The dark side of augmented reality

Augmented Reality (Source: http://extensiveideas.com/)

Augmented reality, for example by wearing google googles, adds a digital layer to your surroundings. You can see superimposed information about buildings, people, shopping, directions, news, etc.

This New Scientist article (see below) discusses the possible dark sides of augmented reality: Digital graffiti, cyber-bullying, digital political demonstrations, or cyber-stalking.

Law makers need to catch up to regulate the use of augmented reality information - and hopefully find a sensible balance between giving users creative freedom and protecting them.

Augmented reality offers a new layer of intrigue - opinion - 25 May 2012 - New Scientist:

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Identifying factors for longevity

Longevity (Source: http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/)

A 2012 Scientific American article (see link below) reported that certain genes, more precisely SNPs, occur more frequently in people who live over a 100 years than in a random population sample.

However, twin studies suggest that genetics only account for approximately 20-30% of an individual's chance of surviving to age 85.

Research by the Blue Zones research project suggests that environmental factors such as diet and a supportive community are important to live a long life.

Live Long and Proper: Genetic Factors Associated with Increased Longevity Identified: Scientific American:

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Online free reading speed test

This quick and free online reading speed test extrapolates how quickly you could finish a book or how many eBooks you could read on a full battery load.

Source: Staples eReader Department

USA fails to make progress in STEM education

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education

The recent annual "Condition of Education" report stated that there has been a marked increase over the last two decades in the percent of high school graduates who had taken calculus, from 7 percent in 1990 to 16 percent in 2009. 


However, there is a sharp drop in the number of students interested in pursuing science and mathematics once they completed their requirements.


Despite many costly education reforms (such as "No Child Left Behind" and "Race to the Top"), current high school students perform the same on a national math and reading assessment than they did in the early 1970s.


Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47553824/ns/us_news-education/#.T766wXktiYk

From knowledge hierarchies to networks

Manuel Lima is a Senior UX Design Lead at Microsoft Bing and founder of VisualComplexity.com

In his RSA talk, Lima discusses a epistemological paradigm shift from hierarchical tree structures (what philosopher Deleuse calls "arborescent") where branches are separate from each other to networks (what Deleuse calls "rhizomatic") where everything can be connected to everything with no top or bottom.

The importance of the humanities for science

Source: http://pleated-jeans.com/

Increased investment and failure of the US education system

This infograph illustrates several points:
1) Increasing investment in the US education system did not lead to improvements;
2) Investing in technology (hardware) alone does not improve education (without changes in pedagogy through changes in pre-service training and professional development).

Overall, the infograhp suggests that investment in an education system (without restructuring the system) does not lead to improvements. For example, Finland spends less money on education but achieves higher results (even compared to countries with a similar culture such as Norway). Norway, similar to the US, builds on a business-view model of education that focuses on assessment. Finland on the other hand builds on a humanist model that focuses on equity and high quality teachers (See documentary "The Finland Phenomenon").


Via: OnlineEducation.net