Climate change scientists have done their best to convince the public with data and scholarship. The numbers may be complicated and the careful approach of the scientist may not be convincing enough. Now, they are going to try plain talk. Maybe that will work.
FETC seems a long time ago now, but you can still watch videos from many of the sessions. Even if you attended, some sessions may have been too early or scheduled at a time that overlapped with a session you decided to attend. If you did not attend, my suggestion would be to search titles for tools or topics that interest you. Approximately 50 hours of content. I had forgotten about them until a recent tweet provided a link and so I thought I would pass this resource on.
Google has drastically reduced the cost for online service. The cost is now $2 a month for 100 gigabytes. A terabyte for $10 a month.
This price point represents a challenge for storage services such as Box and DropBox. When a folder on your Mac or PC will synchronize with Google Drive, the advantage of DropBox or Box becomes far smaller. What you end up paying extra for would seem to be the upload options that are included in the software/apps from other providers. I can see the free version of DropBox, but the larger capacity plans are going to have to come down in cost.
P.S. – I found this more detailed analysis from Wired that outlines Google’s longterm storage plan.
Today is the 25th anniversary of the Internet. Whether you were there at the beginning or not, the Internet has permeated your life.
I do not see myself as an idealist, but on at least one issue I probably am. I had hoped that the Internet would change things. I had hoped that a situation in which everyone had a voice without great cost would reduce the impact of income/power disparity. The idea of the participatory or read/write web seemed so helpful. Disadvantages can not be eliminated, but I had hoped the political clout of big money would be reduced when individual opinions could be expressed to influence individual votes and lobby decision makers. I had hoped that educational opportunities would be flattened.
I am no longer as confident. Big money has moved in. An open Internet free from the control of access providers is in serious jeopardy. We cannot trust our own government to respect our privacy and even if such intrusions are necessary, it is clear we must also deal with the use of our data by big business. What are trading our privacy for? I hope more than ad supported content.
My biggest complaint is that lack of awareness and indifference are major issues. Ironically, those in the ed tech community originally suggested that a major limitation of tablet devices was that they were more suited to consumption than production. While not really true, it just seems most accept a passive role. At best they post to friends in Facebook and force themselves to generate 140 character position statements on matters of great importance. As a group, we are mostly consumers. Perhaps there is not the necessary commitment to contribute to a true participatory culture.
For more on this topic, I suggest The Master Switch.
The first episode of the CNN “documentary” Chicagoland contains an extend look at the schools of the city. Tough setting for education.
Evidently, the Internet is now 25. How time flies. C|NET plans a series on the anniversary. For those of us who were there at the beginning (even before MOSAIC with telnet, gopher, etc.), this series will likely bring back many memories. For the digital natives, who missed out on history, this will provide you a way to catch up.
I remember when we even installed a second line, the teen line was really for the computer, so we could still have access to the phone for phone calls during the evening.
