Blurts

Just read new data on the decline in newspaper readership. Such trends are often discounted as a shift in the source for news ther sources. Do we really know that different is equivalent (or better)? I wonder if there would be a way to contrast common knowledge of current events 20 years ago with common knowledge now. What if we want to delude ourselves and are making assumptions that are not valid. What if the new literacy is focused on shallowness and feeding stereotypes?

Any sources with data on this topic?

Time for me to watch the evening news.

P.S. A colleague tweeted in response to this post and provided the following links:

Lessons in the news

The newspaper 2.0

From my alma mater, a study establishing a correlation between high levels of involvement in video game activity and attentional problems.

Curious – earlier today I describe the Geocities shutdown and comment on the dangers of placing too much trust in free online storage of your resources. A few hours later I read this post from the ReadWriteWeb announcing that Google Docs now allows a “collection of docs” to be exported.

I checked and and sure enough the feature is availabe. Select the documents you want to export (the buttons associated with each file) and then look for the “Export” feature under “More Actions. There is a “select all visible” under the check menubar drop down (what else would you call a menu headed with a check symbol) so you can select large numbers of files easily. The collection is downloaded to your desktop.

This 6 or so minute video from ABC involves an intervew with PEW spokesperson presenting social networking trends.

This is an object lesson for those assuming free online is free forever. GeoCities once offered anyone the opportunity to build a web site. I probably recommended this as an option for educators wanting to get into web site development.

The lessons:

• You can’t trust free
• Backup
• Nothing is forever

It surprised me to learn that Geocities was a Yahoo! product. The article seemed to indicate Yahoo was simply prioritizing and those of us with significant investments in other Yahoo! services (e.g., Flickr) should not be overly concerned. The article also indicated that the shut down was predictable and people would have had an opportunity to backup and move their content.

McCain on Thursday introduced the Internet Freedom Act, which would keep the FCC from enacting rules prohibiting broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing Internet content and applications.

Why? Net Neutrality would require “onerous” government regulation. 

If I live in a location with few options (e.g., North Dakota), I feel I need someone to regulate what a provider does. I do not consider dial up an option if I disagree with the policies of my provider. My provider seems to be able to get digital content to my television and phone without a problem. What is the issue in getting content to my computer?

From the same MacWorld article. The following comment from ND Senator Dorgan:

“Network neutrality protects the fundamental rights of Americans in using the Internet and accessing content, applications, and services of their choice. A well-reasoned network neutrality policy also ensures a level playing field for companies large and small as they create an online presence, and will continue to foster the entrepreneurial innovation found not only in corporate office suites, but in college dorms across the country.”—Statement from Senators Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat, and Olympia Snowe, Maine Republican

nnCatch the title of the bill “Internet Freedom Act”. I guess the accuracy of this title depends on who you think should be free. The provider (I emphasize the singular in my situation) or the consumers.