Think you know everything there is to know about Star Wars? A team of computer scientists at l’École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland used graph theory and computer science to weed through hundreds of pages about Star Wars and reveal details that even the most avid fan may be unaware of. The Star Wars Universe spans more than just the seven films. It is developed through other media such as computer and video games, television series, and hundreds of books. No matter how keen a fan you are, it would be hard to explore the whole universe and remember all of the details. The team used a set of Star-Wars-themed Wikipedia pages called Wookiepedia for their data collection. SEE ALSO: Millennium Falcon vs. Starship Enterprise: Neil deGrasse Tyson Weighs In “Fans will be surprised to learn, for example, that we came up with over 20,000 characters,” said Kirell Benzi, a PhD student and the project lead. “Among them, 7,500 play an important role.
There are also 1,367 Jedi and 724 Sith. All the characters are spread among 640 different communities on 294 planets. And an analysis of the 10 largest communities reveals an aberration: nearly 80% of the galaxy’s population is human,” explains an EPFL news article. The 36,000-year saga can be broken down into six periods: before the Republic, the Old Republic, the Empire, the Rebellion, the New Republic, and the Jedi Order. So, it makes sense that the team of researchers wanted to map out where each character fit in. However, in many cases, it wasn’t as simple as just plotting them on a timeline based on a date. The researchers looked at how each character was connected to every other and used that to figure out when they are part of the storyline: “Using these cross-references, we are able to accurately determine the time period of the character almost without fail, when this information is not directly provided in the books or movies.” Images courtesy of Kirell Benzi
These two images show how it was done. Each time period is indicated using a particular color. In the image above, characters for whom the time period is unknown are shown in black. In the image below, the black dots are replaced with the color representing a best guess based on the other characters they are connected to. Although it is neat that they were able to use this kind of connection graph for a fictional universe, it is even more interesting to think about this type of method being used on real historical data. We could fill in knowledge gaps in all kinds of fields. “The program maps out connections in the mass of unorganized data available on the net,” said Benzi. “In addition to extracting data according to extremely precise criteria, the algorithms can also create links among data points, sort them, quantify them, interpret them and find missing information. All this in very little time. The results are then presented in the form of interactive charts that are easy to read and understand,” explained the EPFL news article.
Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now. This resource provides information for parents who would like to use a systematic method for behavior management in the home. Included are charts for listing appropriate and inappropriate behaviors, sample rules for earning privileges, lists of incentives to motivate kids, and a clear set of easy-to-follow instructions for both parents and kids to get started. Book with 10 Blank Home Behavior Charts 8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.23(d) Harvey C. Parker, PhD, is the author of several books, including The Goal Card Program; Listen, Look and Think; and Put Yourself in Their Shoes. Most Helpful Customer Reviews See all customer reviewsI'm sure you've seen the fabulous GoldieBlox video/ad and the surrounding unfabulous copyright controversy. The video is really cool, but the copyright stuff isn't. And more relevant to me, the GoldieBlox toys in and of themselves have some issues.
I ordered them before they even came out, feeling very excited by the feminist buzz over the company. But the toy itself is not very open-ended, and it is very pinkish. So even though it pushed buttons for a different part of the brain than typical "girl toys," I didn't really get the empowerment part. It was still a fairly narrow view of girlhood, which also leaves us with a narrow view of boyhood. And that isn't really empowering for anyone. So as mom to two boys and two girls, I thought of toys we enjoy that "light up" different parts of the brain, that allow children to explore in fun and exciting ways, and that appeal to boys, girls, and even grownups: 1. Magna-Tiles: An endless hit. Used in our house weekly, and almost daily, by all kinds and ages of kids. I caught my six-year-old daughter trying to build a very wide building with Magna-Tile squares last week and exploring several different ways to support the roof. Her seven-year-old brother has been known to make Star Wars ships out of the triangles he tends to hoard.
But thankfully, Magna-Tiles doesn't market squares for girls and triangles for boys. They're simply toys for kids. (Tip: the translucent ones are the coolest!) 2. CitiBlocs: Another building toy (there will be a few on this list, as we love building!). Citiblocs are very light, machine-cut inch-wide blocks that can be used to build all sorts of amazing structures. They really grow up with children. I love seeing how my six year old uses them vs. her 14-year-old brother. Citiblocs come in "cool" and "warm" colors, which is so freeing for my blue-loving daughter and my red-loving son (who loves to tell me that pink is a cool boy color). 3. littleBits: These electronic circuits are so cool. They are truly open-ended. While we've also enjoyed Snap Circuits for electronic play, Little Bits are designed to get kids thinking much more creatively and using a wide variety of found materials. The basic set isn't cheap, but it offers a lot of flexibility in play, and the customer service was excellent.
One of the wires snapped off as my six year old was making an electric toothbush last summer, and the company quickly replaced the piece. Their website is also a wonderful source of inspiration. These aren't played with quite as often as some of the other toys, but when they are, the richness of creations is really amazing. 4. Spirograph: Remember those? Something soothing and calming and freeing about experimenting with all those circles, some colorful pens, and a piece of paper. Simple and appealing to all kinds of kids. 5. Legos: My 10-year-old daughter has the biggest collection of Harry Potter Legos in the house, and I am happy to see Lego doing more outreach to bring girls into the fold. I will readily admit that my six year old had zero interest in Legos (despite them being all over our house) before Lego Friends came along. She definitely loves that the pieces look like girls, and we were also very happy to see that they're finally beginning to add boys to the Friends sets too.
Her brother often adds the space shuttle and pirate ship to their play, and she is branching out and asking for a Lego City set from Santa. Better yet, she's going off-kit and building all sorts of structures for her lego friends and little animals. I hope the Lego Friends sets eventually drop the pink and purple and have as many boys as girls, so that they appeal to a wider group of kids and support a broader range of play scripts. 6. Minecraft: This software and app-driven video game definitely appeals to boys and girls. The game requires all sorts of strategy, building, engineering, and cooperative thinking skills. Minecraft is so popular in our house that we had a (family) meeting to set up rules for peaceful play and to make sure we're not playing too often. Don't tell them, but I am secretly happy that this is their chosen video game obsession. 7. Rainbow Loom: If I had told you one year ago that your elementary school-aged sons would be obsessed with making bracelets for themselves and their friends, many of you wouldn't have believed me.
And really, I think the fact that it happened shows the appeal of gender-neutral toys. The craze hit before the intense marketing push, which allowed kids (not advertisers) to decide who liked them. Great for fine-motor development, social thinking, and following (complex) directions. 8. Art sets: Sometimes having the tools of the craft all in one beautiful package becomes your inspiration. I've given a kit like this to each of my four children, and in every instance, witnessed a prolonged burst of art and creativity. Pastels, watercolors, and beautiful colored pencils provide a refreshing departure from markers. And the fact that it packs up into a portable wooden suitcase is a bonus at clean up time! 9. Spy gear: My kids are really into spies and spy gear. We refer to our Elves on Shelves as spies for Santa, and the first museum the girls picked on a recent trip to Washington, D.C. was the International Spy Museum. Spy play has a wide appeal for kids of both genders and many ages, and lots of adventure, physical activity and learning abound in the missions and secret messages.