iBooks 2 Launched by Apple to ‘Reinvent’ the Textbook

Posted by James in Apple, Education

iBooks 2 launched by Apple in order to ‘reinvent’ the textbook.

Ahh yes the bane of every young students life, a bag full of text books each 500 pages thick and weighing more than they do.

I almost killed myself when I was 12 as the bag of books I was carrying swung from one side of my body, where it had been nicely balanced, over to the other side… where it was not.

The sudden shift in weight caused the bike I was riding to veer across the road in front of oncoming traffic. It all happened so fast I had no choice but to hang on and pray.

Thankfully, all I bruised was my ego and I got away with a few honks from shaken motorists. I had to pick up a cycling proficiency award later that day too, life’s funny that way sometimes isn’t it?

Anyway, I digress. Back to Apple.

iBooks 2

I can certainly see where Apple are coming from with the launch of iBooks 2. They want todo away with such cumbersome things as a good old fashioned textbook and bring education into the 21st century.

With iBooks 2 they see a world where textbooks are interactive and fun (presumably with every student using an iPad). They demonstrated how iBooks 2 utilized the portrait position of an iPad to show a text led book and landscape mode to enter into a far more interactive experience.

iBooks Author

Apple also launched a free app to make it easier for anyone to create an interactive textbook. It is called iBooks Author and it is described as being to ebooks creation as garageband is to music creation.

You can download iBooks Author for free at the app store here and it includes templates already made by Apple that you can use as a starting point.

The big educational publishers such as McGraw Hill and Pearson Education are already publishing their books for the iBook 2 app and more publishers are producing content as I write this.

Apple promised that iBooks 2 will offer books for every subject, grade level and student.

How schools will react to Apple’s plan for educational domination is not known.

A classroom full of kids playing with very expensive hardware worth many hundreds of copies of a textbook may be some teachers idea of hell.

Thats if they could raise the funds in the first place, add to that the cost of the ebooks themselves and you have a very large investment.

If parents are going to pay for such devices then their kid might suddenly become the most popular kid in the school, perhaps not for the right reasons.

Photo: Apple

Year in Review 2011 (Part 1): Massive Change, Inspiration & Heartache

Posted by Jeff in Opinion

Year in review 2011 (part 1): We saw incredible change sweep across the political landscape, Osama Bin Laden killed & Amy Winehouse pass away. What else happened in 2011, a momentous year?

Year in Review 2011: January

In sport we saw the transfer of Fernando Torres to Chelsea FC from Liverpool FC as Kenny Dalglish took over.

In tennis Novak Djokovic brushed aside all-comers in the Australian Open.

Apple announced it had passed 10 billion downloads from its app store and that Apple had made profits of $6 billion as Steve Jobs announced he would take medical leave.

In entertainment Ricky Gervais kicked up a storm at the Golden Globes (they have still invited him back for 2012 though!). Colin Firth & Natalie Portman started to win all the film awards available for ‘The Kings Speech’ & ‘Black Swan’. Meanwhile Oprah was launching her own TV channel.

Actor Pete Postlethwaite passed away as did singer Gerry Rafferty.

Arnold Schwarzenegger bowed out of politics and a tragic shooting occurred in Arizona that left 6 people dead and Gabrielle Giffords with brain damage.

Year in Review 2011: February

In Egypt the President, Hosni Mubarak, started to realise that he was in trouble and that the protesters were not going away. Mubarak finally left on Feb. 11th after defiantly stating he was going nowhere. We presume the army changed his mind.

The Arab uprisings also gathered pace in other countries, Bahrain & Libya in particular.

In sport the Green Bay Packers triumphed over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. The F1 driver Robert Kubica had to have 7 hours of surgery after a horrific crash in Italy. The Olympic schedule was also published for the 2012 games in London. We are not far away now.

In music Adele stunned everyone with her performance at the Brits and went on to become the artist of 2011. Radiohead released a new album and the Glastonbury headliners were announced including Beyonce and Coldplay.

A new Enid Blyton book was uncovered and tragedy struck in New Zealand as a 6.3 earthquake hit Christchurch at the busiest time of day.

Year in Review 2011: March

Steve Jobs made his last major product launch as he unveiled the iPad 2, Adele conquered the charts, Richard Branson started to recruit astronauts, Microsoft launch IE9 while Nintendo go all 3D on us, over 1 billion people watch a cricket match and Sabastian Vettel shows the form that will let him dominate the F1 season.

Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor passed away as did the not quite so well known Knut the polar bear.

The big story of the month however was the devastating 8.9 earthquake and subsequent Tsunami that struck Japan triggering a nuclear incident and destroying countless lives.

Also destroying lives was the Libyan leader Col. Gaddafi as he plunged his country into what was effectively a civil war. The UN enforced a no fly zone and entered into action against Col. Gaddafi forces.

Read more in Year in Review 2011 (Part 2) here.

Year in Review 2011 (Part 2): Royal Weddings, Scandal & The Worlds Most Wanted Man

Posted by Jeff in Opinion

Year in review 2011 (part 2): More incredible stories from the second quarter of 2011 emerge.

Year in Review 2011: April

April was all about a Royal Wedding between Prince William and commoner Kate Middleton. She apparently had posters of Prince William on her wall when she was younger, we don’t know if that is true or not but it goes nicely with the dream Princess story. Although some may say she was upstaged by her sister, Pippa Middleton, who had a facebook page dedicated to her derrière.

Sony faced one of the biggest problems in its history when the playstation network was hacked and millions of users details stolen.

Barcelona and Real Madrid seemed to be playing each other every week at this point in the year with Mourninho turning up the heat.

We lost the controversial Indian spiritual leader Sai Baba in this month and also on the controversial front, did we finally see proof of Aliens at Roswell crash? I’ll leave you to decide.

We also took a look at some cool iPhone apps and at a show jumping cow…. yes we did.

Year in Review 2011: May

This month Microsoft took the plunge and bought Skype for $8.5 billion and Google launched the Chromebook, while over on Twitter Lady Gaga made history by reaching 10 million followers.

Both Barcelona and Sebastian Vettel carried on winning everything while Sepp Blatter started to feel the heat over some dubious goings on over at FIFA.

We looked at whether cell phones were dangerous and we were promised that the world would end on the 21st May. That didn’t happen, unless I am now living in a parallel universe (well you never know), my guess is we might see a few more of those predictions in 2012.

We saw Ratko Mladic finally arrested in Serbia after years in hiding and the then IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn arrested over sexual assault, charges that were later dropped.

Charlie Sheen went a bit, shall we say ‘off kilter’, and was replaced on ‘two and a half men‘ by Ashton Kutcher.

Golfing legend Seve Ballesteros passed away and President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden was killed when US forces stormed his hiding place right under the noses of the Pakistan police.

Barcelona took the Spanish La Liga trophy and the Champions League while Manchester United sealed the English Premiership title. Chelsea sack their manager (again) and Azerbaijan won the Eurovision Song Contest.

It was a very busy month of May.

Year in Review 2011: June

While Apple unveiled their iCloud service, Nintendo announced the Wii U in Los Angeles. MySpace was off loaded by News Corp for a fraction of what they paid for it.

Rafael Nadal was winning the French Tennis Open and Li Na made history as the first Chinese winner of a Grand Slam. Later in the month Wimbledon got underway and Germany prepared for the Womens World Cup. Chelsea also got their new manager, Andre Villas-Boas.

There were all sorts of goings on at the X Factor USA as Cheryl Cole was effectively sacked as a judge and replaced by Nicole Scherzinger. Beyonce closed Glastonbury in style but not before U2 and Coldplay had rocked the stage.

The Lunar eclipse seemed to foretell the up and down lunacy of the markets as Greece came close to defaulting on its debts while child vaccination got a massive boost in the arm by GAVI and the Gay Marriage Rights Bill was passed in New York.

There was Weinergate and JK Rowling teased us with the pottermore website. A Picasso painting fetched $20 million, Marilyn Monroe’s white dress sold for $4.6 million and a rare Billy the Kid portrait reached $2.3 million.

Read more in Year in Review 2011 (Part 3) here.

Year in Review 2011 (Part 3): A New Country, A New Social Network & New Womens Rights

Posted by Jeff in Opinion

Year in Review 2011 (part 3): The third quarter of 2011 saw some surprises, more scandal and the continuing success of social networks.

Year in Review 2011: July

Petra Kvitova upset the Wimbledon odds to beat Maria Sharapova who is still trying to get back to her best after injury. Djokovic again signalled his dominance with a victory in the mens Wimbledon final.

The phone hacking scandal exploded in the UK and is still being investigated today. The incident caused the closure of the News of the World, one of the oldest & most successful newspapers.

Facebook teamed up with Skype to offer video chat while Google once again entered the social networking market with Google+.

The world got a new country as South Sudan split form the north in a peaceful separation and David & Victoria Beckham celebrated the birth of their baby girl, Harper Beckham.

Dallas returned to our TV screens and the Spotify streaming music service launched in the US while Harry Potter cast a spell over the box office.

Japan won the Womens World Cup final in Germany after beating the USA on penalties and there was another Royal wedding as Zara Phillips married the Rugby player Mike Tindall. On the other side of that particular coin we saw Jennifer Lopez calling time on her marriage to Marc Anthony.

The USA came close to defaulting on its own debt when politicians decided to play brinkmanship with the economy. Doing slightly better were both Apple and Google who both posted record profits. The US also suffered a oppressive heatwave and saw the last flight of the space shuttle Atlantis.

Norway hit the headlines for the worst reasons when a huge explosion rocked the capital, Oslo and a gunman went on the rampage.

The world lost one of the greatest singers of the last twenty years. Amy Winehouse joined other famous singers who died prematurely, the so called 27 club.

Year in Review 2011: August

The financial markets never seemed to be out of the headlines and this month saw S&P push the US down its credit score scale thanks to its enormous deficit.

Prime Minister David Cameron threatened to take social media sites offline in a somewhat knee jerk reaction to rioting in London. This came from a man who had only a few months earlier been praising social media sites for their influence in the Arab uprisings. That’s politics for you.

The Arab uprising continued with Syria becoming a focal point as the international community called for Assad to leave office. Protesters in Syria are still facing the same challenges at the end of 2011. Meanwhile the pressure was mounting on Col. Gaddafi as the rebel army advanced on the capital Tripoli.

The Kings of Leon sparked rumors about their future by cancelling their tour and taking a break.

Steve Jobs officially announced that he would be stepping down as CEO of Apple as his health deteriorated and Beyonce announced that she was pregnant in a not so subtle dress.

Year in Review 2011: September

As Italian politics leaped from one crisis to another the little town of Filettino decided that it would go its own way and declare independence from Italy.

We saw the 10 year anniversary of the tragic 9/11 events as the redevelopment of the twin towers site nears completion.

There was growing rumor and gossip surrounding the imminent release of a new iPhone, many people were betting on it being an iPhone 5.

The financial markets once again hit the headlines as a UBS trader managed to lose $2 billion on the markets.

REM announced that they were to split after 31 years together and Google became a teenager.

A couple of stories emerged that we never thought that we would see, the speed of light had apparently been broken and women in Saudi Arabia were given the right to vote.

Read more in Year in Review 2011 (Part 4) here.

Year in Review 2011 (Part 4): Steve Jobs & Col. Gaddafi Depart

Posted by Jeff in Opinion

Year in Review 2011 (part 4): Trials and tribulations a plenty in the world of showbiz, politics and business.

Year in Review 2011: October

September saw the start of the trial of Dr Conrad Murray, charged with the death of Michael Jackson who died in 2009. In another court in another country, Amanda Knox was finally freed after having her conviction for the the murder of Meredith Kercher quashed in an appeal.

There was joy and sadness for Apple fans this month as the new iPhone 4S made an appearance with a new virtual assistant named Siri & features such as imessage. We also learned of the passing of Steve Jobs and people around the world reacted in the same way they would if a pop star had just passed away. Perhaps that is a fitting tribute to someone who did have a profound effect on the world. You can check out the Steve Jobs biography here.

It was also the end for Col. Gaddafi as his life finally caught up with him in his home town of Sirte, Libya.

Another month and another financial crisis, this time the whole of the Eurozone was in danger as the debt crisis in some of its member countries threatened to take down the whole structure. Bets are now on for how long it will last for in 2012.

Year in Review 2011: November

In November the world reached a milestone, the human population of the planet reached the 7 billion mark for the first time in history. Many countries decided that they would have the 7 billionth baby and subsequently nominated one of their own, I wonder who it really was?

We featured alot of video game stories this month as the entertainment industry geared up for Christmas. We looked at the top 5 games launched for Christmas and witnessed Angry Birds hit 500 million downloads.

This inspired us to look at the possibility of making oodles of cash with iPhone app development ourselves, we asked if anyone could do it.

Talking soccer, David Beckham also deserves a mention for finally achieving his dream of lifting the MLS Cup. In the last MLS game of his current contract, he did it. Where he will be in 2012 I am not sure even he knows, the smart money is that he will stay in LA for his families stability.

Year in Review 2011: December

So we come to the final month of 2011 where we saw sad death of Socrates, the Brazilian soccer player & doctor. We also saw the passing of that not so loved leader of the North Koreans, Kim Jong-il.

Surprisingly Time magazine didn’t name Kim Jong-il as person of the year 2011 but gave it to ‘The Protester’.

Spotify revealed that they had created an app marketplace for developers and the online Star Wars world came to life as SWTOR with a budget almost as big as one of the films.

Other entertainment news was that the X Factor USA winner turned out to be someone who was not even selected for the finals, Melanie Amaro. Russell Brand, Katy Perry filed for divorce and YouTube announced the most viewed videos of 2011.

Somewhere in between all of that there was Christmas of course.

So there we have it, we have come to the end of our Year in Review 2011 and all that is left for me todo is wish you all a ‘Happy New Year’ from all the team here at DT News. We hope you will join us next year for more interesting news.

Merry Christmas to ALL of our Readers

Posted by Jeff in Opinion

Merry Christmas to all of our loyal readers… especially you… yes you.

I wondered what I should write to mark this special occasion. In the end I thought that it is best to let the late, great John Lennon speak, walking the tightrope of reflection and hope.

Time Magazine Person of the Year 2011 Announced

Posted by Sam in Education, Opinion

Time magazine Person of the Year 2011 has been announced & rather than a single person, they have chosen the many, ‘the protester’.

Time magazine awards the person of the year award to those who have made the biggest impact during the year. Under that banner it is easy to see why they chose ‘the protester’ in all its forms.

The sheer number of protests in 2011 with profound consequences for those involved was enormous.

Most of the focus was on the Arab uprisings but the recent peaceful protests, against Putin in Russia and the Occupy Wall Street movement, have highlighted that the year is not over yet… and neither are the protesters nor their want for change.

Time magazine said the award recognised the protesters for redefining people power around the world.

Richard Stengel, editor of time magazine said that

“They dissented, they demanded, they did not despair, even when the answers came back in a cloud of teargas or a hail of bullets”.

Time Magazine Explain Why They Choose ‘The Protester’ as Person of the Year 2011

But in truth, no government, no dictator, no person and no idea can ever stand up to a mass of united people who demand change.

History tells us this repeatedly and although it may take many many years, ultimately true people power is impossible to resist.

Photo: Al Jazeera English

Halloween 2011 & the Halloween Spirit

Posted by Sam in Education

Halloween 2011 is getting close & preparations are in full swing for many people. What are the reasons behind the Halloween spirit?

Halloween 2011 is not far away now. Only 2 weeks before you can dress up in scary Halloween costumes, go trick or treating and celebrate with a Halloween party. But where does all the Halloween tradition come from?

Halloween Spirit

Halloween is a mixture of traditions from different cultures and religions. The name itself, Halloween, is a modern word playing on the original phrase ‘All Hallow’s Eve’.

All Hallow’s Eve marks the end of the Celtic year. Legend has it that it is the evening when the Halloween spirit of anyone who had passed away that year returned to try to possess the body of the living.

To ward off the Halloween spirit, people would wear scary Halloween costumes and masks in an attempt to frighten away the Halloween spirits.

Apple bobbing is a much loved Halloween party game that many will play at Halloween 2011. It is thought to date back to Roman times when their Goddess of Fruit, Pomona, was celebrated in October. Her symbol was an apple.

Halloween trick or treat is thought that have evolved out of a Christian custom in Europe called souling. Christians would knock on doors and pray for any dead relatives in return for a ‘soul cake’.

Pumpkin carving is another tradition that has it’s roots in Europe. There is a folk tale in Ireland that tells of a man called Jack. A bit of a ‘jack the lad’ and a trickster, it’s told he once even managed to trap Satan in a tree.

When Jack died he was refused entry into Heaven because of his bad behaviour and Satan, obviously not best pleased at being tricked, refused him entry into hell.

However, he did give him a single ember to light his way in the darkness. Jack placed the ember into a turnip to make it last.

For Halloween 2011 of course we will carve out pumpkins, but originally it was the plentiful turnip that had that honor.

Halloween Decorations

Halloween decorations come in all shapes and sizes of course. Here are some that we came across in our research that you could try for your Halloween 2011 party.

 

Halloween Costumes for Kids

We found some great Halloween costumes for kids that are available for you to buy today.

Adult Halloween Costumes

Now lets take a look at the adult Halloween costumes, time for the adults to get their spook on.

What ever you are doing for Halloween 2011, enjoy yourself and stay safe.

Photo: John Althouse Cohen

Einstein, Err…We Have a Problem

Posted by Clive in Education, Mysteries

Einstein might turn in his grave, but scientists at the CERN laboratory have published experiential results that suggest travelling faster than the speed of light is possible.

CERN is the home of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), designed to recreate the conditions of the big bang and the first moments of the universe.

But it is the OPERA (Oscillation Project with Emulsion-tRacking Apparatus) project that has captured the headlines in recent days.

Dr. Antonio Ereditato and his team published the results of experiments with sub-atomic particles called neutrino’s.

Conducted over the past 3 years they say they have published them in order for other scientists to test and double check. Simply because they don’t believe what they are seeing.

If the results of the experiments are corroborated by other scientists, it will turn physics on it’s head once more and would prove that there is a way to travel faster than the speed of light.

The previously rock solid (a century of testing had failed to even dent the theory) understanding that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, underpins current physics understanding.

Dr. Ereditato says that it could be a mistake, an error somewhere, but his team cannot find it and that is why he has published the information.

His team at CERN have been conducting experiments that send a beam of muon neutrinos from their CERN lab to another lab at Gran Sasso in Italy. At Gran Sasso they measure how many of another type of neutrino (tau) show up.

During the course of these experiments they noticed that neutrinos were showing up at Gran Sasso slightly, but noticeably and consistently, faster than light would over the same 732km distance.

Dr. Ereditato refuses to speculate on what the results might mean until there has been corroboration by others.

Other people have not been so shy and say that the results would have fundamental impact on many areas of physics including time travel.

It is also possible that while the experiments seem to show that the particles are travelling faster than the speed of light, there are other explanations.

One theory put forward is that they are taking short cuts through other dimensions before returning to ours.

Whatever the outcome, the world of science hasn’t been so excited, or nervous for along time. If proved right, the experiment will send shockwaves through the science community similar to when Einstein first published his theory of relativity.

Photo: ukhomeoffice