What Did the Voice of Neanderthals, Our Distant Cousins, Sound Like?: Scientists Demonstrate Their “High Pitch” Theory Open Culture by Dan Colman Scholars have made informed, educated guesses at what Shakespeare sounded like in the original pronunciation. The same applies to what Old Norse sounded like from the 9th through the 13th centuries. And even to Beowulf read in … Read more
This week, the CASTAC community received the sad news that (founding CASTAC member) Professor David Hakken had passed away. Former Platypus Editor Patricia Lange shares reflections on his life and work in a new introduction to an interview with him on big data from 2013. Please join us in remembering and honoring him. http://blog.castac.org/2016/05/david-hakken/ … Read more
The haunting picture shared during the Nepal earthquake This was one of the most shared photos in the wake of the Nepal earthquake in April. It’s not a fake, but misleading nonetheless. Labelled as showing a “two-year-old sister protected by four-year-old brother in Nepal”, it was shared across Facebook and Twitter and prompted calls for … Read more
Twitter and Google are reportedly launching their own version of “Instant Articles” Nieman Journalism Lab by Joseph Lichterman Google and Twitter are joining the growing group of tech companies looking to optimize publishers’ content for mobile devices. This fall, the two companies are planning an launching an open-source product that’s similar to Facebook’s Instant Articles, Recode’s … Read more
Most popular programming languages shift at Github Boing Boing by Rob Beschizza Driven by the web and Android, Javascript and Java reign. Ruby and C lose ground. PHP lumbers on, impervious. Somewhere in the distance, a Perl script barks mournfully. Wargames-style map shows ongoing internet attacks Boing Boing by Rob Beschizza The Norse Map is a Wargames-style … Read more
The value of the witness: How the London attacks changed the news Mashable! by Colin Daileda The night after the deadliest peace-time attack on London, the BBC led its 6 p.m. newscast with a shaky video of screaming commuters, an ambulance siren howling in the background Twitter’s new article preview cards could be a boost for publishers … Read more
—– http://news.stanford.edu/news/2015/may/academic-council-teaching-050115.htmlStanford Report, May 1, 2015 Academic Council considers role of technology in teaching and learning The role of technology in teaching and learning was the focus of President John Hennessy’s annual address to the Academic Council on Thursday. Also announced was the upcoming 2015-16 Year of Learning, which will spur discussion about teaching, learning … Read more
Obama: Breakthrough in Iran nuclear talks will ‘make our world safer’ Iran and six world powers have announced an understanding outlining limits on Iran‘s nuclear program so it cannot lead to atomic weapons, directing negotiators toward achieving a comprehensive agreement within three months See also: Netanyahu drops ‘Game of Thrones’ during Congress speech on … Read more
VIDEO: Greek campaigning ends ahead of vote BBC News | Europe | World Edition The BBC’s Chris Morris reports from a Syriza rally in Crete as campaigning in Greece’s general election comes to an end. Syriza ‘to end Greece‘s humiliation’ BBC News | Europe | World Edition The leader of Greek anti-austerity party Syriza says an end … Read more
Zora Neale Hurston, The Making of an Anthropologist Savage Minds: Notes and Queries in Anthropology — A Group Blog by Irma McClaurin Little did Zora know that moving to New York from Washington, DC, where she was a student at Howard University, would forever change the trajectory of her life. When Zora landed in Harlem, she … Read more
Northern Ireland’s incomplete peace: young feminists speak out open Democracy News Analysis – by Claire Pierson and Maria Deiana Organising around a belief in feminism’s ability to articulate and represent visions of peace and politics, a new generation of feminists is emerging to challenge the traditional rigidity of Northern Irish politics. Pipes for South Stream … Read more
Bitcoin, The Beginning Of Open Source Governance? Falkvinge on Infopolicy – Discussions on information policy and civil liberties by Nozomi Hayase Quality Legislation – Nozomi Hayase: In my previous article on this site, “Bitcoin, Open Source Movement for Decentralized Future”, among many other issues I addressed some concern about the existence of early adopters and this apparent … Read more
Last week I heard the news that Sony quits selling e-readers. I have been using a Sony reader for more than 6 years now. I have also used Nook for 2 years and tried Kindle. Sony’s is not the best design, and it does not have some juicy accessories but none other brands can challenge it. I suspect because … Read more