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Flow, a Vancouver public art piece, is named one of best in North America

Terry Lavender
Aug 28th, 2010

Flow, a photo/media-based permanent piece installed at the new Mount Pleasant Community Centre, has been named one of the best public artworks in North America.

Flow, a photo/media-based permanent public art piece installed at the new Mount Pleasant Community Centre, has been named one of the best public artworks in North America.

Flow

Flow is the creation of Emily Carr University integrated arts assistant professor Fiona Bowie and University of British Columbia computer scientist Sidney Fels. It’s a giant, slowly changing artwork located in the community centre’s games room. 

Apps for Climate Change: Get Your Vote On!

Terry Lavender
Aug 22nd, 2010

"Save the Rain" is one of 15 entries in the B.C. government's Apps for Climate Action contest. Now it's your turn to vote for the best climate change app in the province.

Can technology help raise awareness of climate change? And if so, can it motivate people enough to make a difference?

The British Columbia government thinks so. The province’s Climate Action Secretariat, GeoBC, and Ministry of Citizens' Services teamed up to sponsor an “Apps for Climate Action Contest.” The contest challenges Canadian software developers to raise awareness of climate change and “inspire action to reduce carbon pollution by using data in new applications for the web and mobile devices,” according to the contest website (http://apps4climateaction.gov.bc.ca).

iPad in-depth

Terry Lavender
Aug 15th, 2010

The iPad is ideal for reading magazines, watching movies and many other activities. You can even tell the future or fly a plane. Photo by Stephen Shankland/CNET.

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. 

iPad in-depth: portable productivity

Terry Lavender
Aug 2nd, 2010

Contrary to rumour, you can write, edit, crunch numbers and do lots of other productive things on the iPad.

When Apple introduced the iPad earlier this year, many critics dismissed it as a "consumption device". The iPad, they said, was good for passive consumption of media -- Youtube videos, games, ebooks, music, movies and television shows. But it couldn't be used as a creative device, the critics said. They were wrong.

I've been using my iPad for over a month now. I'm writing this column on it right now. I've created artwork (not very good, but that's my lack of talent, not the limitations of the iPad), I've retouched photos, I've uploaded content to Wordpress blogs, I've diagnosed and fixed problems on desktop computers remotely, and tweaked websites. And a lot more.

Yes, I've also read books, laughed at silly cat videos on Youtube, listened to podcasts and music and played games. The iPad is great for all that. But it's also a useful, productive tool. As a bonus, even when using it for work, it's a joy to use, thanks to its touchscreen, its elegant design, its responsiveness and its sumptuous display.

Cetaceans in captivity: an SFU researcher may have a solution

Terry Lavender
Jul 24th, 2010

A young visitor watches a beluga whale at the Vancouver Aquarium. Someday soon virtual belugas could replace captive ones, says SFU researcher Steve DiPaola.

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.

Digital media students want to raise your carbon consciousness

Terry Lavender
Jul 18th, 2010

“Carbon Chaos” may sound like the name of an alternative rock band, but it’s actually a new iPhone game created by students in the Masters of Digital Media at Vancouver’s Great Northern Way Campus (GNWC). The game was developed jointly by GNWC and TransLink in a bid to raise awareness of the impact of transportation choices on the environment.

The game, which is free on the iTunes store, is an action-puzzle game. Your goal is to put passengers onto buses, cars, or bikes and send them to their destinations to earn points. Bikes carry a single person, cars carry three people and buses take 10 people. Buses and cars give off carbon dioxide gases which block other vehicles from moving until the gases dissipate, so you have to plan your routes carefully and quickly.

Ubuntu: a computer operating system built around community

Terry Lavender
Jul 10th, 2010

The Ubuntu operating system is about more than just powering your computer -- its proponents want to change the world.

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.

Ayogo Games wants to change the world, one healthy step at a time

Terry Lavender
Jul 3rd, 2010

Ayogo Games CEO Michael Fergusson: “If we can get a thousand people to do one healthy thing, then we'll have done something very good for the world.”

“If we can get a thousand people to do one healthy thing, then we'll have done something very good for the world.”

That, says Ayogo Games CEO Michael Fergusson, is the philosophy behind HealthSeeker, a Facebook game recently released by the small Vancouver video game company.

NFB Films for iPad and Canada Day

Terry Lavender
Jun 30th, 2010

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.

Is the Internet changing how we think?

Terry Lavender
Jun 26th, 2010

Is the Internet changing the way we think? Nicholas Carr believes so.

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