The Paradox of the Disinhibited
Power can lead to great acts of altruism, but also corruptive, unethical behavior. Being intoxicated can lead to a first date, or a bar brawl. And the mask of anonymity can encourage one individual to let a stranger know they have toilet paper stuck to their shoe, while another may post salacious photos online. What [...]
Using Microsoft Kinect as a teaching tool
To video gamers, the name Microsoft Kinect is synonymous with the Xbox 360 video game console. To University of Toronto graduate student Uzma Khan, the motion-sensing input device offered a myriad of other possibilities. Khan, a master’s degree student in applied computing, used the course Topics in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to explore the ways Kinect might [...]
It also looks at depression and anxiety
A University of Toronto Psychology Professor believes a test to measure a driver’s cognitive ability would go a long way in making Canada’s roads safer. read more
The origins of the superstition
Here’s the worst case scenario: a black cat crosses your path as you walk under a ladder to pick up the pieces of the mirror you’ve just broken. read more
Police in Toronto and Ottawa are firmly opposed to supervised drug-consumption sites, the clinics where drug users can inject or use illegal drugs under the supervision of trained staff, according to a new Toronto study on the issue. read more
A second look at gondola transit
Mayor Rob Ford seems to favour tunneling transit underground in Toronto. But a growing number of international cities, including some in Canada, are casting their eyes to the sky at an unconventional mode that’s cheaper, cleaner and quicker to build than subways and light rail. read more
Examining social networking among children and teens
iSchool Professor Sara Grimes’s background and expertise in children’s digital culture has led to a new, exciting collaboration with the Joan Ganz Cooney Center (JGCC), the research division of the Sesame Workshop, makers of Sesame Street. In addition to the wealth of research the Sesame Workshop has generated over the past 4+ decades to inform [...]
Criminologist Scot Wortley weighs in on why—and why we still don’t feel safe
Statistics Canada reported recently that Canada’s homicide rate is at a 44-year low. We spoke to criminology professor Scot Wortley about why—and about why our perceptions of safety don’t reflect the fact that we’re safer than we’ve been in decades. Wortley has conducted research on a wide range of topics including racial profiling, attitudes toward [...]
Professor David Rayside comments
When Jamie Hubley, a 15 year old from Ottawa, committed suicide on Oct. 14, attention was turned again to bullying among young people. Jamie was openly gay. Taunting from others about his sexuality played a major role in his suicide. Professor David Rayside spoke with us about the challenges lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) [...]
New U of T report advocates for country-specific planning
Broadcasters seeking to deliver online news to countries where blocking is widespread must be prepared to create strategies tailored to those countries, says a new report from the Canada Centre for Global Security Studies at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. The research leading to this conclusion is detailed in a newly [...]
