educational

Could a monkey do your job?

Yes, the job market is terrible. But if you think outsourcing, increasing use of robots, and a downright lame global economy have made times tough, just wait till other primates start adding to the competition.

The crew that brought us other enlightening infographics--like this classic on the science behind toilet paper orientation--has this tongue in cheek look at the threat that trained monkeys and apes could pose to your next job search. … Read more

Student catches bullying teacher on cell phone video

The thing about cell phone video is that it can capture people in their natural state.

From what one can see in the cell phone video captured by 15-year-old special needs student Julio Artuz, his teacher's state is not always serene.

According to ABC News, Artuz had already told his parents that his teacher, Steven Roth, was treating him in a less than educative manner.

His parents didn't believe him. His father--also named Julio--was so skeptical that he told his son to prove it. So angling his cell phone in a highly professional manner, young Julio captured Roth … Read more

For babies, no such thing as educational screen time

In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement that discouraged electronic media use by children under the age of 2. Today, the same group is releasing a follow-up statement that not only maintains its previous recommendations, but backs them up with a great deal of data to boot.

In 1999, as display screens were making their way into parents' and children's bedrooms alike, the pediatricians had limited data with which to work. But they had something of an expert hunch that kids younger than 2 reaped more negative than positive effects from media exposure.

In today's … Read more

Too many USB flash drives? Donate them

Among their many talents, USB flash drives have revolutionized the press kit. Now when I go to trade shows like CES or Mobile World Congress, I can just pick up a tiny flash drive with a company's announcements rather than lugging around a bunch of heavy folders. The result is lots of saved paper and less strain on my back.

Of course, the downside of this development is that I've wound up with quite a collection of USB drives that I've used only once. And after cleaning out my office a few weeks ago, I found I had no less than 60 flash drives of various sizes.

Since I didn't want to throw them away or leave them around to collect dust, I started thinking about ways they could put to good use. Ed Rhee already offered six cool things to do with a spare USB flash drive, but even pursuing each of those angles would still leave me with way more devices than I need. That's when a friend from college offered a solution. … Read more

Schmidt's brilliant criticism of U.K. (and Google)

commentary There's clearly something wrong with the British education system.

British youths are rioting in the streets and somehow the nation has produced far fewer great comedies that are then destroyed in the American versions.

Who, therefore, could not applaud Google Chairman Eric Schmidt for a bravura, even Braveheart performance in Edinburgh today?

As the Guardian spells out, Schmidt stood before the collected brains listening to his McTaggart Lecture, stared them down and gave them his most withering engineer's frown.

He said that the U.K. education system had performed a "drift to the humanities." Which … Read more

Verizon workers go on strike

Comcast offers a $9.95 Internet Essentials service to low-income families, the FBI releases an iPhone app that helps parents with a missing child, and Verizon workers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic go on strike after negotiations fail to produce a contract.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Verizon workers go on strike HP TouchPad 4G and $50 in the App Catalog Education iMac? AntiSec hackers post police data Comcast $10 Internet Essentials plan FBI Child IDapp in App Store Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (HD) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS HD

Apple launches sub-$1,000 iMac

Apple has quietly launched a cheaper iMac more than a week before earlier reports expected.

Apple's new offering costs $999, and comes with a 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i3 processor and a 250GB hard drive. The computer is running the AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics card.

The cheaper iMac is designed for education institutions only, which means individuals cannot purchase the computer at the discounted rate.

Citing a source named, "Mr. X," 9to5Mac reported yesterday that Apple would launch a new iMac as early as next Tuesday for less than $1,000. According to the Apple-focused … Read more

UConn, Harvard cozy up to Google

Google is making major inroads in the education sector.

The company announced yesterday that the University of Connecticut has initiated a changeover to Google Apps for Education. According to David Gilbertson, the school's chief information officer, the search giant's platform will be used for the students' "e-mail and calendar platform."

"After contacting other major universities which recently moved students to Google Apps, we are confident that this change will bring significant benefits and cost savings to the university as a whole," Gilbertson recently wrote on the university's Web site.

Harvard is also getting … Read more

Free Amazon App of the Day - 5/16/11

For today only, Monkey Preschool Lunchbox is available, for free, at the Amazon Appstore. A few of the dads here at CNET swear by this game for their young ones, on their iPads, but lest we forget that some of you Android users are parents too, why not share the love? I've watched one of my godchildren play this game on my HTC Incredible, and found myself wanting to get into the action as she passed each level. I get entertained when they're entertained, so it's a win-win.

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox will teach your child the basic fundamentals of cognition through various mini-games consisting of memorization, counting, colors, letters, puzzle-solving, shape identification, and spot the difference. Encouragement is provided by the animated monkey on the screen through way of somersaults, and rewards come in the form of cartoon stickers the child can collect for their sticker board.

The game does not track statistics, nor does it get progressively harder based upon how quickly and/or easily your child goes through the levels.

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox will be free until 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT, so download now and get your toddler learning!… Read more