Learning via games

An excellent piece from the SXSW digital conference. 

Prof Henry Jenkins, from MIT, is one the great proponents of using videogames into education. 

The following interview is well worth a listen.

It's shot, incidentally, by David Dunkley Gyimah, a friend and one-time fellow videojournalist pioneer at Channel One.

The Business of the Web is the business of Free

www.guardian.co.uk

Details from the Guardian of a fascinating interview with Chris Anderson, the Wired editor-in-chief, about the changing economics of online business. He also has some interesting thoughts on how all businesses might change, offering a free version of a company's software or content, with a premium option that appeals to only 5% of the target audience, and for which there's a payable premium.

Given the way web usage culture is emerging, especially amongst younger users, there are some poignant observations made.

Read all about it here.

Mistrial by Browser

www.tuaw.com

A fascinating story from the New York Times, about how jurors are causing mistrials by using web enabled mobiles to research defendants, legal teams, and key facts about cases they are hearing.

This is expressly forbidden under American law, and I suspect, many other legal systems too.

What's come to light is that increasingly legal cases are being declared mistrials, because the alluring power of Google, Twitter, and other research/communications websites are resulting in jurors trying to investigate cases themselves, rather than listen to the lawyers and consider the evidence presented to them.

Why the phones aren't just confiscated at the start of the trial is a mystery to me. Expect it to become enshrined in law shortly.