Information Engineering Research Unit blog

Nikos Manouselis arrived in Madrid yesterday from Athens. Dr. Manouselis, from GRNet Athens, is the project manager in the Organic.Edunet project and one of our best partners in Europe. He will be in Spain during the summer so that we can plan and organise a few things we collaborate together in.

Dr. Manouselis gave a very interesting talk on collaborative filtering in technology-enhanced learning to our students and Faculty, and he will be working with us in related topics during his stay with us.

These days, IE member Salvador Sanchez is in Athens to strengthen links with the GRNet group lead by Dr. Nikos Manouselis. During his stay, Salvador will be working on the design of the Organic.Edunet portal, as well as attending a few sessions for planning future joint project proposals, and meeting PhD students.

Remains of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi

In such a long stay in Greece it is almost mandatory to visit the Oracle of Apollo, established in the 8th century BC in Delphi. In this place on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, Apollo -who was in Greek mythology the god of light and truth-, dispensed oracular wisdom through the Pythia. It is well known that this oracle at Delphi was visited by kings, philosophers and politicians, whose decisions were often influenced by the oracle’s responses. It was so important in the antiquity that ancient Greeks even established a right and a precedence for consulting the oracle: the promanteia.

This week IE members Miguel Angel and Salvador will be attending to CCITA 2009 a latin american conference on learning objects and learning technologies. They will be givin a workshop on learning objects lifecycle, from birth to death.

But before the conference starts, they will broaden their minds with unvaluable knowledge about the Maya gods -Chac Mol is everybody’s favourite- and secrets. In the picture above, visiting Chichen Itza.

Below Miguel-Angel is in front of “La Iglesia” (the building at the left). La Iglesia is a Puuc-style temple with Chaac (a rain deity) in the middle of the facade.

In “La Iglesia” we can see the four “Bacabes” (sustainers of heaven) two at each side of the Chaac mask in the center. Below you have the pictures. It is said that the bacabes are in the form of several animals: armadillo, snail, turtle and crab. Can you identify them in the pictures?