OECD research shows that frequent use of computers in schools is more likely to be associated with lower results. Among 70 countries, heavy investment in information and communications technology have seen “no noticeable improvement” in Pisa test results for reading, mathematics or science. This is not surprising. As with any technology, it can be “good” …
Continue reading Computers in school do not improve results. Doh! It’s about culture.
Category:6 Information and Communication Technology
Cyborgs are coming to take your job, especially if you’re young.
The prospect of your job being automated is increasing. The convergence of neuroscience, computing, biology and engineering has already made robotic prosthetics a reality and everyone carries a small thinking machine so that they can remember phone numbers, birthdays etc (media device/phone). We are certainly choosing a future in which we don’t work. We haven’t …
Continue reading Cyborgs are coming to take your job, especially if you’re young.
Facebook, like Google, reduces our ability to think. Now scientifically proven!
It’s not as though it wasn’t expected. The behaviour and algorithms users and social media networks are intended to filter ideas to suit our individual perspective. That’s a major reason people use the big engines like Google and Facebook. But that behaviour encourages groupthink. The user only clicks on stories and links that match their …
Continue reading Facebook, like Google, reduces our ability to think. Now scientifically proven!
Someone’s watching you. And it’s not just Big Brother.
A Russian website is offering thousands of feeds from private webcams around the world. If you have a webcam with remote access enabled (did you check?) it could be on their list of feeds. The site has accessed feeds by using default passwords which are often left unchanged by their owners when they enable remote …
Continue reading Someone’s watching you. And it’s not just Big Brother.
The power of thought can flip a switch.
The study upon which this report was made is unusual, but the message is clear: thoughts have power. In the study, brainwaves from human participants activated a tiny LED light which had been implanted in mice which then activated light-sensitive genes. This study is the first to combine the thought control technology and the light …
Continue reading The power of thought can flip a switch.
Millions of classic images, free online.
Kalev Leetaru has uploaded a searchable database of 12 million historical copyright-free images to Flickr. Most of the images that are in the books are not in any of the art galleries of the world – the original copies have long ago been lost. The pictures range from 1500 to 1922, when copyright restrictions kick …
Continue reading Millions of classic images, free online.
Even big brother thinks big brother can be dangerous.
The UN has warned against the dangers of too much data and too much surveillance. In a report, the UN body said more needed to be done to ensure that surveillance was balanced against its harm to personal privacy, noting that: mass retention of data to aid surveillance was “neither necessary nor proportionate”. “disturbingly little” …
Continue reading Even big brother thinks big brother can be dangerous.
“You might want to stay off the internet for a while”
Mmmmmmmm. That doesn’t sound good. Especially since its from a credible source whose enterprise is entirely concerned with privacy and anonymity on the internet. From the Tor website: OpenSSL bug CVE-2014-0160 Posted April 7th, 2014 A new OpenSSL vulnerability on 1.0.1 through 1.0.1f is out today, which can be used to reveal memory to a …
Continue reading “You might want to stay off the internet for a while”
A guide to operating system users.
What’s your operating system? See the pie-chart below for insight. Humour from GraphJam.com. Anyway, what is an operating system? It’s the boss. from The Full Wiki: Most ordinary computer users take their operating system for granted. The easiest way to understand what an operating system does is to take a close look at what computers …
Continue reading A guide to operating system users.
Mozilla, the power behind Firefox, launches a $25 smartphone.
Mozilla’s smartphone operating system, Firefox OS, is being installed on mobile phones made by its partners, like Alcatel, Huawei, LG and ZTE, which will retail for $25 and be targeting fast growing emerging markets where users are unwilling or unable to be tied in to long term contracts. Their Firefox OS phones will give multimedia …
Continue reading Mozilla, the power behind Firefox, launches a $25 smartphone.