The Internet map
The map of the Internet Like any other map, The Internet map is a scheme displaying objects’ relative position; but unlike real maps (e.g. the map of the Earth) or virtual maps (e.g. the map of Mordor), the objects shown on it are not aligned on a surface. Mathematically speaking, The Internet map is a bi-dimensional presentation of links between websites on the Internet. Every site is a circle on the map, and its size is determined by website traffic, the larger the amount of traffic, the bigger the circle. Charges and springs To draw an analogy from classical physics, one may say that websites are electrically charged bodies, while links between them are springs. Also, an analogy can be drawn from quantum physics. Anyway, the real algorithm of plotting The Internet map is quite far from the analogies given above. Semantic web The map of the Internet is a photo shot of the global network as of end of 2011 (however, baloons show actual statistics from Alexa). The Internet Phenomenon
$1,000 for the Cheapest Surface?
Consider this the second time that we have heard rumbles concerning the pricing of Microsoft’s Surface line of tablets. Also, consider this the second time that pricing news concerning the Surface has been bad. Today the world of Microsoft reporting is buzzing with the news from a Swedish website that listed prices for all four coming Surface models, covering both the RT and Pro editions. Now, to put those prices into dollars, the cheapest tablet is $1,001. Over on NeoWin, a good place to read comments to see what the Microsoft enthusiast community is thinking, has some choice commentary from its readers concerning the above pricing. If this pricing is true then I guess I won’t be getting one afterall. Dead on launch at that pricing [...] Way too expensive. Yikes. Microsoft has promised that its Surface machines will be roughly price competitive with two market points: other ARM tablets for the RT machine, and around ultrabook pricing for the Pro version. Top Image Credit: ImagineCup
LessonNote - A lesson study classroom observation app for iPad
Facebook Meets College Apps with Mission Admission
Teaching Strategies By Nathan Maton Games and Facebook: We know those are two sure-fire ways of getting kids’ attention. Combine them, and you might have a tool to motivate low-income high-schoolers to apply to college. That’s the premise, anyway, for launching Mission Admission — to help students who don’t know what steps to take to get in the college application game. “These kids didn’t know what kinds of classes they should be spending their time on or basic vocabulary like what is a letter of recommendation,” said Tracy Fullerton, a USC professor and the lead game designer on the Mission Admission project about students she worked with, during a seminar at the recent SXSW conference. The process of applying for college is already a game, Fullerton says. The process of applying for college is already a game. In Mission Admission, you play a different student every week applying for the same school.
Videos to help you rethink education, learning, & school
Having children causes one to (re)think seriously about education and the role of school. Education obviously is the most powerful thing in the world. And yet the old Mark Twain chestnut — "I never let school get in the way of my education" — speaks to the core of my own thinking regarding education. I am not an expert in education by any means, but like almost everyone, I have strong ideas based on my personal experiences going through formal, mass schooling. Personally, the best years where I learned the most and was inspired to study and learn on my own were surely the six years of elementary school, and then university and graduate school. One thing I am sure of is that while listening carefully to teachers (and to the masters, etc.) is important, the real learning requires lots and lots of doing, not just listening. Seth Godin on EducationIn this short interview, Seth Godin sums up the essence of the problem. Dr. Presentation tips for teachers (Never give a boring lecture again!)
Reluctance and Technology Integration
One of the questions I am often asked in interviews for technology positions is how I would approach dealing with faculty members who are reluctant to embrace or integrate technology in their lessons. First, I think it’s an excellent question, and my answer to it says a lot about how well I would be able to work with faculty. It is a question to which any good technology integration specialist should have a good answer at the ready. Before I tell you what I think, however, it bears saying that I think a healthy skepticism of technology is not a bad thing. I have seen tools adopted simply because they will add technology to a lesson. I personally feel technology has two propositions to answer before it should be adopted for integration in a lesson/class/school/activity: Will it make it easier to do what I’m trying to do? Having said that, sometimes a learning curve is wrongly interpreted as making something more difficult to do. You are essential to the presentation.
venomous porridge - The Unprecedented Audacity of the iBooks Author EULA
Apple just released iBooks Author, a free Mac app for creating digital books for the new version of iBooks. I haven’t played with it much, but so far it looks like a very good tool. However, a curious thing happens when you go to export your work in iBooks format: This restriction — that iBooks can be sold only in the iBookstore — isn’t enforced on a technical level. But if you look at the end-user license agreement (EULA) for iBooks Author, accessible via the app’s About box, the following bold note appears at the top: IMPORTANT NOTE: If you charge a fee for any book or other work you generate using this software (a “Work”), you may only sell or distribute such Work through Apple (e.g., through the iBookstore) and such distribution will be subject to a separate agreement with Apple. And in section 2: B. In other words: Apple is trying to establish a rule that whatever I create with this application, if I sell it, I have to give them a cut. Here’s the problem: I didn’t agree to it.
‘iBooks Author’ Hits The Mac App Store, Aims To Revolutionise Textbook Authoring
Amongst Apple’s many education-focused announcements today was another called “iBooks Author.” The new app, (available from the Mac App Store for FREE), aims to revolutionise the way digital textbooks are authored for mobile platforms, allowing both authors and publishers access to an easy-to-use, “drag and drop”-controlled interface for laying out their textbook offerings. Supporting multi-touch gestures, 3D models, and more, Apple may have just taken textbooks to the next level: Now anyone can create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books, and more for iPad. All you need is an idea and a Mac. Start with one of the Apple-designed templates that feature a wide variety of page layouts. Features Apple warns that although the software should work out the box, publishers looking to include Keynote widgets in their textbooks will require Keynote ’09 (v5.1.1 or later). Grab your copy of iBooks Author from the Mac App Store, today. Daily Updates
