Acquine : aesthetic quality inference engine

Posted by Celia Walter | 17 May, 2009

Acquine : aesthetic quality inference engine
Acquine (Aesthetic Quality Inference Engine) is an experimental online stylometrics service, which is the result of research by Dr. Ritendra Datta and assistants at Penn State University, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. This free website offers an automatic algorithm-based assessment of the aesthetics of any natural colour photograph. Users can upload a photograph which is then evaluated via a score from 0 to 100. Dr. Ritendra Datta has since left Penn State University and is now working for Google. The website also has full details of the project, and links to three full-text academic papers detailing the patent-pending process behing the Acquine engine. This website will be of interest to those investigating computer-based aesthetic inference and ranking systems. From Intute.ac.uk
http://acquine.alipr.com/

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Zhongwen Red

Posted by Celia Walter | 17 May, 2009
Zhongwen Red
Zhongwen ('Chinese language') Red is a free online tool with which to learn and practise Mandarin Chinese. It is made up of 110 themed lessons which can be reached through a side bar on the main page. Lessons range from basic statements of place and identity to expressing more complex opinions and ideas. For each lesson, users are introduced to sample sentences, which are written in simpified Chinese characters, pinyin romanisation, and in English translation. There is also a literal translation of the meaning of each character to ease understanding of sentence structure. Users can download each lesson in Adobe pdf format for use offline. It is also possible to hear and then download sound files of native Chinese speakers reading through the phrases. Users can listen to two different native voices in order to listen to phrases in different accents and with different stresses.

Zhongwen Red is a useful supplementary online tool for those with a basic knowledge of Chinese sentence structure, tones and with a grasp of written characters. Those with no knowledge at all might find a more basic foundation helpful - however, this is not to deny the usefulness of Zhongwen Red as language learning continues. The resource also acts as a gateway to other online Chinese language teaching aids, including its companion websites, Zhongwen Green and Zhongwen Blue.
http://www.zhongwenred.com/

From Intute.ac.uk

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Durkheim Pages

Posted by Celia Walter | 17 May, 2009
Durkheim Pages
A series of Web pages devoted to the French sociologist and philosopher, Emile Durkheim (1858-1917). They have been prepared and are maintained by Robert Alun Jones, Professor of Religious Studies, History and Sociology at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, working in conjunction with the British Centre for Durkheimian Studies at Oxford University and the Advanced Information Technologies Laboratory at the University of Illinois. The site includes a biography, a chronology, a complete bibliography of Durkheim's published works, and a glossary of terms and concepts important to the understanding of Durkheim's works. From Intute.ac.uk
http://durkheim.uchicago.edu/

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