Education

[wpaudio url=”https://media.shellypalmer.com/wp-content/images/usrn/110706_SHELLYPALMER_GEN_BED.mp3″ text=”Click to play … ” dl=”0″] China is working on installing a network of up to 500,000 surveillance cameras within the country. Officials claim that they will be used to prevent crime, but activists are worried that they will only contribute to political unrest. Western companies like Cisco Systems have agreed to help Continue Reading →

In his book Guns, Germs and Steel: A short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years, Jared Diamond offers a couple of explanations for the evolution of bureaucracies. One may be the physiological limit to the number of faces you can store in your mind as “friend or foe.” The other may have been the need for centralized irrigation in dry, lowland regions. He may be right or he may be wrong, but one thing is for certain – stable, overblown, crushingly oversized bureaucracies have evolved from the very dawn of history. They are big, bulky and decidedly analog. Continue Reading →

Technology has changed so much in the last two decades that it’s hard to keep pace with all the developments. Twenty years ago middle school kids might have had one class on typing or word processing.  A few lucky kids may have had a computer in their homes.  Today, modern tweens have a footprint on Continue Reading →

The National Academies Press is making 4,000 books and reports free for download. PDFs from the fields of science, engineering and medicine can be found at nap.edu. The organization hopes that by publishing this content, developing countries can have better access to quality information. Read the full release at NationalAcademies.org   Continue Reading →

If you’re under 13, you’re not legally allowed on Facebook because the site collects user data. Mark Zuckerberg wants this to change and recently discussed the benefits of children using Facebook for education. Does Facebook have educational merit or is this an effort to fill another marketing demographic? Continue Reading →

[wpaudio url=”https://media.shellypalmer.com/wp-content/images/usrn/110524_SHELLYPALMER_GEN_BED.mp3″ text=”Click to play … ” dl=”0″] The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working on putting data recorders in all vehicles. The same device often referred to as the “black box” monitors vehicle inputs and failures in aircraft. Automakers are working on finding the right balance between too much information being recorded and Continue Reading →

A new promotion by Microsoft offers students a free Xbox 360 with the purchase of any Windows computer that costs $699 or more. The deal runs until September 3rd and all you need to claim the offer is a .edu email address. Eligible computers can be purchased through Best Buy or one of Microsoft’s retail Continue Reading →

Amidst growing consumer concern, the FCC and FTC will hold a public education forum to explore location-based mobile services this June. Representatives from consumer advocacy groups, mobile-phone companies, and others will share information and inform the public about the benefits and risks of location tracking. Read the full article at NYTimes.com Continue Reading →

[wpaudio url=”https://media.shellypalmer.com/wp-content/images/usrn/110518_SHELLYPALMER_GEN_BED.mp3″ text=”Click to play … ” dl=”0″] A new study reveals that 30% of all U.S. Internet traffic during peak hours is consumed through Netflix. While only 25% of broadband users have Netflix, video streaming has eclipsed every other form of Internet use since last year. The percentage will only increase, as broadband connections Continue Reading →

YouTube instituted a three-strike policy for those uploading copyrighted material. Violators must watch a short video explaining copyright law and are required to take a multiple-choice quiz about the information. Completing YouTube’s “Copyright School” will allow suspended users to regain good standing on the site. Read the full article at NYTimes.com Continue Reading →