Friday, December 22, 2006

Google Blogger Leaves Beta. VE3OGG writes "It would seem that Google's famed, award-winning blogging software, Blogger, has just left beta, ABC reports, and entered a growing (but still short) list of Google products to move out of beta. Of course, with this change is status also came a few crucial new features for Google's blogging agent, specifically Google account integration, "Web 2.0" code free updates, and tagging."[Slashdot] 4:55:34 PM      Google It!.

Neuroscience, Psychology Eroding Idea of Free Will. pragueexpat writes "Do we have free will? Possibly not, according to an article in the new issue of the Economist. Entitled 'Free to choose?', the piece examines new discoveries in the fields of neuroscience and psychology that may be forcing us to re-examine the concept of free will. The specifically cite a man with paedophilic tendencies who was cured when his brain tumor was removed. 'Who then was the child abuser?', they ask. The predictable conclusion of this train of thought, of course, leads us to efforts by Britain: 'At the moment, the criminal law--in the West, at least--is based on the idea that the criminal exercised a choice: no choice, no criminal. The British government, though, is seeking to change the law in order to lock up people with personality disorders that are thought to make them likely to commit crimes, before any crime is committed.'"[Slashdot] 4:53:35 PM      Google It!.

Time tries to probe Second Life's underbelly. Time magazine explores Second Life in an article this week, and it's all about SL as the land of unleashed desires. Furries, attachable penises, sexual orientation changes, and too much free time all appear in rapid succession. The piece even begins with a lunge into our collective underbelly:I thought I'd want to have lots of sex. Meaningless, multipartnered, degrading sex.Joel Stein makes the classic Gothic argument, seeing SL as a place for uncapping the Freudian gusher:But Second Life is different enough (flying! teleporting! cloning!) that it functions as a therapist's couch on which you learn about yourself by safely exploring your darkest desires.If Time has covered this, SL has clearly entered the mainstream with a red light district attached, a rep for the forbidden, and a broad avenue to haunted spaces. Summary of this past week's uncanny Second Life discussion coming soon.(via GigaGamez) Infocult: Information, Culture, Policy, Education, December 22, 2006. [Conversation] [Stephen's Web ~ by Stephen Downes ~ Edu_RSS Most Recent - RSS old] 4:45:27 PM      Google It!.

ECAR Releases Second Annual Student Survey Study Results. ECAR has released its second annual comprehensive student survey focusing on the role of IT in student life, The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2006. Because of the topic's critical importance, ECAR has made the full study, as well as key findings and roadmap, publicly available to all. Visit ECAR on the Web. [EDUCAUSE CONNECT blogs] 4:43:22 PM      Google It!.