In The News

The New York Times reports on a new 3D camera technology that's come from researchers at the University of Toronto, in conjunction with colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University. Cameras that sense depth have been on the market for years - take Microsoft's Kinect camera, for instance - but they don't work in bright light. Now, the researchers have devised a new generation of depth-sensing cameras that use only the light they need to calculate distances, by illuminating their target with laser light. As a result, they can accurately map the contours of an object they're looking at, be it something as simple as a ball or - or as detailed as a human face.

 

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Source: New York Times. 

New York Magazine has reported on an unusual study about marital happiness conducted by University of Toronto researchers.

Researchers studied the brain activity of long-married women, with an average age of 72, while they watched videos of their husbands recalling emotional memories. But there was a catch: The videos were deliberately mislabeled, so the husbands were said to be recalling a sad memory while visibly laughing, and vice-versa.

The results showed that the women's mental activity spiked when their husbands seemed inexplicably happy - but not when they were inexplicably sad (or at least no more than they did when watching similar videos of strangers). The study points towards the emotional sensitivities that lead to lasting marriages. As the article notes, "this neatly complements other past research showing, for example, that people who are unable to differentiate their partners’ emotions from their own (they assume they’re the same), tend to be viewed by their partners as more controlling and smothering."

 

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Source: New York Magazine

The New York Times has profiled one of Toronto's lesser-known cultural leaders: Stéphane Deschênes, a senior figure in the International Naturist Federation, "a sort of United Nations of nudism."

Deschênes teaches at the University of Toronto (which is everywhere in the news this week), and runs a nudist colony on the outskirts of the city. In the piece, "How to Be Naked In Public," Deschênes describes ways of getting comfortable with naturism - starting with going in the buff in the comfort of your own home, and getting used to that before venturing into the outdoors. He also suggests watching out for the scourge of "phantom clothes" - the fleeting sensation that, even after years of committed naturalism, you're still wearing clothes when you're not.

Read the rest here.
Source: New York Times.

Toronto has hit the top of another international ranking - this time in Metropolis. The urban-oriented publication has just released a ranking of "The World's Most Liveable Cities" – and it puts Toronto at the top of the list. Writing about the winning city for the magazine, Toronto Star columnist Chritopher Hume cites recent achievements like the city's revitalized waterfront, its Tower Renewal scheme, the Regent Park renewal program, and the new express train to Pearson Airport as things that will make "one of the most livable cities on earth even more attractive." 


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Source: Metropolis. 
 

As he sees it, he is walking in the footsteps of artists of previous eras who, from an R.&B. foothold, rocketed into the stratosphere. So it didn’t come as a surprise when Tesfaye was visibly (and uncharacteristically) thrilled to relate the story of how he first met the legendary producer Quincy Jones. The two were at a club called Drai’s in Las Vegas, where Tesfaye performs frequently. The owner introduced him to Jones, 82 years old but still spry enough for the club. The two sat down next to each other. ‘‘He knew about me,’’ Tesfaye said, beaming. ‘‘You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.’’
 

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Source: New York Times

"To be here, this is awesome. This is it," said American player Malaika Underwood. "It doesn't matter that we're not on TV. I mean the fact we are out here is the point. When we look back at this, I think we'll appreciate the magnitude."