Category Archives: Technology
This Scientist Uses The New York Times Archive To Eerily, Accurately Predict The Future | Co.Exist
The New York Times might be a widely respected chronicler of past events, but can we use it to divine the future? Kira Radinsky, a 27-year-old Israeli computer prodigy dubbed the “web prophet” says yes.
Radinsky, who appeared this year on MIT’s prestigious list of top 35 inventors under the age of 35 (previous winners include the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin), and who started university at the age of 15 and received her Ph.D. in computer science at 26, has developed a unique system which she claims has already predicted the first cholera epidemic in Cuba in many decades, many of the riots that started the Arab Spring, and other important world events.
The complex computer algorithms she wrote collect immense volumes of electronic data–most notably several decades of New York Times archives but also anything from Twitter feeds to Wikipedia entries–and processes it to extract little-known cause and effect patterns that can be used to predict future events.
Red more: This Scientist Uses The New York Times Archive To Eerily, Accurately Predict The Future | Co.Exist
Which Programming Language Should I Learn First? | LifeHacker
Dear Lifehacker,
With all the buzz about learning to code, I’ve decided to give it a try. The problem is, I’m not sure where to start. What’s the best programming language for a beginner like me?
Signed,
Could-Be Coder
Dear Could-Be,
That’s probably one of the most popular questions from first-time learners, and it’s something that educators debate as well. The thing is, you can ask ten programmers what the best language is to get your feet wet with and you could get ten different answers—there are thousands of options. Which language you start with depends not only on how beginner-friendly it is, though, but also the kind of projects you want to work on, why you’re interested in coding in the first place, and perhaps also whether you’re thinking of doing this for a living. Here are some considerations and suggestions to help you decide.
Read the answer: Which Programming Language Should I Learn First? | LifeHacker?
Palette’s modular controller brings dials and sliders to your laptop (hands-on) | Engadget
Palette co-founder Calvin Chu has a problem with how people work. “Creative professionals spend so much of their time on the computer, and at the moment, they still use a very generic one-size-fits-all keyboard and mouse interface.” It doesn’t make sense, he says — photographers, gamers, film editors, musicians and accountants all using the same interface? Surely there is a better way. “It should be specialized and made for your needs, and that’s where we came up for the idea for Palette.” Palette is Chu’s answer to a world that’s discarded tactile dials and switches for keyboards, mice and touch screens. It’s a modular collection of buttons, sliders and potentiometers that can be programmed to do almost anything on your PC. We took a look at an early prototype of the customizable controller to reacquaint ourselves with the tactile world.
Read: Palette’s modular controller brings dials and sliders to your laptop (hands-on) | Engadget
Device & Conquer: SLJ’s 2013 Tech Survey | The Digital Shift
As education technology has evolved, so, too, have the kinds of digital tools that school librarians use with their students, as shown in School Library Journal’s 2013 School Technology Survey. Handheld tablets and devices are coveted items for classroom and instructional use, along with access to online sites and apps that school librarians believe can revolutionize the way they instruct—and the way students learn. More than 750 school librarians responded to SLJ’s survey, representing K–12 public and private schools across the country. According to the data, school librarians make the most of what they have, learning one day and sharing that knowledge the next. They not only make tech tools available for students and teachers, but teach them how to use the tools as well.
Read More: Device & Conquer: SLJ’s 2013 Tech Survey | The Digital Shift.
Enter into the 4th Industrial Revolution | Dassault Systemes
Readworthy: Amazon Drones News
FAA Reminds Us: The U.S. Has Approved One Commercial Drone Operator, And It’s Not Amazon | FastCompany
The federal aviation administration says it will establish drone regulations and standards in the coming years.
Amazon ‘drones’ stir up privacy concerns among lawmakers | CNET
Sen. Edward Markey says the Federal Aviation Administration needs to adopt privacy regulations before allowing services like Amazon Prime Air, which will use drones to deliver packages, to get off the ground.
Amazon drones: Bold experiment or shrewd publicity stunt? | CNET
Amazon faces a ton of hurdles when it comes to deploying delivery drones, but the idea isn’t as farfetched as it first might sound.
Amazon Prime Air drones revealed on 60 Minutes, aim to deliver in half an hour (video) | Engadget
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos took to 60 Minutes to reveal the company’s latest delivery method: drones. In what is likely a cunning reminder of the e-tailer’s upcoming Cyber Monday sales, these bots will apparently be capable of delivering packages up to five pounds (86 percent of orders are apparently less than that), with the aim of getting them to your house in under half an hour. The system is called Prime Air and the octo-copter drones, which wait, ready to deliver, at the end of conveyor belts, have a range of 10 miles. As Amazon puts it, “Putting Prime Air into commercial use will take some number of years as we advance the technology and wait for the necessary FAA rulesand regulations” and Bezos himself added in the TV segment that it won’t be before 2015 at the very earliest. While it sounds like they”ll take their time to get here (if they ever do), we’ve at least got a video of the drones in action — it’s right after the break.
Readworthy: Education & Technology, Librarianship
Education & Technology
- Twenty tips for interpreting scientific claims | nature
- Inkling’s E-Books Put the Consumer in Charge | Mashable
- The 15 Best Websites, According to Redditors | Mashable
- Striking Back Against Censorship | WordPress has a new censorship policy.
- Tech sector hiring more women, data shows… or is it? | CNET
- Apple Doesn’t Want to Pay the Feds’ E-Book Lawyer $70,000 a Week | AllThingsD
- Google building Spark, a Web-based development tool | CNET
- E-books ‘too pricey for 16-24 market’ | The Bookseller
Librarianship
- Concordia opens Mordecai Richler Reading Room | Quill & Quire
- Books are still most durable way to store information | Salon
- OverDrive Rolls Out “Netflix-like” Streaming Video Pilot for Libraries and Schools | The Digital Shift
- The Totally Awesome Way Some Libraries Are Tackling Hunger | HuffPo
- Libraries Change Lives | HuffPo
- Archive of General Wolfe’s personal letters is coming to Canada | Globe & Mail
18 Insanely Addictive Font Games | Mashable
Typography helps you engage your audience and establish a distinct, unique personality on your website. Knowing how to use fonts to build character in your design is a powerful skill, and exploring the history and use of typefaces, as well as typographic theory, can help.
But it doesn’t have to be boring. This selection of online and mobile font games will help test and expand both your knowledge and identification skills.
infophile 