Torontos Beaches vs. Beach debate reopened thanks to neighbourhood toques

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Which camp are you in? The Beach or the Beaches?

Whatever your choice, theres a toque to match.

A line of popular neighbourhood toques from Toronto-based Tuck Shop Trading Co. includes two versions to please residents on both sides of the decades-old name debate.

Youve got to be kidding me, said resident Mary Gore when told of the two toque options.

Clearly exasperated with the ongoing spat thats now spilled over into winter fashion, Gore who has lived in the area for over 30 years said enough is enough.

My humble opinion is people should just get on with it. Who cares what its called.

After an unscientific survey of a few friends and family, Tuck Shop Trading Co. owner and designer Lyndsay Borschke settled on The Beaches for release in her first collection of toques. (The company launched in October 2013 with a set of 14 neighbourhood toques, including the Annex, Queen West, Parkdale and the Danforth.)

Soon after, Borschke began receiving requests for a Beach version. She noted that all the requests were positive and polite, in stereotypical Canadian fashion.

Since then, Borschke has ordered three rounds of Beaches toques (which are listed as sold out as of press time) which total around 450 hats. Shes only ordered one round of Beach toques. Both versions retail for $38.

Id say the people who want the Beach are more vocal, but from a consumer point of view, people are buying more Beaches, Bortschke said.

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Torontos Beaches vs. Beach debate reopened thanks to neighbourhood toques

Claim dogs on beaches policy changed because of 25 complaints

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Sept. 23, 2014, 4:27 p.m.

POLL: Wollongong City Councils controversial move to strip northern Illawarra dog owners of three off-leash beach areas was based on 25 complaints from just 15 households, campaigners have revealed.

David Hurley, Candice Greenwood and Gus Doyle, 4, with dogs Arthur and Murray on Little Austinmer beach. Picture: KIRK GILMOUR

Wollongong City Councils controversial move to strip northern Illawarra dog owners of three off-leash beach areas was based on 25 complaints from just 15 households, campaigners have revealed.

Complaints about dogs on McCauleys, Little Austi and Sharkeys beaches represented less than a third of all complaints about dogs on beaches made to council between July, 2012 and March, 2014.

Of those 25 complaints, more than half were made by the same three households, according to information supplied to the Illawarra Dog Community group under the Government Information (Public Access) Act.

Lifeguard claims dog owners breached zone during rally

Thousands hit McCauleys in support of dog beaches: photos

Beaches dog fight: northern Illawarra residents form pack

Committee member David Hurley said it was worrying that a mere handful of complaints prompted councillors to propose sweeping changes to councils existing dogs on beaches and parks policy.

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Claim dogs on beaches policy changed because of 25 complaints

University of Pennsylvania Library’s LJS 191 – Astronomy and astrology (Video Orientation) – Video

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University of Pennsylvania Library #39;s LJS 191 - Astronomy and astrology (Video Orientation)
Video Orientation to the University of Pennsylvania Library #39;s LJS 191 - Treatise on astronomy and astrology. Summary: England, ca. 1496. Treatise in nine chapters addressing ephemerides, astrologi...

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University of Pennsylvania Library's LJS 191 - Astronomy and astrology (Video Orientation) - Video

Highlights from Prof. Jennifer Neville’s "Dawn or Doom" talk – Video

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Highlights from Prof. Jennifer Neville #39;s "Dawn or Doom" talk
Computer Science and Statistics Prof. Jennifer Neville discussed machine learning and artificial intelligence during her talk, "Are We Too Smart for Our Own Good: How Large-Scale Machine Learning...

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Highlights from Prof. Jennifer Neville's "Dawn or Doom" talk - Video

Artificial intelligence that imitates children's learning

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38 minutes ago by Catharina Jerkbrant

The computer programmes used in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are highly specialised. They can for example fly airplanes, play chess or assemble cars in controlled industrial environments. However, a research team from Gothenburg, Sweden, has now been able to create an AI programme that can learn how to solve problems in many different areas. The programme is designed to imitate certain aspects of children's cognitive development.

Traditional AI programmes lack the versatility and adaptability of human intelligence. For example, they cannot come into a new home and cook, clean and do laundry.

In artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is a new field within AI, scientists try to create computer programmes with a generalised type of intelligence, enabling them to solve problems in vastly different areas. Gothenburg has a leading research team in this domain. In August, 'exceptional contributions to the AGI field' earned a team of researchers from the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology the Kurzweil Prize for the second straight year.

No pre-existing knowledge

'We have developed a programme that can learn for example basic arithmetic, logic and grammar without any pre-existing knowledge,' says Claes Strannegrd, a member of the research team together with Abdul Rahim Nizamani and Ulf Persson.

The best example of general intelligence that we know of today is the human brain, and the scientists' strategy has been to imitate, at a very fundamental level, how children develop intelligence. Children can learn a wide range of things. They build new knowledge based on previous knowledge and they can use their total knowledge to draw new conclusions. This is exactly what the scientists wanted their programme to be able to do.

Children learn based on experience

'We postulate that children learn everything based on experiences and that they are always looking for general patterns,' says Strannegrd.

A child who for example is learning multiplication and who knows that 2 x 0 = 0 and 3 x 0 = 0 can identify a pattern and conclude that also 17 x 0 = 0. However, sometimes this method backfires. If the child knows that 0 x 0 = 0 and 1 x 1 = 1, he or she can incorrectly conclude that 2 x 2 = 2. As soon as the child realises that a certain pattern can lead to incorrect conclusions, he or she can simply stop applying it.

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Artificial intelligence that imitates children's learning

Utrips Artificial Intelligence-Based Travel Planner Now Available for U.S. Travel — Top Chefs Tom Douglas and Mark …

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Seattle, WA (PRWEB) September 23, 2014

Utrip, a free travel planning platform that creates personalized itineraries in minutes, announced today it has launched its first five U.S. destinations: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Dallas. Visitors to these cities are now able to quickly create personalized itineraries, based on their interests and budget. Once an itinerary is created, Utrips companion mobile app allows travelers to view their itinerary and receive additional personalized recommendations while on the go.

When researching a new destination, Utrip identifies local area experts, who help curate each citys offerings and create featured trips highlighting their favorite venues. For the Seattle launch, Tom Douglas, celebrated chef and author, has created several culinary-oriented trips, including Eat Your Way Through Seattle, and Seafood Lovers Seattle. For San Francisco, Mark Dommen, of Michelin starred One Market, has created Culinary San Francisco for Bay Area travelers. Neiman Marcuss Fashion Director Ken Downing has created the Dallas Shopping and Art trip featuring his favorite Big D hotspots.

I love being able to help promote Seattle to travelers worldwide. Utrip makes it easy for travelers to experience the destination highlights that most interest them, be it food, art or history. Just like a culinary experience, every palate is different, and Utrip is all about personalizing travel for their users, said Tom Douglas, James Beard award-winning chef and owner of many of Seattles finest restaurants.

The Utrip platform uses a travelers interests, preferences and budget to create complete, personalized itineraries, including sites, activities and restaurant recommendations. Earlier this month, Utrip released a white-label version of its travel planning platform, Utrip PRO, which allows DMOs and hospitality groups to offer personalized travel planning on their own sites.

We are so excited to be unveiling U.S. destinations to answer the demand for, and enthusiasm from, our existing and new customers, said Gilad Berenstein, chief executive officer and founder of Utrip. Thousands of European travelers have been able to simplify and personalize their travel planning with Utrip, and now it is time to bring our platform to the U.S. market.

About Utrip Utrip is a free travel planning platform that brings together the best in artificial intelligence and human experience, making it easy for travelers to create their perfect trip. Founded in Seattle, WA in 2011, Utrips predictive technology works on a vast travel database that has been curated by local experts. Once a traveler indicates their interests and budget, Utrips algorithm sorts through millions of combinations of must-see sites, activities, and restaurants recommendations to deliver personalized itinerariesin minutes. Travelers may then book lodging and share their itineraries with friends. Utrips companion mobile app provides access to itineraries, directions and personalized recommendations on the go. Utrip PRO, the white-labeled version, allows businesses to offer personalized travel planning on their sites. To learn more about Utrip or to plan your next adventure, visit Utrip.com.

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Utrips Artificial Intelligence-Based Travel Planner Now Available for U.S. Travel -- Top Chefs Tom Douglas and Mark ...

Justice Tootla interview at African Aerospace and Defence 2014 – Video

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Justice Tootla interview at African Aerospace and Defence 2014
Excerpts from our interview with Justice Tootla, Deputy CEO of Thales South Africa. African Armed Forces Online brings you up-to-the-minute coverage of Africa Aerospace Defence Expo 2014.

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Justice Tootla interview at African Aerospace and Defence 2014 - Video

AAD 2014 Africa Aerospace and Defense Exhibition Air Force Base Waterkloof Pretoria South Africa – Video

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AAD 2014 Africa Aerospace and Defense Exhibition Air Force Base Waterkloof Pretoria South Africa
AAD 2014, Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition which takes places from the 17 to 21 September at air force base waterkloof near Pretoria, in South Africa....

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AAD 2014 Africa Aerospace and Defense Exhibition Air Force Base Waterkloof Pretoria South Africa - Video

Trust in Science Reduces Concerns about Climate Change

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Surprising psychology poses an obstacle on thoughts about global warming

Science can solve problems Credit: Thinkstock

Donald Trump probably leaves the water running while brushing his teeth. Heck, he probably leaves it running while hes at work. After all, turning faucets can be mildly inconvenient and if science has taught him anything, its that our planet is doing just fine when it comes to conserving its natural resources and its long-term environmental prospects. Indeed, given his very high profile remarks questioning climate change and the science upon which it is based, I think we can safely assume he doesnt lose any sleep over his consumption habits or the size of his carbon footprint.

But this is the kind of attitude we expect from individuals who have a fundamental mistrust (and misunderstanding) of science. Climate denialism seems to fit squarely with a disinterest towards cultivating environmentally friendly habits. We dont expect people who roll coal to have a sophisticated appreciation for the importance of scientific progress. Those who do demonstrate environmentally friendly behavior, however, seem more like the kind of folks who understand that science has much to teach us about addressing global problems.

But a new paper from researchers at The University of Amsterdam has thrown a wrench into this folk understanding of the relationship between environmental concern and scientific appreciation. Their provocative hypothesis suggests that increasing peoples belief in the efficacy of scientific progress actually reduces environmentally friendly behavior. In other words: the more likely we are to believe in the power of science, the more likely we are to trade in our hybrids for hummers.

Why? The authors ground their hypothesis in a well-validated theory called compensatory control. This argues that all people are highly motivated to see the world as an orderly and predictable place. Indeed, any suggestions to the contrary (e.g. seemingly random catastrophes) elicit stress and anxiety. One way in which people alleviate such stress is to believe in the power of external sources to make sense of, and control, the world. For example, belief in a God that can exert control over worldly events has been found to satisfy the motivation to perceive order. The authors suggest that belief in science can serve a similar function.

But if this is the case if greater belief in science allows us to see the world as controllable and orderly then the personal motivation to exert such control diminishes. Simply put, if science is going to figure out this whole climate change business, then why do I have to take shorter showers?

The authors tested this hypothesis in a series of four studies. They first sought to establish a link between beliefs about scientific progress and perceptions of the world as orderly, predicting that the more people believed, the more order they would perceive. Indeed, simply reading an article that affirmed the power of scientific progress to successfully address global issues such as climate change (vs. reading an article which questioned its efficacy in doing so) was enough to significantly increase the degree to which participants saw order in the world.

Next, they tested whether such feelings of control would predict individuals environmentally friendly behavior. Again their hypothesis was supported. Priming participants with thoughts of order vs. disorder influenced their reported willingness to engage in environmentally friendly behavior, with order-primes decreasing this behavioral tendency.

The final study brought these preliminary findings together to test the authors main hypothesis: that affirming belief in scientific progress would diminish feelings of worldly disorder, and in turn reduce environmentally friendly behavior. And in a total bummer for science-lovers everywhere, the more participants believed in the power of scientific progress, the more they saw the world as orderly and controllable, and the less likely they were to act in an environmentally friendly way.

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Trust in Science Reduces Concerns about Climate Change

Faith in Science Reduces Concerns about Climate Change

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Surprising psychology poses an obstacle on thoughts about global warming

Science can solve problems Credit: Thinkstock

Donald Trump probably leaves the water running while brushing his teeth. Heck, he probably leaves it running while hes at work. After all, turning faucets can be mildly inconvenient and if science has taught him anything, its that our planet is doing just fine when it comes to conserving its natural resources and its long-term environmental prospects. Indeed, given his very high profile remarks questioning climate change and the science upon which it is based, I think we can safely assume he doesnt lose any sleep over his consumption habits or the size of his carbon footprint.

But this is the kind of attitude we expect from individuals who have a fundamental mistrust (and misunderstanding) of science. Climate denialism seems to fit squarely with a disinterest towards cultivating environmentally friendly habits. We dont expect people who roll coal to have a sophisticated appreciation for the importance of scientific progress. Those who do demonstrate environmentally friendly behavior, however, seem more like the kind of folks who understand that science has much to teach us about addressing global problems.

But a new paper from researchers at The University of Amsterdam has thrown a wrench into this folk understanding of the relationship between environmental concern and scientific appreciation. Their provocative hypothesis suggests that increasing peoples belief in the efficacy of scientific progress actually reduces environmentally friendly behavior. In other words: the more likely we are to believe in the power of science, the more likely we are to trade in our hybrids for hummers.

Why? The authors ground their hypothesis in a well-validated theory called compensatory control. This argues that all people are highly motivated to see the world as an orderly and predictable place. Indeed, any suggestions to the contrary (e.g. seemingly random catastrophes) elicit stress and anxiety. One way in which people alleviate such stress is to believe in the power of external sources to make sense of, and control, the world. For example, belief in a God that can exert control over worldly events has been found to satisfy the motivation to perceive order. The authors suggest that belief in science can serve a similar function.

But if this is the case if greater belief in science allows us to see the world as controllable and orderly then the personal motivation to exert such control diminishes. Simply put, if science is going to figure out this whole climate change business, then why do I have to take shorter showers?

The authors tested this hypothesis in a series of four studies. They first sought to establish a link between beliefs about scientific progress and perceptions of the world as orderly, predicting that the more people believed, the more order they would perceive. Indeed, simply reading an article that affirmed the power of scientific progress to successfully address global issues such as climate change (vs. reading an article which questioned its efficacy in doing so) was enough to significantly increase the degree to which participants saw order in the world.

Next, they tested whether such feelings of control would predict individuals environmentally friendly behavior. Again their hypothesis was supported. Priming participants with thoughts of order vs. disorder influenced their reported willingness to engage in environmentally friendly behavior, with order-primes decreasing this behavioral tendency.

The final study brought these preliminary findings together to test the authors main hypothesis: that affirming belief in scientific progress would diminish feelings of worldly disorder, and in turn reduce environmentally friendly behavior. And in a total bummer for science-lovers everywhere, the more participants believed in the power of scientific progress, the more they saw the world as orderly and controllable, and the less likely they were to act in an environmentally friendly way.

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Faith in Science Reduces Concerns about Climate Change

Global warmings dire psychology: Why pro-science climate deniers are more common than you think

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But this is the kind of attitude we expect from individuals who have a fundamental mistrust (and misunderstanding) of science. Climate denialism seems to fit squarely with a disinterest towards cultivating environmentally friendly habits. We dont expect people who roll coalto have a sophisticated appreciation for the importance of scientific progress. Those who do demonstrate environmentally friendly behavior, however, seem more like the kind of folks who understand that science has much to teach us about addressing global problems.

Buta new paperfrom researchers at The University of Amsterdam has thrown a wrench into this folk understanding of the relationship between environmental concern and scientific appreciation. Their provocative hypothesis suggests that increasing peoples belief in the efficacy of scientific progress actually reduces environmentally friendly behavior. In other words: the more likely we are to believe in the power of science, the more likely we are to trade in our hybrids for hummers.

Why? The authors ground their hypothesis in a well-validated theory calledcompensatory control. This argues that all people are highly motivated to see the world as an orderly and predictable place. Indeed, any suggestions to the contrary (e.g. seemingly random catastrophes) elicit stress and anxiety. One way in which people alleviate such stress is to believe in the power of external sources to make sense of, and control, the world. For example, belief in a God that can exert control over worldly eventshas been foundto satisfy the motivation to perceive order.The authors suggest that belief in science can serve a similar function.

But if this is the case if greater belief in science allows us to see the world as controllable and orderly then the personal motivation to exert such control diminishes. Simply put, if science is going to figure out this whole climate change business, then why do I have to take shorter showers?

The authors tested this hypothesis in a series of four studies. They first sought to establish a link between beliefs about scientific progress and perceptions of the world as orderly, predicting that the more people believed, the more order they would perceive. Indeed, simply reading an article that affirmed the power of scientific progress to successfully address global issues such as climate change (vs. reading an article which questioned its efficacy in doing so) was enough to significantly increase the degree to which participants saw order in the world.

Next, they tested whether such feelings of control would predict individuals environmentally friendly behavior. Again their hypothesis was supported. Priming participants with thoughts of order vs. disorder influenced their reported willingness to engage in environmentally friendly behavior, with order-primes decreasing this behavioral tendency.

The final study brought these preliminary findings together to test the authors main hypothesis: that affirming belief in scientific progress would diminish feelings of worldly disorder, and in turn reduce environmentally friendly behavior. And in a total bummer for science-lovers everywhere, the more participants believed in the power of scientific progress, the more they saw the world as orderly and controllable, and the less likely they were to act in an environmentally friendly way.

This leaves us in a bit of a quandary. Is our individual motivation to help solve environmental problems undermined by our belief that such a chore can be outsourced to science? Should science be portrayed as less able to deal with such important global issues? Fortunately, the answer is simple and it does not require a diminished understanding of science, but actually an increased appreciation of its nuance. Specifically,science is not about certainty.

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Global warmings dire psychology: Why pro-science climate deniers are more common than you think