July 7, 2011
The Dawn of Computer Music: A PBS Segment from 1986
Maria Popova,
Brain Pickings, July 7, 2011.
As Maria Popova observes, "The question of whether technology dehumanizes people, as MoMA’s Paola Antonelli convincingly argues, humanizes objects isn’t new. In fact, it’s at the heart of this vintage PBS segment (I II III) on computer music recorded in 1986, at the dawn of CDs, synthesizers and other 'new' music-making machines." It was right around 1986 I discovered electronic music myself, when I say Tangerine Dream in Ottawa. I was blown away by Stratosfear and spent countless hours thereafter listening to electronic music. Today it's mainstream.
4 Lessons Photography has taught me about Learning
Sumeet Moghe,
The Learning Generalist, July 7, 2011.
I've had the same experience learning photopgraphy as, and what's more, I've had the same sort of experience over and over againlearning other things. What convinces me so much that learning can happen outside the classroom is that it does happen outside the classroom. "Learning is an iterative, experiential process. We however seemed to have based corporate learning around a dated model of education which lacked autonomy, had little social structure and discouraged failure. I can't say my experience with photography is representative of all kinds of learning. I do think that there is something for us to think about as we analyse experiences such as these."
Learning is learning
Steve Wheeler,
Learning With 'e's, July 7, 2011.
Pedagogy is the study of teaching, and typically thought to refer to the teaching of children. By contrast, andragogy is the study of teaching adults. Historically, these are distinct, but Steve Wheeler says "learning is learning" because what was thought to be unique about andragogy now also applies to pedagogy.
- Adults need to be involved in the planning and evaluation of their instruction
- Experience (including mistakes) provides the basis for learning activities
- Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life
- Adult learning is problem-centered rather than content-oriented
In response, Donald Clark argues (a bit lamely) that "we should be embracing the term because of its rich history and pioneering the way of our present concept of learning."
Battered by phone-hacking allegations, News of the World to shut on Sunday
Lesley Ciarula Taylor and Kenyon Wallace,
Toronto Star, July 7, 2011.
I mentioned the News of the World telephone-hacking scandal yesterday. News today is that the newspaper involved, News of the World, will be shutting down on Sunday. Shaffers are shocked (shocked!). This strikes me as a desperate (though thoroughly deserved) outcome, and the purpose (in my opinion) is to contain the damage to the one newspaper, rather than watch it spread (as it surely must?) through the Murdoch news empire. News of the World is part of a wider chain that includes Fox broadcasting, the Wall Street Journal and New York Post. What happens should people draw the conclusion (as they surely must?). Extensive coverage in the Guardian of the scandal.
A Conversation with Will Richardson & Gary Stager
Gary Stager and Will Richardson,
Stager-to-Go, July 7, 2011.
Interesting conversation between Gary Stager and Will Richardson which features Stager saying "I support universal charters - I think every school should be a charter." I think what Stager is missing is that charter schools are often not managed by parents and community, as he suggests, but by charter school conglomerates that manage charters as a business and minimize 'interference' by teachers and community. The reason the public school system exists in in order to ensure schools are managed by parents and community.
Zaptap
Yan Simard,
Zaptap, July 7, 2011.
Yan Simard (@ysimard) has just announced the beta launch of a New Brunswick product called Zaptap. This mobile phone application receives RFID information from objects (anything from wine bottles to appliances) and, depending on where you are, provides reviews, purchase information, instructions or customer support. Users, in turn, can share their experiences through social media. "Being in beta," writes Simard, "means that we're open for business. We want to focus first on working with clients that want to conduct pilots or small to medium deployments. We want to learn how to become better as fast as possible and we need your help to achieve this objective."
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Remote Frequency Identification (RFID), Experience]
Under the Hood with Facebook Video Calling, Powered by Skype
Jonathan Rosenberg,
Skype Blogs, July 7, 2011.
In what is obviously a response to Google+'s 'hangouts', Facebook has launched (announcements by Zuckerberg and Bates; see also this, this, this and this) live video calling with Skype. Just like MySpace did, back in 2007 (albeit without video). It allows users to converse with each other right inside Facebook. But not in groups. This post is a bit of a description of the tech behind the service. It could be more clearly written (if you say "This has two parts" and then say "One is the such and such" then you are committed to at some point say "The other is..." or "The second is..." and to not leave the reader hanging without a second part).
Early adopters, meanwhile, are exploring the limits of the Google Plus system, which has received positive reviews from all sides. The ability to have multi-party conversations is a big deal. As Ray Wang says, "MyPOV: The thing that #googleplus #google+ has right is the Unified Communications. The communities will come as a result. #socbiz #e20." As Lost Remote says, it redefines TV interviews, creates a new class of call-in shows, and is a "no-brainer" for TV coverage.
Angela Maiers links to both a Facebook chat tutorial and a Google Hangouts tutorial. Here's how to record a video call, using Camtasia.
[Link] [Comment][Tags: Books, Video, Audio Chat and Conferencing, Voice Over IP, Google, RSS, MySpace, Skype]
Everything you need to know about phone hacking in five minutes
Ian Dunt,
politics.co.uk, July 6, 2011.
With Rupert Murdoch's News Corp buying into education the recent story about his newspaper's cell phone hacking should be viewed all the more seriously. The story, if you haven't heard about it, is that News of the World reporters hacked into the account of a thirteen-year-old murder victim, Milly Dowler, in order to read the increasingly desperate please coming in from friends and family. When her mailbox filled up, they actually deleted items to make room for more, puzzling her family and complicating the police investigation. It turns out, according to this story, that this is only the thin edge of the wedge - cell phone email hacking appears to be widespread, probably not only in Murdoch's newspaper, but among the press in general.
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