Daily data flow on the Internet

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Microsoft Vision of the Future Video (2011 edition)

This video shows Microsoft's technocratic vision of the future: Augmented reality and technology embedded in glasses, tables, and refrigerators.

Does the internet make schools obsolete?

The internet makes many kinds of information available in an instant. As as result, memorising facts and figures seems to become more and more obsolete. The internet became an integral part of our distributed cognition.

The instant availability of digital information poses fundamental questions for education: What do we still need to learn in schools?

Raymond Nickerson (1996) offers the following answer:

"One might ask at this point: if information does indeed become much more accessible in the future than it is now, will learning still be necessary? If answers to questions can be obtained much more readily through new information resources, will it be so important to have knowledge in one's head? I believe the answer is unequivocally yes. I believe this is the several reasons, but it will suffice to mention one. The asking of questions, except of the most superficial kind, is a knowledge-based activity. Only someone who knows quite a bit about biology is going to ask what is new in the sequencing of bases in the DNA molecule. And even if one were able to ask the question, say because one got it from someone else already formed, without some knowledge of the subject one would not understand the answer. In general, the more one knows, the more useful a powerful information-finding resource is likely to be." (p. 258)

Reference:

Nickerson, R. (1996). On the distribution of cognition: some reflections. In G. Salomon (Ed.), Distributed Cognitions: Psychological and Educational Considerations (pp. 229-262). Cambridge University Press.  

What are websites made of? (Infograph)

Found here: what_websites_madeof_infographic_full-e1313087947326.jpg (600×4002)

Infograph: How inter-connected are major software companies?

How inter-connected are major software companies like Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and eBay?

Optimized-mashable_infographic_interconnected-tech-companies-2-1.jpg (972×5125)

How Much Digital Data Will Humans Create This Year?

Found here: How Much Data Will Humans Create & Store This Year? [INFOGRAPHIC]

What happens in 60 seconds on the Internet?

This infographic illustrates what happen every 60 seconds on the Internet. [Click to enlarge].

Source: 60 Seconds on the Internet [Infographic]

UN considers internet access a human right

Internet access is a human right, according to a United Nations report released on Friday.

"Given that the Internet has become an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights, combating inequality, and accelerating development and human progress, ensuring universal access to the Internet should be a priority for all states," said the report from Frank La Rue.

This report by the UN is particularly important in view of the recent incidents when governments shut down internet access nationwide during political uprisings in the Middle East.

Read more here: United Nations report: Internet access is a human right - latimes.com

Internetic (Technologic Remix)

How Technology Innovation works

Tech Innovation Explained [Comic] | Geekosystem

80% of US college admissions departments check your Facebook Profile

A recent Kaplan survey found that admissions departments at 80% of US top colleges “visit potential students’ online Facebook profiles during their recruiting process.” The obvious advice is to keep your Facebook profile private.

Read more here: Report: 80% of College Admissions Departments Check Applicants’ Facebook Pages | Geekosystem

The History of Social Media

Social media aim to fulfill different human needs:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77813293@N00/4926795330/

The History of Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]

We Are What We Share

This youtube video is based on the book "We Think" by Charles Leadbeater. It explores how sharing over the internet changed our potential for innovation. We are what we share.

Are people spending more time online than watching TV?

[Reposted article. See original here: Has internet use really reached TV viewing levels?]

A research company claims that Americans now spend as much time using the Internet as they do watching TV. But rival figures vary so wildly that it’s not possible to be certain of much more than a general trend.

The headline claim comes from Forrester Research, which says the average US citizen spends 13 hours a week apiece on the two activities. That’s the first time the annual survey from the firm has found parity among the population as a whole, though younger viewers have been spending more time online than watching TV for some time now.

The New York Times notes that although streaming video is becoming far more popular, this isn’t proof that people are canceling cable services and moving to online viewing: the amount of time people spend watching TV hasn’t changed significantly. However, there has been a drop in the time spend on radio, newspapers and magazines.

I suspect there’s a simple answer for this (other than people finding more hours in the day): people are likely spending more time online, particularly on portable computers and other devices, while “watching” TV (or at least, while the TV is switched on.)

The Times also makes the intriguing philosophical point: if somebody streams video content but watches it through their TV set, are they using the Internet or watching TV?

Meanwhile paidcontent.org has pointed out that while Forrester lists 13 hours a week for average Internet use, comScore has the figure at 7 hours 24 minutes. Why the difference? Well, it appears to be because comScore measures actual use, while Forrester is a survey, with consumers reporting their online activity. And it wasn’t even a case of users being asked to track their activity: they were simply asked how many hours a week they spent on each form of media.

That makes it worth noting a study by Ball State University (PDF) that concludes “Serious caution needs to be applied in interpreting self-report data for media use. TV was substantially under-reported while online video and mobile video usage were over-reported.”

To make things even more confusing, Nielsen reports weekly Internet use as 38 hours 44 minutes for the average person.

Of course, that too could have several explanations: the figure may or may not include work usage; the sample group could leave out people who don’t use the Internet at all (thus upping the average); and there may be different interpretations of what counts as Internet usage (is somebody who downloads a large video file while they sleep still using the Internet?).

Related blog entry: Are teenagers wired for digital distractions?

South Korean government might ban young online gamers after midnight

South Korean Children playing online games

The South Korean Government is concerned with growing internet addiction among young people and considers banning youngsters from playing online games past midnight. South Korea is one of the world's most wired societies, and the government estimates that there are over two million web addicts in South Korea.


A bill to be submitted to parliament as early as this month will require South Korean online game companies to cut off services at midnight for users registered as younger than 16, the culture and family ministries said.


Young S.Koreans face midnight ban for online games - Yahoo! News

Internet Access Divide between Rich and Poor Persists (PEW survey)

Not very surprising findings from a PEW survey: Wealthier households have more often a broadband internet access then less-wealthy households.


The digital divide continues to exist, even though broadband Internet has been widely available for over ten years. The study found that while 95% of households earning $75,000 or more use the internet in some way, just 57% of households earning $30,000 or less do so. 87% of users in the income top bracket have Internet in their homes, but just 40% of the lowest bracket do.


On the other hand, game consoles are almost equally common: 54% of those living in higher-income households own game consoles, compared with 41% of those living in less well-off homes.


iPads are still luxury products: 9% of those living in higher-income households own tablet computers such as iPads, compared with 3% of those living in less well-off homes.


Online news services are the main source of information next to television, especially for higher income households (74%) compared to low income families (34%).

To reduce the digital divide between households, affordable broadband internet services are needed.

Read the full results of the survey here: The Better-Off Online - Pew Research Center

Is Google a Monopoly? A Historical Perspective [Infographic]

Is Google a Monopoly? A Historical Perspective [Infographic]

Is there such a thing as privacy on the internet?

Internet about to hit 2 billion users - CNN.com

According to a report out Tuesday, there will be 2 billion Web dwellers by the end of this year. Much of the big number can be attributed to internet growth in developing countries. However, only about 8 percent of the world will have broadband access this year. Internet about to hit 2 billion users - CNN.com

Internet usage, especially of new tools, can be categorized into four groups:

http://www.interactionarchitect.com/articles/article20001122.htm