StartupRealities

StartupRealities No 143 MetaTextbook is an artificial intelligence (AI)-led content producer which creates visual content for electronic textbooks customised to the interests and hobbies of the reader. For example, if a student likes football, most of the images in the physics or geography textbooks for this particular student will be related to football. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING The customisation of imagery makes the content easier to understand and internalise thanks to two key factors: 1) The relevance and familiarity with the images creates a shortcut to existing knowledge in the student's mind; 2) The virtuous cycle of reassurance engendered by familiarity gives confidence to the student that the effort required to learn a lesson is minimal. Aristotle described this process in Rhetoric: " To learn easily is naturally pleasant to all people. " PRINCIPLES OF IMAGE SELECTION The company applies the principle of  conceptual metaphors to select or create images ...

StartupRealities No 91 PondMapper is a geographical information systems company that catalogues and maps artificial ponds in urban environments. The company asks for a $5 dollar donation to include each garden pond in its database and on its maps. The information is used by biologists exploring aquatic and amphibian habitats, while pond photos are shared on the website and on Instagram. Each pond owner has a dedicated page on the PondMapper website where they upload current photos of their pond. CEO QUOTE "People with garden ponds really care about their ponds and are proud of their ponds. We help create a community of pond lovers, but we also give a scientific and research purpose to this community. Exploring biodiversity and species migration is a central part of what we do," said PondMapper founder and CEO Pony Mascarpone. Garden pond in California (image source: Wikipedia )