Archive for the ‘Cool Stuff’ Category
Searching for Dummies
Edward Tenner of The New York Times has written a rather interesting editorial on the possibility of Internet search engines making students dumber.
The Higher Education Supplement of The Times of London reports that a British survey also finds that the ability of undergraduates to read critically and write cogently has fallen significantly since 1992. Students are not just more poorly prepared, a majority of queried faculty members believe, but less teachable.
While some blame reality television, MP3 players, cellphones or the multitasking that juggles them all, the big change has been the Web. Beginning in the early 1990′s, schools, libraries and governments embraced the Internet as the long promised portal to information access for all. And at the heart of their hopes for a cultural and educational breakthrough were superbly efficient search engines like Google and those of its rivals Yahoo and MSN. The new search engines not only find more, they are more likely to present usable information on the first screen.
The Top 15 Skylines in the World
Last month, I posted a link to the Most Unusual Buildings in the World.
Now check out The Top 15 Skylines in the World. Singapore is #5. 
One of the best (urban) planned and cleanliest metropolitan cities in the world, Singapore looks like an architectural model city come to life. The buildings cannot be higher than 280 metres due to air traffic control restrictions, but that has added a tall (but not too tall) and consistent building height and space pattern that makes this skyline unique: Three buildings are exactly 280 metres tall and 5 others (8 total) stand at just over 200 metres. The buildings are mostly light-coloured and there is a large expanse of greenery dotted around the city core. This South-Eastern city is definitely in a league of its own.
Why is ice slippery?
And no, contrary to popular belief, it isn’t because of the pressure exerted by the blades of the skates. The New York Times has more. (Requires login)
Most Unusual Buildings On Earth
I never knew there were such unusual looking buildings in the world…