Word shows old folders from my Legacy Refworks database.

At last on the leading edge of referencing technology, an unexpected downside was that my'PhD' project combined with my UCT proxy access to summon the Legacy Refworks database's return. The project's old database did not reflect the new folders, citations and corrected references in my ProQuest Refworks database. Thankfully, Rich and Jay from its support portal were very helpful in organising my Legacy Refworks database's deletion.

I sincerely hope that there will be no further episodes of 'My Cursed Referencing', but commit to writing a sequel post if they do... Here's to helping others avoid or overcome similar predicaments.

Monday, 25 May 2015

Replacing a MacBook Air battery in Cape Town (and solving an NVivo for Mac 10 software license issue)

Written mostly for MacBook Air users in Cape Town and NVivo for Mac 10 users anywhere.

After replacing my MacBook Air's hard-drive, the next project to support its longevity was battery replacement. Mine was lasting just two hours, a far cry from the initial nine. Apple recommends that battery replacement be done via an authorised service provider. Although online tutorials suggest that is perfectly feasible to do a MacBook Air battery replacement oneself, EveryMac has identified difficulties in sourcing batteries of sufficient quality for post-2009 models.

Since I required speedy and safe replacement in a later model, I followed Apple's advice: Digicape Cape Town were prompt to respond with a quote after I provided them my MacBook Air's serial number. A battery (from Europe) plus installation came to just over R 3,100, including VAT. Although not cheap, the peace-of-mind this provided seemed well worth such expense: Digicape did an MRI/Apple system diagnostic to confirm the fault and to validate the order. After confirming the quote, it took just three days for the battery to arrive. I then dropped off my laptop and the replacement took just over an hour.

A surprising benefit of this replacement was fixing an NVivo for Mac 10 software issue: I was using this qualitative research software to code 25 journalist transcriptions for South Africa's contribution to the 'Journalistic ethics and work practices in conflict societies’ MeCoDEM project teamwork. After installing NVivo 10.2 and running the software, it showed the error message: 'Your NVivo license has been cancelled', then 'Your NVivo license has expired'. After QSR Support fixed this via a remote help session, I was surprised to experience the same error a few days later. The options under the licensing menu were all low-lighted, so there was no way to enter my institution's registration key to authorise the software. With an NVivo project file submission deadline looming, this repeat problem was a potential showstopper...

In messaging a QSR technician during the second fix, he recommended that I get my laptop's CMOS battery checked. When the laptop runs out of battery, CMOS behaves as a backup of the system's date and time. If the CMOS is faulty or not working the time gets set to default which was likely to cause the expiration and cancellation of one's license. Post-battery replacement, I am pleased to say that I have not experienced this problem again, so I'm hoping his explanation is optimal!

Monday, 4 May 2015

Extend a MacBook Air's life by upgrading it with an SSD drive from Other World Computing

After nearly four years, my MacBook Air seemed nearing the end of its lifespan. Despite using MacPaw’s CleanMyMac to clear unwanted files and Gemini to identify and remove duplicates, it had become impossible to keep the recommended 15% free diskspace available (or 36GB of 240). My MacBook's performance seemed to be slowing and less reliable.

An important benefit of Mac's high-quality hardware is its longevity, but there is minimal support in South Africa for Apple users having more than basic maintenance done (such as upgrading existing hardware). Apple's laptop design focus is on making them attractive, disposable consumables, but providing lighter, thinner options is being done to hackability's detriment. Local Mac consumers are only afforded the option of buying-up {with a trade-in, if lucky}; I could not find any Cape Town company promoting Apple laptop upgrades. Apple's sole South African authorised distributor, The Core Group, has a history of uncompetitive, exorbitant pricing and I was surprised that no local companies promote reasonably priced upgrades. Given the steeply-priced new options available via The Core Group's monopoly, there must be a market need for upgrades that is not being met.

In the absence of local upgrade support, I explored the import options: Other World Computing's (OWC) online store was prominent in Google search for the wide range of Mac upgrade and expansion products it offers. OWC's Mercury Aura Pro SSD and Envoy storage solution upgrade kit promised an impressive upgrade solution that would almost double my hard drive’s space (to just under 480GB), while increasing my laptop's speed up to three times (to 570 MB/S). It's not an inexpensive solution; around R4,050 ($338), which includes US shipping, and R625 on SA Post Office collection. Add in one's time, travel and related additional expenses, this could easily sum up above R 6,000. Still, that's much, much less than a new MacBookAir!

Before ordering, I checked out the installation video to see that I could install the Mercury Aura Pro SSD easily (given that I am far from being a computer technician). It looked to be simple and after collecting my order, the extraction-and-installation process went very smoothly. It took the ten minutes suggested for laptop memory card replacement. Next, I moved the old storage to an external OWC Envoy USB holder. Again, OWC's thorough guidance, this time in a brochure, was easy and quick to follow.

The next phase was to migrate my previous Mac OS X settings and files to the new drive, which took just over a day... I restarted my Macbook Air in a mode to re-install Yosemite. This clean install necessitated downloading OS X {24 hours via entry-level ADSL}, followed by a migration process to import my data {2 hours}. I then ran a software update and repaired the new drive's disk permissions {2 hours} as advised.

This left just four minor issues to sort out;

1. Microsoft Office required a Java download and re-entry of its product key to launch;
2. I logged out of Google Drive and resynchronised it so that it could re-locate its local files;
3. I reinstalled my Canon printer's core driver;

4. Backup failed, so Disk Repair's verify-and-repair option was used to fix the back-up drive.

After checking my most heavily used applications and some recent files, I am pleased to report that OWC's marketing promises were spot-on. My hard-drive now affords a capacity of 478GB (much, much more than the latest Mac Air laptop's 256GB!), my laptop starts faster and its speed seems far more responsive. I'm hoping that the enhanced durability of an SSD drive adds a few years before laptop replacement is necessary.

Hopefully, this post helps confirm to local Mac users that it is possible to save money by taking the initiative to do upgrades. This reduces one's frequency of laptop consumption and can add to those examples helping make 'green computing' somewhat less of an oxymoron.

Monday, 17 December 2012

11 points to improve iTunes (versions 11.2 and beyond)

Written for Apple iTune's developers and their future users.

iTunes 11 featured many improvements from version 10. Coming soon after a version 11.1 update, here's my eleven points worth on improving aspects of the user's experience (which I just submitted to the iTunes team on http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html):

1. Add functionality to import wishlists from one's previous iTunes Store.

For those customers moving from one country's iTunes Store to a newly-opened one, consider providing them with the ability to copy their wish-list from their original Store to the new. In the ideal world, these could even be cross-linked; highlighting which content is only available in a particular iTunes Store.

2. Make artist labeling more idiot-proof.

What is the difference between 'Fleetwood Mac' and 'Fleetwood Mac '? Well, one hard to spot space at the end of the name, that's what. And these are then considered "different artists". There are more easy to spot variations, such as; 'The Jacksons', 'The Jackson 5' and 'Jackson 5', but which is the best option to replace all names with? It would be useful if iTunes could help prevent duplicate artists popping up by flagging commonly misnamed ones and suggesting the 'official spelling'. {Also, where names are duplicated, how about a 'country' tag to differentiate them?}

3. Multiple lines for artist names.

In cutting-and-pasting, I noticed by mistake that one can enter a paragraph-long entry for an artist's name? Not sure who uses this, but if it's as useless as it looks like, please remove the multiple lines option for an artist's name. Or let me know what it's for, ta?

4. Provide an override for auto-corrects to artist album or names

While iPhone auto-corrects can be hilarious (as proved on http://www.damnyouautocorrect.com/), it's not so funny when every time you try and correct an incorrectly-named-album-or-artist and it just keeps defaulting to the prior, incorrect name. The work-around of typing the correct entry in another field and copying-and-pasting it into the correct field is a bit of a schlep. So, please give users like me an override option, thanks.

5. One step forward, two scrolls back.

I'm unusually detailed (yes, that's the nice way of saying it) in wanting accurately-defined iTunes song labels and recently spent a few hours ensuring my artist list didn't feature 'one hit wonders', et al., so that I could readily select the more prolific using the 'Music > Artists' view. However, this was a time-consuming process; after changing a song or multiple songs' information, I was bumped back to the start of my Music Library and returning back to where I was could take a few scrolls or keystrokes. So, kindly give the user an option to stay where they are, after making changes to song information, too.

6. Suggest a shortcut.

The shortcut to quickly move through the 'Music > Artists' view is to 1. select an Artist's name, 2. Press down the shift key, immediately followed by the artist's name's letter(s) i.e. TKZ. It would be very helpful to highlight shortcut tips where I selected the same style of operation via the long keyboard way round! {And while you're at it, how about a shortcut function to quickly navigate through album titles?}

7. Please can I hide that artist, song, album or whatever?

In going through my iTunes song list, I was shocked and amazed to discover that it featured a remix of a Paris Hilton tune and some song by that woman-beating Chris Brown… or other. And then there was even Blondie's "Greatest Hits". Who added that; it could't possibly have been me :) ! As an alternative to deleting them, how can I prevent my (few) hipster, synth-playing friends spotting those trashy tunes and ridiculing my terrible taste? Well, I can't until iTunes gives me an option to hide them…

8. Where is that playing from?

While iTunes gives you great access to a range of media, the flipside is that it's sometimes hard to remember where you've been and to easily get back to what you're currently playing. Especially if it was viewed via the 'Music > Artists > In the Store' route and one's subsequently moved into the deep recesses of your Music Library. It'd be neat to have a show 'Currently playing in the iTunes Store' shortcut.

9. A best-practice user guide

In adding new music to iTunes from non-iTunes Store sources, it'd be useful to have an online reference showcasing the best ways to: title a single versus an album; assign a song to multiple artists, etc.

10. A 'request that song' function

I was searching for Qkumba Zoo's 'Cloud Eyes' under the South African iTunes Store and it wasn't available. It would be useful if I could add items that aren't currently in the store to my wish list, as a variety of 'back-order'.

11. More user-friendly network error messaging

Coming from a bandwidth-constrained, developing-world country, I'd appreciate better error-messaging around network issues. While 'Can't access the iTunes store' is accurate, it doesn't give the user much to act on. For example, warning the user not to 'simultaneously stream music, download songs and order new ones' would be more so...

N.B. Apple's iTunes team don't normally provide individuals with feedback, but I'll add it as a comment to this post, if they do.

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