The voices. I need to get them out. Just make them go away. The voices. They drive me insane. Always talking, talking, talking. They make me SCREAM!
Continue readingWhiter than the Devil
Juggling Jellyfish: How AI can improve citizen science projects
One of the largest citizen science projects in Malta, Spot the Jellyfish has helped record many interesting discoveries about marine life. But as the project grows, the team must expand their technology to cope with the influx of data. Prof. Alan Deidun, Prof. John Abela, and Dr Adam Gauci speak to Becky Catrin Jones about their latest developments.
Continue readingSmart insoles for diabetic patient monitoring
Local researchers from the DRIFT (Dense Recording of In-Shoe Foot Temperatures) project team are investigating foot health in patients with diabetes. In collaboration with Mater Dei Hospital, researchers are developing smart insoles, a system with embedded thermal sensors that measure foot temperatures. THINK got in touch with Chiara Modestini, podiatrist and researcher with DRIFT, to find out more.
Continue readingMaking Maltese Visible
It’s hard to imagine Maltese literature leaving a mark on the global stage. We might assume that there simply isn’t enough interest. But in a world that’s so increasingly globalised, is it fair to assume that a language that represents such a melting pot of identities has nothing to offer to the wider cultural market? The UK-based micro publisher Praspar Press, spearheaded by Kat Storace and Jen Calleja, is setting out to disprove that assumption.
Continue readingCommuters, Ahoy!
Travel time studies are important for transport geographers, especially on island archipelagos. Small islands like Gozo depend on outside links for their infrastructure. My (Marthese Cini) research study focused on Gozitan commuters working in Malta and the recent discussions on ‘connecting’ the islands. Specifically, I studied whether a ferry or a tunnel would be more suitable for their needs.
Continue readingHibernating Humans
As lockdowns spread worldwide and grounded planes crippled international tourism, humanity cut the environment some long-awaited slack. With the climate change debate heating up (proportionally to the planet’s temperatures), THINK investigates what would happen if humanity’s only chance to preserve our planet is a yearly 3-month lockdown?
Continue readingVirtual Assistants: 21st Century’s Towers of Babel?
Virtual assistants, such as Alexa or Siri, are gaining popularity and becoming our new family members. But these technologies are often designed with English in mind. How can we teach our virtual assistants other languages, such as Maltese? THINK’s Christian Keszthelyi speaks with Prof. Patrizia Paggio, Prof. Ray Fabri, and Prof. Albert Gatt from the Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology (University of Malta) to find out more.
Continue readingBellowing from the Rooftops
It’s a topsy turvy ole world isn’t it? One moment we’re not allowing certain plays to be staged, the next there are journalists being locked up in a room in Castille, and before we know it, Donald Trump is banging on social media’s door asking to be let back in.
Continue readingImplementation of EU Law in Malta
Upon accession into the European Union (EU), Malta vowed to incorporate the entire body of European Union law (known as the acquis) into its legal system. It has been one of the fastest member states to do so, but has it been done properly? THINK magazine’s John Crossan interviews Dr Jelena Agranovska and Dr Ivan Sammut (Faculty of Laws, University of Malta).
Continue readingNothing to see here
Two years after Cisse’s murder, which was ostensibly motivated by racial hatred given that neither of the shooters knew anything about the victim except his skin colour, the report remains a secret.
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