Imagine a 'City of Knowledge'

Belgian Paul Otlet [Wikipedia], often considered the father of information management, had a vision in 1934 that came long before anyone else. He first envisioned a "city of knowledge" with concepts of the computer and the internet that were probably considered fantastical at the time.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s Otlet pioneered the field of what we today call Information Science, but what he called "Documentation". A hundred years before the development of the Internet, Otlet used terms like web of knowledge, link, and knowledge network to describe his vision for a central repository of all human knowledge.

Below is a longer documentary narrated by W. Boyd Rayward, his biographer.

How big is BIG?

If you ever thought that you were important in the univers, watch this video that show real, relative sizes ... then get back to me.

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Everyone but Conservative: 4 parties share arts platforms in Ottawa

Last Wednesday, hundreds of people from Ottawa's arts community heard how the federal government will support arts and culture — but only if the Conservatives are NOT elected during the federal election on Oct. 14.

Following noisy rallies in Montreal and Toronto, artists in Ottawa held the bilingual "Vote Culture Town Hall" at the University of Ottawa campus, inviting candidates from all five major parties.

Not one Tory candidate showed up to field questions and hear concerns about arts, culture and heritage policies and funding.

Prisoner of conscience in Myanmar, released after 19 years in jail.

U Win Tin, Amnesty International's longest serving prisoner of conscience in Myanmar, has been released after spending 19 years of his life in jail.

While we celebrate the release of U Win Tin and six other political prisoners, there is still a long way to go.

Approximately 2,000 political prisoners remain in jails in Myanmar, and there are tens of thousands more in other countries. Support Amnesty International with a donation. Help draw the world’s attention to the plight of these prisoners, and strengthen pressure on regimes that are denying their human rights.

My pussy is stuck in the toilet!

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

2 photos/day x 17 years

Right Whales: On the Brink, On the Rebound

Just a few hundred of these giants survive along the coasts of North America, but their numbers are growing in southern seas. Have a look at these beautiful phots from National Geographic,

Actors condemn Harper's culture cuts

Canada's top film and television performers gathered in Toronto Wednesday to condemn the $45 million in cuts to culture funding announced by the Conservative government in August, saying the cuts will cripple the Canadian arts industry.

Canadian actress Wendy Crewson kicked off the event, saying Canadian artists are "fed up" with the cuts and want to see a return to stable funding for the arts.

"Culture is critical to our identity as a country and is a huge part of our economy," Crewson said. "These policies are job killers, and artists will not stand by and allow these attacks on our industry to continue without a fight."

Stephen Harper has called the culture cuts a niche topic, saying that "ordinary Canadians" are not particularly concerned with them.

U.S. army deserter, family win stay of deportation

A U.S. army deserter and his family were granted a last-minute stay of deportation Monday by a Federal Court judge while the court decides whether to hear their appeal.

Jeremy Hinzman, his wife and two children were ordered to leave Canada by Tuesday or face forcible deportation to the United States, where the soldier faces prosecution for fleeing to Canada in 2004 rather than deploying with his army unit to Iraq.

The judge's decision will allow the family to remain in Toronto while the court decides whether to review a decision by Citizenship and Immigration officials not to let the Hinzmans remain in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. They are also trying to appeal their pre-removal risk assessment.

Super Star: A "Mobile China Town" Skyscraper

Tired of the "same-old" look to China Towns everywhere? Well, this radical cyberpunk concept by MAD Architects brings to extreme the shape of a crystal star 1000 meters high, with simply mind-boggling effect:

They don't say how exactly this skyscraper can be mobile, but you can almost imagine it floating from location to location, gracing lucky cities with its extreme China Town version:

This truly mad (in a good sense) bunch of architects - their studio is based in Bejing - are also responsible for the great-looking skyscrapers, currently under construction in Toronto, Canada and in Guangzhou, China

With thanks to Dark Roasted Blend blog