In The News

Toronto one of the world's most intelligent cities

Toronto Star Wednesday, April 17, 2013

New York-based think tank Intelligent Community Forum has shortlisted Toronto in its quest to identify the world's most intelligent city.

More than 400 international cities entered the competition last fall, whittling it down to 21 then seven. Toronto joins Stratford, ON; Columbus, Ohio; Taichung City, Taiwan; Taoyuan County, Taiwan; Oulu, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia.

The "Intelligent Community of the Year" award is open to cities all over the world. It "isn’t about a city’s fame or its wealth or the number of brainy people walking the streets," an article in the Toronto Star says. "It’s about having the high-tech strategies and infrastructures and vision for a prosperous economy." This isn't about fast growing economies, but rather attributed to innovation and creating new paths.

Last year's winner Riverside, California took the prize home for its "mission to revamp itself as a innovation centre to attract new high technology business, incubate start-up tech companies and create jobs," as well as make computers accessible for everyone.

But Toronto's appeal stems largely from Waterfront Toronto, the public advocate for waterfront revitalization. Kristina Verner, Waterfront's director of Intelligent Communities, told the Star that Toronto is an "amazing city to showcase."

Today and tomorrow, Toronto will be hosting Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) co-founder Robert Bell in a bid to win the award. In a press release, Waterfront Toronto's president and CEO John Campbell announced he'd be taking Bell on a tour with stops at "Ryerson's Digital Media Zone, George Brown College's Digital Media & Gaming Incubator, Evergreen Brickworks, Waterfront Toronto, Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games, and Sheridan College's Screen Industries Research and Training Centre at Pinewood Studios."

The Star reports that the winner will be announced in June once a decisions by an international jury consisting of "more than 200 former community winners, government officials, business leaders, academics and consultants" is reached.

Read the full article here.

Original source: Toronto Star

Humber River Hospital sets Canadian healthcare benchmark

Healthcare Global Wednesday, April 17, 2013

The new Humber River Hospital won't open its doors to patients until 2015, but it's already being touted as a potential global leader in innovation and technology.

Healthcare Global reports that patients will be able to, control lighting, alter room temperature, video chat with nurses and use a bedside monitor to read medical records. These technologies are designed to cut down on the time it takes for nurses and doctors to walk to various parts of the hospital, something further research by CBC News indicates will make the hospital the latest digital hospital in the world.

Both sources report that though Canada has made efforts to digitize its health-care system, it lags behind other countries. This is about to change.

"The new Humber River Hospital sets the benchmark for hospitals in the future and will change the way patient care is delivered in Canada," Healthcare Global reports.

The Humber River Hospital will become Humber's main acute care centre.

Read the full story here.

Original source: Healthcare Global

Virtual road trips with Google Hyperlapse

Gap Year Wednesday, April 17, 2013

A new online tool created by Toronto design firm Teehan+Lax takes two places on Google Earth and creates a video connecting them through Google Street View images. Called Hyperlapse, the tool lets users pick two destinations and then weaves them together to create a smooth stream, a pseudo virtual road trip.

"We aimed at making the process simpler by using Google Street View as an aid, but quickly discovered that it could be used as the source material. It worked so well, we decided to design a very usable UI around our engine and release Google Street View Hyperlapse," Jon Lax, a partner at Teehan+Lax, told travel website Gap Year.

The online tool's website says it works best with long, straight and flat roads, especially highways and bridges. We tried to make one go all the way up Yonge Street, but it wanted to take the 404.

Lax told Gap Year he sees quite the future for this app.

"Now that we have made the software open source others will make more videos using footage from anywhere in the world."

Read the full story here.

Original source: Gap Year

Two teams race to complete human powered helicopters for $250,000 prize

Popular Mechanics Wednesday, April 17, 2013

No one has won the "Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition," but a Toronto team is getting close.

The competition challenges teams to make a human powered, lightweight helicopter that must hover for 60 seconds and reach an altitude of three metres, staying within a 33-metre parameter. A handful of teams from around the world have given it their best shot since American Helicopter Society launched the international competition in 1980, but the $250,000 prize pledged by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation is still up for grabs.

Not if 31-year-old Todd Reichart has his way. The University of Toronto doctoral candidate in aeronautical engineering "built and piloted the world's first continuously flying human-powered ornithopter, an aircraft that propels itself by flapping its wings," according to an article in Popular Mechanics that explores the famed Sikorsky prize and the various attempts that have been made.

"The following year he broke the college land speed record by hitting 72.6 mph in an enclosed bicycle he designed and built. Now the newly minted Ph.D. and his 26-year-old partner, structural engineer Cameron Robertson, are hoping that the Sikorsky Prize will help finance projects for their fledgling engineering company, AeroVelo."

Reichart and his team of four student volunteers have been working on a pedal-powered "120-pound flying machine, dubbed Atlas, contains just enough structure to lift Reichert's 165 pounds and scarcely an ounce more." Any wrong move and the thing could fall apart. ?

Reichart's has tough competition down in Maryland, D.C, Popular Mechanics reports. "William Staruk, student team leader for the University of Maryland, is putting his group through similar preparations in an indoor athletic facility—this one a wood-floored gymnasium with a rubberized track around its perimeter." Staruk's Gamera is said to be lighter and "much better tested." It's flown 50 second to Reichart's 15.

With an open deadline it's only a matter of time before someone claims the prize. But as the article points out, "in the 32 years since the prize was established, only five human-powered helicopters have even left the earth." This includes Atlas and Gamera.

Read the full story here.

Original source: Popular Mechanics

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives wraps up Toronto tour

Toronto Life Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Guy Fieri and his penchant for greasy food have been making the Toronto rounds on the past few episodes of his Food Network hit Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Toronto Life has been keeping tabs on his visits to eateries such as Caplansky's and Hey Meatball on College Street, The Ace in Roncesvalles, and the Lakeview on Dundas Street West.

Here are some of the best quotes featured in the summaries:

"If you’re a fan of delis, and I’m talking old-school, Jewish-style deli's, and you’re cruising through Toronto, Canada, don't worry, they got a joint for ya. It’s right here, at Caplansky's," Fieri says about the deli that's been featured previously in the New York Times, Maxim, and various other publications. He wasn't as sold on the Canadian pallet of maple bacon though, saying it was not as he expected.

Christmas came early though when he took a bike out of the Ace's Christmas burger, which consists of a turkey patty, stuffing, and cranberry compote.

"If you took your whole Thanksgiving dinner, wadded it up into a ball, put a little crisp on the outside of it, that’s what this tastes like," he said.

The festivities continued with the Lakeview's freedom cheese bread, "It’s always a party when you have Havarti!" Fieri said.

Perhaps his greatest love though came in the form of a sandwich. "You’ll have to pry this out of my dead hands," he said of Hey Meatball.

Read the full summaries here.

Original Source: Toronto Life

Toronto Sphynx cats top the International Feline Beauty Competition

The Daily Mail Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The Canadian Sphynx--or as the Daily Mail calls them, "the world's most miserable looking cats"--was a champion competitor in Romania's International Feline Beauty Competition. The competition took place this past Saturday and though more than 200 breeds were entered, it was this naked kitty that caught the eyes of publications around the world.

"The Sphynx cats were well-represented, even though they are often thought of as the ugliest cat breed because of their prune-like skin and disproportionately big eyes," an article in the Daily Mail says.

"Despite their exotic name, the Sphynx cats actually originate from Toronto, Canada. They came into existence in the sixties after careful breeding using hairless cats."

Further research indicates that these cats were discovered in Roncesvalles in 1963 when a domestic cat gave birth to a hairless, or naked, cat aptly named Prune. The International Cat Association (TICA) reports that this cat was then bred with others in an attempt to establish a new breed. Between 1975 and 1978, several naked cats were found in Toronto and Minnesota. They were bred with the Devon Rex, a similar cat with minimal hair. TICA has considered them a recognized breed for 20 years and reports that there are several thousand of these cats now registered in the world.

Additional information online credits Ridyadh Bawa, a science graduate from the University of Toronto, and his mother Yania, a breeder of Siamese cats, along with Kees and Rita Tenhoves as early breeders.

Other top contenders at the beauty competition included the more traditional Russian Blue, ragdolls, and the Norwegian Forest Cat.

Read the full story here.

Original source: The Daily Mail

Local ham radio course to thwart zombie apocalypse

Central Toronto Amateur Radio Club Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The Central Toronto Amateur Radio Club (CenTor) is using zombies as recruiting bait for a new course that's actually designed to increase radio communication skills should a disaster of any kind ever occur. Also known as ham radios, these hobby radios are useful when satellites are down.

"During a zombie apocalypse, the only reliable form of communication would be using Amateur Radio, as cellphones and the Internet will become useless," Don Trynor, president of CenTor and a licensed Amateur Radio operator said in a press release. "By teaching people to use Amateur Radio, we can provide them with a valuable skill that they can use in times of emergency or natural disaster to stay in communication with one another."

The 10-week amateur radio course covers basic electronics, radio wave propagation, antenna theory, wavelengths, among other things, and accumulates in an exam resulting in a license. The course starts May 1st.

5 business travel tips from a frequent Toronto visitor

USA Today Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Theresa Donnelly is a 28-year-old manager for Deloitte Financial Advisory Services who spends four-to-five days a week living out of hotels in Toronto. She's become quite the expert in travel preparations and recently spoke with USA Today to offer her travelling advice.

One of the key aspects of travelling for business, she says, is to take the time to see the city you're visiting. "Before she lands in a new place, she reads up on its landmarks. Once there, she walks or takes public transit to them," the article says.

"I think it's good to get familiar and comfortable with a city so you can feel safe," she says. "It's silly to go to a new different city and not learn anything about it."

She provided USA Today with her top five business travel tips:

"1. Leave for the airport early, even if it means having to sit around the airport reading or doing work.

2. Try to avoid flights that you know are going to be too crowded or that require you to travel to the airport during rush hour.

3. Try to have only your carry-on bag. If you do check a bag, pack an extra outfit in your carry-on in case your checked luggage gets delayed.

4. If you know you're going to spend several days at a hotel, call the hotel ahead of time and try to negotiate a better rate or better accommodations.

5. Get out of the immediate area surrounding your hotel or office. Take advantage of the fact that you're in a new place and try to schedule some sightseeing."

She also recommends using some sort of frequent-flyer program to accumulate points. She's travelled so much for work that her upcoming wedding and honeymoon travel have been taken care of on points alone.

Read the full story here.

Original Source: USA Today

Green with envy over UoT Mississauga's Instructional Centre

Treehugger Wednesday, April 03, 2013

The Univeristy of Toronto's Mississauga campus has caught the attention of sustainability publication Treehugger for its award winning Instructional Centre.

Featuring a gallery that highlight's some of the building's greatest attributes, Treehugger pays homage to the Centre's many integrated photovoltaics, solar panels that convert light into energy, as well as its student lounges that overlook green roofs planted with indigenous meadow grasses. The solar panels are unique in that they also offer shading in the centre's main east west corridor and centre staircase while simultaneously providing clean energy throughout the building. An additional star attribute, the building's geothermal system that heats and cools the building, is hidden beneath a playing field.

The Centre is the creation of architects Perkins + Wills, known for their green educational buildings, as well as design principal Andrew Frontini, a master at crafting breathtaking fixtures. He chose to "clad the building insides and out in copper," which Treehugger points out isn't the greenest of materials, but one that certainly lasts a long time "if it isn't stolen."

"This is certainly not the greenest educational building that Perkins + Will has turned out; that would probably be Peter Busby's Centre for Interactive Research and Technology. But it is lovely to look at and combines such generosity of comfort, luxury and sustainable features. Leonard Shore would be proud," Treehugger says.

View the gallery here.

Original Source: Treehugger

A sneak peek at what goes on at the Ontario Food Terminal

The Produce News Wednesday, April 03, 2013

More than one million tons of produce and horticultural products pass through the Ontario Food Terminal annually, making it "one of the largest wholesale produce distribution centres in Canada and the third-largest in North America," the Produce News reports. So when an opportunity came for the publication to get a sneak peak at what happens behind the scenes, they were eager to chronicle the tour.

The resulting story is one that accounts how the terminal, easily viewable when driving on the Gardiner Expressway, operates. The terminal consists of 21 warehouse tenants and a four-acre farmer's market comprised of Ontario growers, which is open to the 5,000 registered buyers but not to the public. It is open every day, but Sundays are the busiest, receiving "roughly 600-850 pallets and an average of 25 tractor-trailer loads in a 12-hour period."

The terminal supports, "local farmers, local fruit and vegetable stores, independent and chain supermarkets, retailers, restauranteurs, foodservice, caterers, farmers’ markets, farm gate markets, florists, garden centres, landscapers, convenience stores and institutions," according to its website.

The Produce News provides an overview of the terminal's operations:

"Since 1954, the Ontario Food Terminal has been located in the Toronto district of Etobicoke. The distribution center boasts a central cold-storage area that includes 19 rooms with temperatures set from 32-45 degrees Fahrenheit. The rooms are set individually to meet the storage needs of a variety of commodities from carrots to tomatoes. There is approximately 100,000 square feet of storage available in the coolers. Some of the new portions of the building have racking systems available in the cold-storage rooms."

The terminal is closed to the public, but it does occasionally have open houses according to its website, though no upcoming dates are listed.

Read the full story here.

Original Source: The Produce News

Two new cycling companies to launch custom Toronto bikes

Post City Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Post City is reporting that two new cycling companies with an emphasis on locally produced urban-minded bicycles are preparing to launch in Toronto.

The first is Gallant Bicycles, which focuses on "the end-to-end production of a Toronto city bike." Frames are constructed in China, but everything else is conducted out of their Annex shop at 678 Bloor St. W. Launching this month, shop owners Jason Wood and Tony Mammoliti told Post City the bikes are made to order. “We are bringing in the frames raw, painting here and assembling just the way you like," Wood said.

Gallant Bicycles will offer two frames with various add-ons starting at $699.

The second is Simcoe Bikes, which is "taking the design side a step further by creating a bike with T.O. riding in mind: think extra-strong wheels for streetcar tracks and increased rustproofing for Canuck winters."

This shop is set to launch later this summer, but co-owner Eric Kamphof told Post City they're already running behind in part because their Taiwan manufacturer is behind schedule.

“There is a need for this in North America, even globally,” Kamphof says in the article. “In the city, bikes are now people’s primary transport,” he explains. “Like owning a car, it’s a design and fashion thing, too. It is very important to our market.”

Simcoe Bikes will come in three- or seven-speed versions retailing for $899 and $1,150.

Read the full story here.

Original Source: Post City

Scott Mission serves traditional Easter feast to those in need

Metro News Wednesday, April 03, 2013

There's a quote in the Metro article about the Easter feast prepared for those attending Scott Mission's annual dinner that sums the story up quite nicely.

"It’s springtime," says Andrew Zeidman, the grandson of mission founder Morris Zeidman, who founded the mission more than 70 years ago. "This could be the beginning of new things."

The mission is usually closed on Sundays, but opened its doors to serve an Easter meal of traditional lamb, potatoes, vegetables and hot soup prepared by mission staff and volunteers. Each week, the mission, which is located at the north west corner of College and Spadina, feeds more than 300 of "Toronto's hungry and homeless" allowing them a "hot meal and reprieve from the streets."

The Easter meal consisted of more than 200 lbs. of donated lamb. All of the food served at the mission is donated, something the article says has made head cook Neil Reyes quite the resourceful chef, "planning meals for hundreds based on what's already in the fridge."

The mission serves new immigrants, those struggling with mental health and addiction, the working poor, which includes people coming off Employment Insurance, those whose hours have been cut, and people with university degrees, the article says.

Scott Mission's CEO Peter Duraisami said the mission's goal is to help everyone find that new beginning, whether that's a new job, home, or happiness. "But if they can't," he tells Metro, "let's just take care of them."

Read the full story here.

Original Source: Metro News

Jade Raymond says times have changed for big console game developers

The Guardian Wednesday, March 27, 2013

"There's an expectation to be able to try [games] for free, and only spend money if they want to. We have to figure out how to make that type of thing work with console games as well," said Jade Raymond, the managing director of Ubisoft Toronto, in an article that appeared in the Guardian.

Raymond was interviewed before departing for San Francisco where she will be participating in the Game Developers Conference. She's most interested in the future of console games, the focus of Ubisoft's studio in Toronto. The company is currently harnessing all its energy into the game Splinter Cell Blacklist.

She says that the market is changing and big publishers "have to be honest with themselves -- there's only room for say 10 successful titles a year on those sorts of budgets. So you have to go all-in on those; you have to be sure you'll have a hit, and when you make it you have to invest everything to make sure it's amazing."

Everything is changing, she says, but this means there is a lot of opportunity to adjust markets and reach news ones. This includes competing for talent with unconventional industries such as television. "We need to hire top notch writers, top notch actors, everyone has to be at the top of their game," she said.

Read the full story here.

Original source: The Guardian

Upcoming runway show to challenge black fashion stereotypes

National Post Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Toronto's World MasterCard Fashion Week may have just ended, but insiders' sights are already set on the upcoming Fashion Art Toronto(FAT), an alternative fashion and art week that runs from April 23-27.

It is there Ryerson fashion professor Henry Navarro will debut his "Grey Cincinnati" collection to challenge stereotypes against black fashion's role in high fashion. As reported in the National Post, much of black fashion was previously considered "urban wear," but African-American designers such as Eki Orleans, Ozwald Boateng and Vlisco have transcended stereotypes to becomes standouts on the runway. The models will wear grey "futuristic" garments to symbolize "how beautifully humanity can prosper when not partitioned by colour."

"Toronto is a very diverse city, and I am under the impression that people will think that they are not racist because of that," Navarro told the Post. “But I would like to challenge those notions and at the same time expose people to a different perspective or a different way of dealing with race."

The collection will move on to the inaugural Black Fashion Week taking place in Montreal from May 15-17. Adama Ndiaye, founder of Adama Paris Fashion Events and organizer of the Black Fashion Week in Paris, decided to "spread her vision of revealing 'the cultural richness of the black diaspora'" by bringing the festival to Montreal.

It will feature creations by 15 prominent international African designers, including Canada's own Joseph Helmer. It is hoped that Black Fashion Week will provide exposure to an underrepresented and under supported segment of high fashion.

Read the full story here.

Original source: National Post

New youth-led, feminism-driven magazine launches this weekend

Digital Journal Wednesday, March 27, 2013

A new magazine gearing up for its Easter weekend launch has been generating buzz for its young, forward-thinking masthead and big ideas. Putting Down Roots will explore issues of African diaspora, feminism and youth skill building.

"SpeakSudan is a youth for youth initiative that tackles all things East African. We provide the youth with a creative environment based on non-oppressive, feminist values. The magazine is one of our literary and artistic endeavours that help the youth create their own portfolios and will serve as a platform that will provide them with much needed exposure in the artistic industry. Under the SpeakSudan umbrella, everyone’s potential is valued, and no one’s work is undermined. The magazine is a mixture of drawings, writings and pictures that is enriching and beautiful,” Mariam Ahmed, the media and community outreach coordinator, told Digital Journal.

Ahmed is a graduate from York University where she earned a degree in international development studies, specializing in gender and development, diaspora and migration, and politics, government and policy. Born in Kenya, she has experience working in Non Government Organizations in Kenya and Canada, including in areas of disaster management, abused women and women's rights.

SpeakSudan will attempt "to provide a space, both physical and emotional to dissect, understand and reflect on its relationship(s) to the continent, both imagined and real. It strives to form ties and put down roots in order to empower and strengthen its communities."

In addition to magazine Putting Down Roots, SpeakSudan will provide round table discussions and work shops funded by the Laidlaw Foundation.

The launch will take place at 8:30 p.m. on March 30 at Daniel's Spectrum in Regent Park.

Read the full story here.

Original source: Digital Journal