KidRex - special search engine for kids

I came across KidRex , a special search engine (from Google) for kids. 

It is said that it filters results to suit young kids, and allows parents to block certain websites (in addition to what the system filters out automatically). It has a cute kiddish look. I played a bit with it, and noticed that the ads are still there - the ones you find on regular Google search result pages - . I don't like them, and unfortunately they take a lot of space off the screen; one horizontal box at the top, and another vertical one to the right. These ads do display 'safe' ads of stuff related to the searched word, but to me, its just a turn off. 

Nevertheless, I think its quite cute (try typing in 'hello' or 'bye'). 

 

Wolfram Alpha - the new computational knowledge engine

Is it going to be the new Google? 

Check this out: Wolfram Mathematica 

At a first glance, it seems quite promising for researching mathematics, getting mathematical solutions and even data visualizations.

Its coming live in May 2009 @ Wolfram 

For more details, check out their blog.

Trouble multiplying?

Check this out!

The Iraq Virtual Museum

I heard that Italy has initiated a project called "The Iraq Virtual Museum", its goal is to provide a virtual tour into 6000 years of history - Cool!

I was trying to get hold of the link to the museum - weirdly enough, the articles that mentioned it did not provide the link.  I finally found this link at 'Italy for Iraq - Cultural heritage and activities':

Visit the virtual museum

This link provides a short overview of the museum, I was hoping to find a link that is more interactive, i.e. one that allows visitors to navigate through various museum sections and choose what they wish to explore. 

I am not sure whether this project is complete or not. I think its a great idea, and hope to come across the final link (if this is not it!)

Happy International Women's Day :-D

"Putting the Fun in Functional...."

Here is Amy Jo Kim (one of many researchers that I am citing in my work) in one of her recent talks on:

"Putting the Fun in Functional: Applying Game Mechanics to Functional Software"

An interesting talk about using Game Mechanics in social networking context - thank you Dr. Julita for forwarding me the link.

"YAY" (in English) / "Halhoola lil shaab el sammid" (in Iraqi) :-D

Zuza successfully defended her thesis proposal today!

I am soooooooooooooo happy; first, its over, and second, I believe it went well ;-)

My committee members' comments were really constructive and supportive (THANK YOU VERY MUCH).

Today feels like reaching a milestone in my program - thank God. There still is a lot of work to do in the coming months though, but I hope everything will eventually work out just fine!

Zuza is very happy....

Well, I guess I'll celebrate today and head back to work tomorrow (weekend) - nevermind though, 

its all worth it ;-)

Zuza is home sweet home ;-)

I am home now ;-)

It feels so good to be home...

Sorry for not writing much lately, as you may know, I was away on a trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A very long journey from Saskatoon, but it was really a much needed break!

It was nice and warm (temperatures ranging from 15 c to 22 c - I have already posted some pics here -check older posts-), the best part was seeing my family and of course shopping ;-) and by shopping I mean H&M shopping - they are my favourite! 

I visited every possible H&M store there - felt so good, I guess I can add "H&M-ing" to my list of hobbies ;-)

Well, the country changed a lot since my last visit. I am really surprised by the number and lavishness of the shopping malls there - specifically in Dubai. I mean who needs all these malls after all? Ah well, all in all, I think it went well, and I am so glad to be back home now, even if it means coming back to this:

I've been sick since coming back, probably due to the change in weather, from +22 c to a windy -22 c is no joke, but I have  a full week ahead, actually a couple of busy months are in schedule, starting with my thesis proposal defense coming up end of this week. 

Thinking of it, this is a milestone in my program, I am so much closer to the end, which makes me wonder about the whole experience, the city, people, program..... 

Well, I'd better get back to work now. Wish me luck!

Passing Time...

Sunset in Abu Dhabi