What do 24,000 ideas look like? Ecologist Eric Berlow and physicist Sean Gourley apply algorithms to the entire archive of TEDx Talks, taking us on a stimulating visual tour to show how ideas connect globally.
via Eric Berlow and Sean Gourley: Mapping ideas worth spreading | Video on TED.com.
The Toronto Public Library has just given another reason to love having a library card, and to enjoy this benefit you won’t even need to leave your house. TPL has partnered with leading digital newsstand provider Zinio to give members access to digital magazines for free.
Read the full story: Toronto Public Library now offers free digital magazines | BlogTO.
“Toronto, September 17, 2013 – Kobo, a global leader in eReading, and Free The Children, today announced a year-long partnership focused on supporting literacy among Aboriginal youth in Canada. Both organizations share a commitment to making Reading more accessible and are working together to support literacy programs in Aboriginal communities across the country. Kobo has donated 3,500 of its award-winning Kobo Touch™ eReaders as well as $100,000 to develop a program designed to cultivate a love and passion for reading. The program includes a speaking tour to educate youth about literacy in Aboriginal communities and encourage them to explore their own culture through digital reading.”
The Full Story: Kobo and Free the Children Partner to Advance Literacy of Aboriginal Youth Across Canada | Kobo Cafe.
In less than a week Ladies Learning Code is hosting the first annual National “Learn to Code” Day!
On September 21, 2013 over 450 learners across Canada will attend simultaneous HTML & CSS workshops in nine cities across the country, plus more will join us for our first-ever online workshop!
On National “Learn to Code” Day, we’ll teach our ever-popular Intro to HTML & CSS workshop – by the end of the day, you will have created your very own beautiful one-page website like this one! Even better, you’ll learn highly valuable skills that you’ll be able to continue developing at home, at work or at school.
via Join us on National Learn to Code Day September 21st! | Ladies Learning to Code!
A new patent suggests that Apple may add text-to-speech functionality to its Notes app, specifically for communicating in a different language.
The feature will translate text into a desired language, and then convert that text to speech that can then be read aloud. Any integration with Siri is unclear.
The translation feature will be listed as another option from the pop up menu — along with cut, copy and paste — that currently shows up on the iPhone upon selecting a particular phrase.
Google Translate for the iPhone currently offers a similar functionality. The app reads an English word or phrase in a different language of your choice.
A Notes integration could potentially prove much more useful, with key phrases like “How do I get to the train station?” available in different languages at the ready.
via Apple Patent Hints at Text-to-Speech Translation for Notes | Mashable.
Working in a creative industry often means that you need to present your work on a global stage, using an attractive and professional platform. A great portfolio can help you land clients while building your brand and network, so it’s essential to get it right.
However, creating a beautiful, functional portfolio can be complicated and time-consuming, especially if you have no prior design or coding knowledge. Not to worry — there are plenty of online tools that can help you get your portfolio up and running in no time.
Tools reviewed:
We were able to visualize the percentage of total commits in a given quarter for the top 16 programming languages from 1993 until today. We hope you’ll find this image—a provocative pattern of dips and spikes—to be as interesting as we do. It truly shows how dynamic the world of programming is. We’ve also included a few graphs on other interesting data points: total number of languages by year, average lines of code per commit, and tracking which languages influenced the development of others.
via A Visual History Of The Last 20 Years Of Open Source Code | ReadWrite.
Hyperform is a new strategy for designing and printing large objects irrespective of a printer’s bed size. So not only can you print out that chair at home, you can also print a table, bed frame, and everything else you need to furnish a bedroom.
Read all about it: MIT Researchers Unveil A New, Smarter Way To 3-D Print | Co.Design | business + design.
Discover our new infographic about 3D printing and the future of manufacturing. It’s time to find your way in a 3.0 material world !
via Infographic: 3D Printing is the Future of Manufacturing | Sculpteo Blog.
infophile 