I totally love this! I know I’m supposed to be posting the new version of the money chapter but I’m afraid that this is too good to ignore. I’m not usually a fan of things like this, as some of you will know, but this is great, especially for kids, partly because you can blow things up on the safety of your own sofa. You tube clip here (2 minutes 44 secs).
Free version and premium version both on itunes.
Hard to believe, but apparently more people have died taking selfies this year than from shark attacks. More on mashable.
Thanks Lynda.
Hate to say this, but I told you so….
Computers do not improve pupil results according to OECD study of 70 countries.
Have you ever wanted to know what it would be like to sleep with Kate Upton or Ryan Gosling? With the new iFantasy app for only $19.99 a month, iLens will change your partner’s body and face to look like any celebrity you desire, without letting your partner know. Just make sure you scream out the right name.
http://dailycurrant.com/2014/12/18/apple-announces-ilens-the-smart-contact-lenses/
A few things I’ve noticed recently. First my own behaviour. I never listen to voicemails nowadays – it takes too long. Second, have you noticed how few websites are now giving you the option to print an article? (see above). For me this doesn’t matter with small bits of information, but if you are trying to digest/understand something of significant length/complexity I think it does.
The other thing I saw yesterday, which is either a weak signal or a blip, is that digital solutionism seems to be suffering a few defeats. Facebook has said that it is returning to “the qualitative” – which I think means people, while both Apple and Google have started to use people to assemble playlists.
Is this a tentative embrace of human judgment, empathy and intuition or just a bit of PR manipulation?
Now this is a digital development that I do like!
I don’t know if you saw an article in the Sunday Times (UK) last weekend about babies being given iPads?
According to Prof Annette Karmiloff-Smith from Birkbeck College: “children who are given the computers will show better signs of development, even if it’s not in a ‘conventional sense.’ This might be true, but suggesting that: “It’s OK to give your baby an iPad from the beginning. They might put a corner in their mouth” seems a little stupid, especially if the device is switched on with its wi-fi enabled. Would you be happy for a baby to chew your iPhone?
Another academic, Dr Erica Mallery-Blythe, has pointed out that radiation emitted by Wi-Fi, mobiles and other wireless devices (otherwise known as RF and EMF radiation) is increasingly being linked to conditions ranging from headaches, insomnia, fatigue and, most worrying of all, brain tumors. This is a concern with adults, but with babies the skull is very thin and any negative effects could be magnified.
I’ll have to find somewhere to add this to the book. I’ve just been reading Harper’s magazine (US) May 2015 issue. On page 24 there’s a small feature about Instapray, an app that allows people to post and request prayers. The best bit is undoubtedly a post that reads as follows:
“God, please help me overcome my internet addiction. It’s ruining my life.”
This is too good not to use in some way.
I was watching Channel 4 news last night (I almost never do) and there was an interesting piece on the Innocence Project in the USA, specifically a piece about Ricky Jackson, now 59 years old, who spent the last 39 years of his life in prison for a 1975 murder that he and two of his friends didn’t commit.
Asked by the TV reporter what had changed since he was locked up he replied: “Technology… I think that’s the biggest thing that I’ve had to adapt to, the way people relate to each other now…. I’m not saying that I came from a perfect world in 1975, but people were more in touch with each other…. it’s about a text now.”