Facial recognition software is fascinating. Software, be it on a computer, or as an app on a smartphone which can capture an individual’s likeness and recognize who the individual is, often is expensive, does not work, or the technology is owned by another. Two Cornell undergraduate students, Brian Harding and Cat Jubinski, have just taken the wrap off their project which dispels the aforementioned notions associated with facial recognition systems. Read more »
As children, those with children, and star gazers everywhere, a planetarium is a magical place. The theater-style structure concerning all things astronomy and the night sky, typically takes the form of a large, dome-shaped, building with a projector and screen where stars, planets, and other celestial objects are visible, even moving in a realistic fashion to simulate outer space. Read more »
If there’s one thing about Star Wars any fan would love to master, it’s the way of the Jedi. Certainly lightsaber techniques would be an amazing skill to acquire, but Jedi mind tricks? No comparison. Read more »
In 1926 Dr. Fritz Kahn created a poster of the human bodily functions, Man as Industrial Palace, based on mechanics. Dr. Kahn was famous for using mechanics metaphors to explain the workings of the human body. Dr. Fritz Kahn (1888-1968) was a gynecologist in Berlin and a world-famous popular science writer who illustrated the form and function of the human body with spectacular, modern man-machine analogies. In the 1920s, his magnum opus, “Das Leben des Menschen” (The Life of Man) – a five-volume series – was renowned as a German accomplishment of global repute. In the 1930s, his books were banned and burned by the Nazis, then edited by Kahn’s Read more »
We all have old gadgets lying around the house. Sometimes, we give them as hand me downs to family members or friends but sometimes, we just forget about them. If you are in the UK and you can relate to this, then you should consider getting rid of those gadgets and do something good while you’re at it. UK charity Computer Aid is looking for people who are willing to donate their old gadgets. They are accepting ANY kind of gadget as long as it is still working. (So yeah, forget about that desktop PC that you’ve chopped into pieces trying to make good use of its parts.) Computer Aid Read more »
Games are thought to be big distractions to learning, especially the formal kind. I recall when I was in college, I’d stay up all night playing my favorite adventure and shoot ‘em up games. Of course by the time I attend my classes, I’d be a walking zombie, with rarely anything getting through my sleepy brain. I wonder how I ever finished my degree a semester early. Now word is that some schools are actually using video games as a tool for learning. Not only are they using video games as alternative means of teaching, they are actually using video games almost exclusively in their teaching curriculum. Popular science writes Read more »
iPhones have been used as a lure for students for several years now, but it’s the first time I’ve seen such an experiment happening in the UK. A West London school is trialling the use of iPhones to aid in teaching, and good luck to them I say. A group of student volunteers have been lent iPhones and have to pay around £10 ($15) per month for the cost of calls. They are then able to use them in the classroom to aid in group discussion and learning. Thanks to the range of applications, plus access to the Internet, it’s possible to learn all manner of things via the iPhone. Read more »
Who says that geeks have no social skills at all? Well, if we were to ask the employers of the graduates of Neumont University, they would probably not hesitate to say yes. As a matter of fact, they have filed some complaints to that effect. Read more »
Then try applying to the Liverpool Hope University. They are the first in the UK, and probably the world, to offer such an academic program. Talk about geeky: the formal title of the course is a Masters Degree in The Beatles, Popular Music, and Society. So what will you be in for if you decide to pursue higher studies? The course is divided into four modules of 12 weeks each. It will cover various topics such as the postwar music industry, subcultures, as well as the significance of authenticity and locality. I suppose The Beatles are all very much part of these topics, and they will certainly be placed under Read more »
This is my kind of news! I just read that primary school pupils in the UK might be learning how to work Twitter and Wikipedia. This is according to UK MSN. The report, published today, says that “former Ofsted chief Sir Jim Rose will present recommendations for revamping the primary curriculum to ministers next month.” The reason for this? Sir Jim Rose says that children should understand the inner workings of information technology by the time they reach secondary school. Aside from Twitter and Wikipedia, he included blogging and podcasting in his list. More than this, however, he is also proposing that some history need not be required as part Read more »
