A virtual school delivers lessons online to a child who progresses at her own pace.
K12 Inc.. a Virginia company leading a national movement to replace classrooms with computers — in which children as young as 5 can learn at home at taxpayer expense — is facing a backlash from critics who are questioning its funding, quality and oversight.
Continue reading… “Virtual schools growing, critics question effectiveness to educate children”
35.6% of all internet users will use a tablet by 2014.
Tablet devices have only been available for a couple of years, but the iPad has propelled them to rapid increases in ownership and usage. By the end of 2011 it is estimated that 33.7 million Americans will use a tablet device at least monthly—a rise of 158.6% over last year, the year the iPad was released.
Continue reading… “90 million Americans will use a tablet by 2014”
24 percent said they had ever been “harassed” by texting. That was up from about 14 percent in a survey of the same kids the year before.
More and more kids in the U.S. say they have been picked on via text messaging, while there has been little change in online harassment, researchers reported Monday.
Continue reading… “Bullying by text message becoming more common”
Facebook relies on tracking cookie technologies similar to the controversial systems used by Google, Adobe, Microsoft, Yahoo and others in the online advertising industry.
Facebook has admitted it is tracking which sites its users visit even after they log off, thanks to plug-ins and cookies.
Continue reading… “Facebook tracking sites it’s users visit even after logging off”
GoDaddy.com
GoDaddy.com, the internent domain registrar, has recently reached a milestone. They announced the registration of its 50 millionth domain name since opening in 1997.
Continue reading… “GoDaddy registers 50 millionth domain name”
SOPA would set up US website blacklisting, require search engine censorship, and divide the Internet into “domestic” and “foreign” sites.
In L.P. Hartley’s novel, The Go-Between, he wrote, “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” When Hartley wrote his novel of adolescent sexual awakening he knew nothing of the internet. Had he know he might have been shocked just how quickly the past became a foreign place.
Continue reading… “‘Borderless internet’ is officially dead”
Many consumers are waiting for the release of Amazon’s Kindle Fire, and as they wait there is evidence that tablets may be reshaping online viewing habits.
Continue reading… “Tablets reshaping online video viewing habits”
Ben Milne, Founder of Dwolla
Dwolla is a tiny 12-person startup churning out of Des Moines, Iowa that most people have never heard of. It was founded by 28-year-old Ben Milne, and it’s an innovative new way of thinking about online payments that sidesteps credit cards completely.
Continue reading… “Dwolla’s online payment system a credit card killer”
Low-income homes will be provided with $10 internet service and $150 computers.
Cable and computer firms along with the Federal Communications Commission have announced a program to provide low-income homes with $10 monthly broadband Internet service and $150 computers.
Middle-aged and white may no longer be a fitting stereotype for today’s mobile Internet aficionado.
What is the first image that comes to mind when you think of an Internet aficionado, circa 1995?
Continue reading… “Digital divide shrinks among mobile internet use”
Meet Olly, a “web connected smell robot.”
Olly will convert tweets, Facebook notifications, RSS feeds – whatever you want – into smells:
Olly has a removable section in the back which you can fill with any smell you like. It could be essential oils, a slice of fruit, your partner’s perfume or even a drop of gin. […] Olly is stackable, so if you have more than one, you can assign each one to a different service with a different smell. Connect one to Twitter and another to your calendar. Before you know it, you’ll have a networked internet smell centre…
Continue reading… “Wake up and smell the … Internet?”
Futurist Thomas Frey: Anyone driving down a typical stretch of highway in the U.S. will encounter an endless barrage of traffic signs designed to dampen our aggressiveness, forcing drivers to drive slower.
Continue reading… “The Enormous Power of the Slow Link”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.