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- Written by Bob DeLaurentis Bob DeLaurentis
Q. Is there a dictionary for Emoji?
A. What a delightful question. There is not just a dictionary, but an entire encyclopedia! Point any web browser to Emojipedia (emojipedia.org), your one-stop shop for all things emoji.
While many people know about emojis, fewer people know there is a constantly changing universe surrounding emojis.
New emojis are added regularly, and illustrations for existing emoji characters change over time. For example, a recent change to the syringe character removed the red drops suggesting blood, expanding the usefulness of the syringe to communicate about vaccines.
These kinds of changes are documented on Emojipedia. Emojipedia is a labor of love founded by one person, Jeremy Burge, who refers to himself as the chief emoji officer of Emojipedia. Burge’s site contains a wealth of information, both current and historic.
There is a searchable index of character descriptions, character lists grouped by occasion, news, release schedules, and much more.
The visual style of an illustration for each emoji character varies. A smiley face looks one way on an iPhone and a different way on a Google phone. Some software companies also develop their own interpretation of the emoji character set.
Personal computing has come a long way from ASCII marks like :) to denote a sideways smile. Today, the right emoji can add depth and meaning to any text.
Q. Are smartphone chargers interchangeable? Can I reuse my existing charger with a new device?
A. The easy answer is sort of, but not always. Read on to get the whole story.
The power-charger tale mirrors many other stories in tech. Some things get better. Some things get worse. And there is plenty of confusion to maximize the suspense.
It does appear that the days of finding a power charger in the smartphone box are numbered. What was once considered a necessity is now an accessory.
Besides quality, the difference between chargers comes down to two things: the USB connector and the power capacity.
You will need a cable that matches the connectors on the adapter and your phone. When it comes to power, a little larger is better than a little too small. Your device will only draw the amount it requires. Reusing an older charger is fine if it is powerful enough.
The latest technology in power adapters is gallium nitride, usually abbreviated GaN. These adapters tend to be smaller and more powerful than previous chargers. Some of them are powerful enough to handle a Chromebook or a couple of phones at the same time. Unfortunately they require USB-C.
If you need a suggestion for your new smartphone charger, the Anker Nano II 45-watt charger is a great choice.
One word of caution: Avoid the temptation to go for a bargain-priced power adapter. Safety margins matter. Even a well-designed, high-quality adapter can develop problems. Bargain-priced adapters are no bargain in the long run.
Q. I have enjoyed playing the piano all my life. Now that I am retired, I would love to teach music. Is there a way to find students online?
A. There are services that allow people to create online courses and make them available for sale, including Teachable, Udemy, and Skillshare, just to name a few.
Typically these services take a hefty percentage of sales in exchange for hosting the course. In addition to knowledge about the topic itself, you will need some basic skills in creating video and navigating a website to set up a course.
These sites have the potential to build a following, but with dozens of courses in every subject area competing for attention, building a course that can stand out among the crowd is difficult.
There is also a site dedicated to music instruction called Lessonface. Unlike the services above, Lessonface connects teachers and students for live lessons over the internet. This model is much closer to traditional fee-per-hour tutoring, utilizing the internet for video calls.
Lessonface fees are far lower when a teacher finds a student directly, which is great for instructors who already have active students and want the option to provide services online.
While they are still a bit on the techie side of things to use, I think these services can be a wonderful way for retirees to share their knowledge with others.
Bob has been writing about technology for over three decades. He can be contacted at techtalk@bobdel.com.