Hurricanes, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!

Cell Tower

That’s right, AT&T and T-Mobile are sharing networks in the tri-state area:

“…AT&T and T-Mobile are providing some much-needed, if temporary, relief: the two have struck a deal to share their GSM and 3G networks in the area with no roaming fees or plan changes while the networks come back, with the best-functioning network taking precedence in any given connection. A return to the normal state of affairs hasn’t been fixed in stone and will likely depend on many, many factors, but it’s a much appreciated gesture for residents who might not have a choice to relocate for a vital phone call.”

Sharing is caring.

Ireland Calls for 30 Mbps Minimum Internet Speed Standard

“…Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte…outlined a new broadband plan for Ireland that puts the United States to shame. He says that half the population, largely in the urban and suburban cores, should have speeds of 70Mbps to 100Mbps, with service of at least 40Mbps to the next 20 percent of the country. Finally, he writes, there should be a ‘minimum of 30Mbps for every remaining home and business in the country—no matter how rural or remote.’”

Listening to Complaints is Bad for Your Brain

inc.com reports:

“Listening to too much complaining is bad for your brain in multiple ways, according to Trevor Blake, a serial entrepreneur and author of Three Simple Steps: A Map to Success in Business and Life. In the book, he describes how neuroscientists have learned to measure brain activity when faced with various stimuli, including a long gripe session.

“The brain works more like a muscle than we thought,” Blake says. “So if you’re pinned in a corner for too long listening to someone being negative, you’re more likely to behave that way as well.”

Even worse, being exposed to too much complaining can actually make you dumb. Research shows that exposure to 30 minutes or more of negativity–including viewing such material on TV–actually peels away neurons in the brain’s hippocampus. “That’s the part of your brain you need for problem solving,” he says. “Basically, it turns your brain to mush.”

Get Your Very Own Mecha: Only $1.35 Million

Mecha

What do you get for the person who has everything?

“…Suidobashi Heavy Industry is on the case, having completed a 13-foot-tall, 4.4-ton, diesel-powered robot called Kuratas. The two-man team — artist Kogoro Kurata and robotics researcher Wataru Yoshizaki — isn’t stopping there, either. Suidobashi wants to mass produce, starting at the low price of $1.35 million.

So what do you get for the money? Kuratas has over 30 hydraulic joints that allow it to freely move its arms, legs, and torso. It can fire water bottle rockets and fireworks, and its 6,000 round-per-minute BB gattling guns are controlled with the pilot’s smile; part of Yoshizaki’s V-Shido (read like bushido, as in “way of the samurai”) control system.”

Classrooms Flip in Atlanta

I’ve been contemplating the flipped classroom model quite a bit during the lectures I attend during my coursework for OIT. Is the traditional teaching model really utilizing instructor and student time effectively? Or has ubiquitous computing turned homework on its ear? Is performing rote lectures the most valuable instructor function or should we prioritize something else?

Anecdotal experience in Atlanta suggests we should take a long look at newer teaching methods:

“Sometimes in class I have trouble focusing or I just don’t get it at all and I can’t really rewind a teacher. But at home I can rewind it as many times as I need to…”