Blurts

Vernier has announced analysis software for the Chromebook that allows analysis/graphing of data collected with probes and uploaded using LabQuest.

Info from Vernier

I am not certain of a role for quadcopters in K-12 education, but tech types seem fascinated with the devices. Still they are great fun and new is always the opportunity for learning. I thought I would pass on this advice from my brother.

Brother Dan has decided to make flying these devices a hobby and he owns several. He can afford the larger size capable of carrying a camera. However, he first purchased several of the smaller, less expensive models. He says flying a small drone is more difficult, but your mistakes have lower consequences. It is difficult to damage the cheap devices. The problem he says is developing skills that are automatized (my psych term – means you react without much thought). The quadcopters are stable when hovering, but it is easy to become confused – which direction is forward – when nearing a wall (we were flying the devices in the house) and move the stick in the wrong direction.

I think taking photos with one of these devices would be great, but I am afraid I would dump the thing in the lake or the woods.

Andrew Keen is a technologist who offers a negative view of the Internet. In one of his previous books, Cult of the Amateur, he argues among other things that amateur online content is ruining the potential of the Internet for professional content creators. My simplified summary of the argument would be that amateurs offer free content creating a certain expectations among consumers who then are unwilling to support the work of those offering quality content.

Keen has a new book with similar themes. He appeared on a recent episode of Triangulation (a TWIT network program) and describes his most recent concerns with Leo Laporte. My take is this book outlines how the Internet has failed to live up to many of the original hopes online opportunities seemed to offer.

I find Keen’s analysis insightful even if frustrating.

A recent suit against Apple complains that the advertised storage capacity of the new phones were overstated. Seems pretty silly. The advertised storage capacity of any device has to my knowledge never been reported minus the part given over to the OS and other software installed by the seller.

However silly, this suit did get me thinking about changes in storage. The advantages of online storage in combination with the design approaches that seem to attract our dollars mean the storage available on the device is less important. Chromebooks are regarded by some as less functional, but to be accurate my Chromebook Pixel and my new Apple Air are very similar devices. Neither has a hard drive and rely on flash storage. The Air has the option to do more things off-line, but I can continue to do much of what I normally do on my Chromebook when offline as well.

Our interest in design issues may be as big a factor in this trend. We prefer light and thin. The hardware companies also seem to be moving toward the sealed box. Apple started this trend, but most new phones also cannot be opened by the consumer. My personal work computer, a five-year old iMac recently crashed. The folks at the Apple store tell me it is the harddrive and Apple no longer stocks the drives for a machine of this age. I must admit this is frustrating. My data are online. I no longer backup my “programs” because I can usually download what I have previously purchased at no additional cost. It just seems that the power in the machine is becoming less and less important so other means must be found to encourage us to make another purchase.