MegaBytes

In my last column, I reviewed some of the many productivity and creativity apps available for the iPad. This time I'll continue my look at iPad pads, but this time I'll shift the focus to the less serious.

Maps and Directions

Thanks to its wifi and (in some models) wireless 3G connectivity, the iPad is location aware -- it knows where you are. And there are several apps that take advantage of this capability. Two of the best known are Google Earth and Maps apps, both free.

Google Earth is gorgeous on any computer, but on the iPad it achieves a tactile dimension as well. Being able to twirl the globe with your fingers, or pinch to zoom can make you feel like a god gazing down on his or her creation. 

Should cetaceans--ocean-dwelling mammals such as whales and dolphins--be kept at the Vancouver Aquarium? That question was on a lot of minds last week as the Vancouver Park Board debated--and defeated--a motion to hold a city-wide referendum next year on whether to phase out cetaceans in captivity in Vancouver parks (effectively, the aquarium which is located in Stanley Park).

It's a controversial issue, with some people arguing that since cetaceans are intelligent mammals, it is akin to slavery to put them on exhibit, while others say that having the whales and dolphins at the Aquarium has educational, research and environmental awareness value. The five whales and three dolphins also draw the largest crowds to the aquarium, and thus contribute to the facility’s bottom line.

Quick: what multisyllable word is associated with the spirit of South Africa? No, it’s not vuvuzela, that love-it-or-hate-it horn that provided a soundtrack for the World Cup, but “ubuntu,” a Bantu term for “humanity to others.” Ubuntu is also the name of -- and philosophy behind -- the most popular desktop variant of the Linux operating system.

Linux was originally developed by a Finnish programmer named Linus Torvalds and is based on UNIX, the open source operating system that’s been used on mainframes and minicomputers for decades (Linux = Linus + Unix). It's used in web servers, appliances, phones and cars, and runs both Google and Wikipedia. In the consumer operating system market though, it occupies a perennial third place, with only two percent of the market share for desktop operating systems.

As I write this on the afternoon of June 30, the weather forecast for Canada Day is looking somewhat iffy. So, if it turns out to be rainy and cold tomorrow, you can still celebrate our country's birthday in patriotic style, thanks to the National Film Board and the iPad.

Yesterday the NFB released "NFB Films for iPad", a free app that is currently topping the iPad charts on the iTunes store. The app (also available for the iPhone, but the small screen size does not do justice to the films) allows you to stream hundreds of NFB films, both short and long, famous and obscure, free of charge. If you can't watch a film immediately, you can save it for up to 48 hours, in case you'll be out of range of a wifi network when you do want to watch it (the app can't stream over cell phone networks). So instead of shivering in the rain watching fireworks, just curl up on the couch with a glass of B.C. wine and your iPad and watch some classic Canadian films.