The XSLT Working Group has published today a Last Call Working Draft of XSL Transformations (XSLT) Version 3.0. This specification defines the syntax and semantics of XSLT 3.0, a language for transforming XML documents into other XML documents. A transformation in the XSLT language is expressed in the form of a stylesheet, whose syntax is well-formed XML. Comments are welcome by 10 February 2014. Learn more about the Extensible Markup Language (XML) Activity.

Sometimes Hollywood is a microcosm of America.

Take the recent case of  Wonder Woman, a star of the DC superhero universe.

Warner Bros. recently announced news regarding the upcoming Batman versus Superman movie. Included is the news Gal Godot will star as Wonder Woman.

This is refreshing news…it’s good to see woman superhero for a change!

But others remain frustrated… why can’t she get her own movie?

After all, recent movies such as the Hunger Games have proven that action movies starring female actresses have the potential for success.

But Hollywood isn’t the only place where women (roughly 50% of the American population mind you) have gone invisible.

In the Business world, only about 4% of CEO’s are women. Those who have made it to the top often face double standards. This is a trend embodied in a semi-recent case study; participants were given the description of a business manager who they evaluated based on competence and “worthiness of respect”.

The theoretical manager was declared successful by both group -the only difference? One group was told that the manager’s name was Heidi, the others knew it as Howard. Groups who evaluated Heidi consistently evaluated her as less likable than her male counterpart.

This isn’t just a theory. “The Everyday Sexism Project” allows men and women to chronicle instances where sexual discrimination and harassment are experienced To no one’s surprise, many posts are related to workplace incidents.

Ouch.

But, things are changing.

Bring out the balloons guys, cause GM just announced its newest CEO: Mary Barra. 

Meanwhile, about half the workforce is now made up of women. Not to mention the rising number of female college students.

Here at USDemocrazy we’re hoping that appointments like Barra’s will become regular enough that we won’t be posting about it. Until then, we’ll just have to settle for celebrating these fundamental steps forward. Because who’s going to complain about another excuse to bring out those fabulous metaphorical balloons?

For designers passionate about the latest developments across the full spectrum of visual design, there’s a brand new site that features some of the most exciting, innovative and inspiring design projects taking place today. Every day our sister-site, DesignFaves.com, trawls the web seeking out the projects with the most buzz surrounding them and delivers a compact, visual summary right to your inbox.

Focused on all fields of design, you’ll find graphic design, art, architecture, furniture design, fashion, branding, photography, and everything else that’s visual and engaging.

You can sign up for the newsletter and get your daily dose of design inspiration each morning, or browse through the site when you’re feeling tapped for new ideas. Whoever you are, and whatever you love, you’ll find fresh projects on DesignFaves.com.

Every week we’ll be bringing you a summary of the best the site has to offer, and to whet your appetite, here are our favorite projects this week:

Custom 3D printed toys by Aminimal

How does a ‘Mad Men’ actor live? With a colossal retractable bed

Precarious yoshi bar made from thousands of stacked reeds

Handmade views of exploded automobiles

Custom wood fenders give bikes a vintage look

Incredible photorealistic underwater paintings

People and animals blend into mythic beasts

Giant ‘Unwoven Light’ reflective sculpture

Impressive ‘Volocopter’ electric aircraft moves to next stage of development

Arctic-ready sled habitats by Rob Sweere

Transform your Instagram photos into custom wrapping paper

The story of Kyle Thompson’s photography stardom

Cutting edge app turns smartphones into 3D scanners

The visionary broken glasses typeface: Schossler Font

Giant rubber duck sculpture spreads joy around the world

Jawbone UP24 fitness tracker keeps you stylish and healthy

High-speed photographs of bubbles in mid-burst: Fabian Oefner

Which of these posts is your favorite? What would you like to see DesignFaves.com cover? Let us know in the comments.

Appareo Font Family – Vintage, Weathered Typeface – only $12!

UMBC has been named one of the nation’s top 100 public universities, according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. The ranking, released today, cites four-year schools that deliver a quality education at an affordable price.

UMBC made Kiplinger’s list of Best Values in Public Colleges thanks to its high four-
year graduation rate, low average student debt at graduation, abundant financial aid, low sticker price, and overall great value. UMBC has appeared on the list multiple
times – a testament to the value the university consistently provides.

“The college landscape today is very different—tuition increases and student debt
dominate the national conversation surrounding higher education,” said Janet Bodnar,
editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. “This year’s top 100 schools have made
admirable strides to maintain academic integrity and standards while meeting the
financial needs of their students.”

The annual public school rankings appear in Kiplinger’s February 2014 issue and are
also available online now at kiplinger.com/links/college.