A Point of View: How the world's first smartwatch was built (BBC)

The pocket watch could be called the world's first "smart" device, and its development involved some of the greatest scientific minds of the 17th Century,

 In the late 17th Century, clock and watch design was part of national security. Navigation and mapping were both essential for the successful conduct of war - and England was involved in a sequence of wars against the French and the Dutch in this period. Star charts and nautical maps depended on observations made with one of the new long telescopes, and the time of each observation had to be accurately recorded. The person who could improve the accuracy of currently available clocks could make himself a handsome sum from manufacturing and marketing his state-of-the-art timekeeper.

Read the BBC article

List to 10 minute broardcast

Tomorrow's cities - the lamp-posts watching every move (BBC News)

Street lights are among a range of new network-connected city furniture

Continue reading the main story

Imagine an app aimed at showing thieves the best places for stealing.

It's actually not hard to do - simply pull together publicly available data on disposable income, crime levels and problems reported in a district.

It may reveal that the optimum place to go pilfering is in an area of high income, low reported crime and broken streetlights.

The app not only exists but it won first prize in the "safety" category at an Amsterdam hackathon a few years back.

Makkie Klauwe (it means "easy pickings" in Amsterdam slang) was created by Bram Fritz, a student who wanted to "provoke discussion on the role of open data in our society".

Luckily for the citizens and police of Amsterdam the app never went into public use - but it is proof, if proof were needed, that data can be used for both good and bad.

Read the rest of the artice

Blogs to follow

To help you keep up with information from around the school please can you add the following blogs to your reading list.

First log into your school email then click on reading list below

 

https://www.blogger.com/home?pli=1

To add these blogs to your reading list simply copy the URL and click follow 

Follow the schools revision site

http://year-11-revision.blogspot.co.uk/

The ICT Department

http://wildernschoolict.blogspot.co.uk/


Wildern eSafety

http://wilderne-safety.blogspot.co.uk/

Your ICT teacher

http://thecullenator.blogspot.co.uk/

Your House

http://alba-house.blogspot.co.uk/

http://bedford-house.blogspot.co.uk/

http://driscollhouseblog.blogspot.co.uk/

http://jubilee-house.blogspot.co.uk/

http://paxtonhouse.blogspot.co.uk/

http://sovereign-house.blogspot.co.uk/

Computer Science Jigsaw Challenge

Click here to build a motherboard

Click here to label the computer parts (Basic)

Click here to label the computer parts (Advanced)

How technology is changing disaster relief (BBC News)

When the British government delivered emergency aid to people fleeing Islamic militants in northern Iraq last month, one of its primary concerns was how the refugees might charge their mobile phones.

Read the full article here

Scale of the universe

Zoom from the edge of the universe to the quantum foam of spacetime and learn the scale of things along the way!    Press left or right or drag the scroll bar to zoom in and out.

                                                                   Click here to begin

10 Sound Pieces of Life Advice From R2-D2

Sure, he's loud and clunky, but Artoo's communication skills have been overshadowed by C-3PO's ability to speak fluently in so many forms. But he's so much more than that.

SEE ALSO: A New Star Wars Universe Begins ... Now

Regardless, R2-D2's vast knowledge of life needs to be appreciated a bit more by Star Warsfans and regular people alike.

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BONUS: http://mashable.com/2014/04/17/star-wars-facts/

SPARKED: A Live Interaction Between Humans and Quadcopters

Cirque du Soleil, ETH Zurich, and Verity Studios have partnered to develop a short film featuring 10 quadcopters in a flying dance performance. The collaboration resulted in a unique, interactive choreography where humans and drones move in sync. Precise computer control allows for a large performance and movement vocabulary of the quadcopters and opens the door to many more applications in the future.

SPARKED: Behind the Technology: http://youtu.be/7YqUocVcyrE

Cirque du Soleil: http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/
ETH Zurich: http://www.idsc.ethz.ch/Research_DAndrea
Verity Studios: http://www.veritystudios.com/

computer tour

What’s next in 3D printing

Just like his beloved grandfather, Avi Reichental is a maker of things. The difference is, now he can use 3D printers to make almost anything, out of almost any material. Reichental tours us through the possibilities of 3D printing, for everything from printed candy to highly custom sneakers.

The World Wide Web in plain english

Tomorrow's cities - future of shopping

link to BBC website article

The History of Video Game SFX With Michael Winslow

Periodic table of Apps

Amazing mind reader reveals his 'gift'

Dave is an extremely gifted clairvoyant who finds out specific financial information. This video reveals the magic behind the magic, making people aware of the fact that their entire life can be found online. And by doing so urging everybody to be vigilant.