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Ohio college is building a drone arena for its students
It only makes sense that schools teach the next generation how to design and fly unmanned aircraft. However, you can't just set a legion of drones loose on campus -- not so long as FAA regulations prevent it, anyway. Ohio's Sinclair Community College has come up with a clever workaround for this problem. It's building a 40-foot tall drone arena that will let students in its aviation programs fly drones away from airports (where the programs currently have to operate) without worrying about licenses or nasty weather. Pupils will have to wait until the facility is ready in early 2016 to commandeer UAVs indoors, but it could give them a leg up in an aviation industry where pilots are increasingly optional. [Image credit: Billie Ward, Flickr]
Hey, NPR: Stop trivializing eSports scholarships
On Monday, NPR's All Things Considered host Robert Siegel talked to New Tech City podcast host Manoush Zomorodi about Robert Morris University's new athletic scholarship program, the first of its kind in the United States – scholarships for League of Legends players. The hosts rattled off the stats: $500,000 for 30 scholarships, similar to some football scholarships the school offers. Zomorodi noted that 32 million people watched the final League of Legends championship game this year, more than watched the last game of the NBA finals. After talking to Robert Morris University's Associate Athletic Director Kurt Melcher, this happened: ZOMORODI: And from what I saw, Robert, it really was just like the football team or the track team - a tight-knit group. SIEGEL: (Laughter) So what's it like to be a collegiate e-athlete? Laughter. That's pulled directly from NPR's transcript of the broadcast, and you can listen to it here (this conversation at 3:08). During the final minutes of Siegel and Zomorodi's talk, there were titters and chuckles at factual information about the League of Legends scholarship. This bothered me.
Play League of Legends in college, win scholarship money
The League of Legends North American Collegiate Championship returns for the 2014 - 2015 season with a larger competition layout and new region splits. Last year, 540 teams competed from 300 universities across the US and Canada. "This year, the competition's even bigger," Riot says. "The season now spans the entire academic year and we've split North America into four competitive regions: North, South, East and West. We're also making it easier for new players and teams to compete by collaborating with four community partners with a solid history of running League tournaments." The Qualifiers kick off on October 17 and registration for both the Ivy League of Legends and Collegiate Star League tracks are open from now through October 16. Two additional, shorter Qualifier rounds hosted by TeSPA and WellPlayed Productions take place in early 2015. Each Qualifier track crowns one winning team per region, for a total of 16 groups in the playoffs. The playoffs should be held around April or May 2015, Riot says, and the North American Championship will take place in Los Angeles, California, later in 2015. The top four teams win scholarship money: $30,000 per team member for first place, $15,000 each for second, and $7,500 each for third and fourth. See the full registration schedule and rules in the NACC FAQ, and check out your school's clubs here. Good luck, Summoners of academia! [Image: Riot]
Google lets college students borrow a Chromebook
If you brought a big, conventional laptop with you to college, you're probably regretting it right about now. It's not fun to lug a heavy machine and your textbooks around campus. You may have an easy way to try out something a little kinder to your back, though. Google has unveiled the Chromebook Lending Library, a demo program that lets students borrow a featherweight Chrome OS machine for a few days. So long as Google is on the school grounds, the system is yours; you can take notes in class or just catch up on Netflix in your dorm room. The Library arrives at both Syracuse at Walnut Park and Texas State University next week, and it'll swing by other institutions in the weeks ahead. The big catch? You can't actually buy a Chromebook from the Library if you're enamored with the experience -- you'll likely have to venture into town to pick one up.
Destiny has already raked in $500 million in sales
Destiny's alleged big budget didn't end up being a big risk after all, as the title has become the highest-selling day-one digital console game release in history. From a combination of pre-orders, digital sales, and retail sales, Destiny has crossed the $500 million sales mark and doesn't look to be slowing any time soon. CEO of Activision Publishing Eric Hirshberg considers this massive validation for the project: "Since the beginning, we've been confident that our investment and belief in Destiny would pay off. But not many people believed we'd be able to say it did so on day one. We have more confidence than ever that Destiny will become one of the iconic franchises of this generation and Activision's next billion-dollar brand." However, if you're attempting to play Destiny from a college campus, you might be dealing with a frustrating impediment. Polygon notes that a networking error is blocking the game on certain campuises. Bungie said that it is aware of the issue and is working on a solution. [Source: Activision Blizzard press release]
Robocouch takes students to class without all of that exercise nonsense
There's a different kind of two-seater roaming the sidewalks of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia: a motorized couch. Thanks to the efforts of a few engineering students, what started as a joke amongst friends is now a Xbox gamepad-controlled robotic sofa. Under the cushions, there's an electric scooter motor and an armrest-mounted Raspberry Pi to wrangle the vehicle's four independent wheels. All told, it took a group of nine students a year to get the kinks worked out of the mechanical, software and assembly systems. "We were thinking about making a fridge robotic, too, so you could call it over," said co-creator Will Andrew. One thing's for sure: they'd certainly improve gameday lounging.
Would-be game makers can sell each other new levels, art in Unreal Engine 4
Let's say you've been fiddling with Unreal Engine 4 for months and want the world to see the lovingly detailed recreation of your first college apartment -- right down to the hemp wall tapestries and the weird stains on the living room rug. Well, with the newly launched Unreal Engine Marketplace you can do just that. In addition to anything that's been released through other channels before, your custom wares will sit alongside sample scenes and games (like Tappy Chicken), as well as bits of C++ code, art and audio. And if you're looking to turn a profit, or, at least recover the toolset's monthly subscription fee, you can even put a price-tag on your digital wares.
Comcast launches internet-delivered cable TV at MIT and several other schools
For several years now, Comcast has been testing cable TV that streams over the internet at several college campuses but this fall it's officially launching. Available at Bridgewater College, Drexel University, Emerson College, Lasell College and the University of Delaware included as a part of room and board, and on a trial basis at a few others including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of New Hampshire, Xfinity on Campus brings live cable TV to PCs, tablets and phones -- as long as they're on campus. The package includes 80 or so channels and includes access to stuff like video on-demand and WatchESPN and HBO Go (if you have HBO), which will work even when they're off of the college's network.
Tour college campuses from the couch with Google Maps Street View
The time for choosing a college to attend this fall may have long passed, but you can get a jump start on next year with Google Maps. Street View added 36 more campus tours in the US and Canada, including a look at Georgetown University's Healy Lawn that's pictured above. University of Miami and University of Regina are also included in the tally, allowing you to familiarize yourself with prospective surroundings ahead of that formal campus visit. Or if you just really fancy an academic summer vacation.
University adds League of Legends team to its athletic program
Could being at wiz video games get you a scholarship and a college degree? As far-fetched of a dream as that may seem, it's now becoming a reality at one institute of higher learning. Robert Morris University in Illinois announced today that it will be forming an official League of Legends varsity team as part of its athletic program for the 2014-15 academic year. Team members will be treated on the same level as other athletes, meaning that they're eligible for tutoring, support, and scholarships. The team is a result of the university's associate athletic director's love of competitive PC gaming and acknowledgement that it requires the same level of teamwork as other sports. "Although e-sports have long been a part of the culture of gaming, competitions have seen a large surge in popularity in recent years," the university posted. "Robert Morris University recognizes the value and legitimacy of e-sports and is excited to add e-sports to its already rich athletic program."
Bitcoin gets its first big sports sponsorship
Bitcoin is about to hit the big leagues in a very literal sense -- it just got its first major sports sponsorship. BitPay has struck a deal with ESPN Events that will rename one post-season NCAA football game as the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl through 2016. When the Bowl next kicks off, on December 26th, you'll see the digital currency's signature "B" plastered all over TV broadcasts, the field and the inevitable glut of merchandise. It's hard to say if the marketing blitz will translate to greater adoption, but it's well-timed. When Dish, Expedia and Overstock.com have all started taking Bitcoin, anyone who's swayed by the promotion will have at least a few places to spend their virtual cash.
College football settlement costs EA another $8 million
When EA settled its ongoing litigation with student athletes in September 2013 related to its NCAA Basketball and Football video games, its expenses amounted to $40 million. Now, it is tacking on $8 million more in expected expenses for fiscal 2014, bringing the total to $48 million, according to the company's year-end financial results. EA reported $40 million in settlement expenses as recently as the last fiscal quarter, ending in December. The publisher canceled its 2014 college football video game in September, following the NCAA's decision to not renew its licensing agreement with EA in July. The settlement by EA and the Collegiate Licensing Company led to another lawsuit in November, this one by the NCAA against EA. EA planned to continue working with the CLC to develop college sports games without the use of the NCAA's marks and logos, a non-exclusive agreement that was slated to last three years. The college athlete likeness lawsuits stem back to May 2009. [Image: EA]
Moto X gets new college colors and a lower price in time for March Madness
When you've got Moto Maker, you don't always need accessories to show support for your favorite sports team. With March Madness only days away, Motorola has thrown nine new back colors and three new accents into its Moto X paint pot to create the "College Collection," a set pre-configured color combinations that'll match upwards of 40 school teams. It's no secret that Motorola's flagship is struggling to sell, so it's embarking on yet another price reduction, this time giving students the chance to snag an off-contract Moto X for just $339 (regular price $400) with a qualifying .edu email address. Incidentally, Motorola won't print your school's logo onto the back of your fresh Moto X, so you'll have to buy one of Uncommon's $35 clear cases instead -- because phones need lettermans too.
Report: EA requested college athlete likenesses prior to NCAA lawsuit
The NCAA reportedly considered licensing the names and likeness of student athletes to Electronic Arts for its college sports games before the publisher faced its class action suit led by Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller in May 2009. Documents from the ongoing Ed O'Bannon v. NCAA lawsuit reveal that EA sought to depict the athletes "just as they are shown on TV broadcasts" as of 2007, AL.com reported. "This means putting student-athlete names on rosters and on jerseys in the game, and secondarily using facial likenesses (this could be done in stages)," the NCAA document in question stated. The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) was also involved in the discussion, as documents stating the CLC's position involved in the O'Bannon lawsuit said that "using the rosters in the games, and maybe the names of student-athletes on jerseys in the game would be worthwhile." The documents also reportedly state that the NCAA was aware that EA already based rosters for its college sports games on real-life athletes. While EA and the CLC settled its lawsuit with student athletes to the tune of $40 million last year after canceling its college football game in development for this year, the O'Bannon v. NCAA lawsuit only just reached a new milestone today: U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ordered that settlement talks between both parties begin. The NCAA also sued EA and the CLC in November, alleging that EA failed to agree to compensate the NCAA for losses related to legal claims from student athletes after its proposed settlement. [Image: NCAA]
15 Minutes of Fame: TEDx speaker on overcoming anorexia with WoW
Continuing our look at young people successfully folding World of Warcraft into their successfully unfolding lives, this week we interview another student for whom WoW has made a big impression. "I saw your Breakfast Topic post How has WoW made your life better?, and well, a few weeks back I had the opportunity to give a TEDx talk about how playing World of Warcraft helped my fight anorexia and a crappy education system," wrote Erik Martin, aka Klaes of Emerald Dream (US). Talk about All The Things ... Also a game designer who has even worked on projects for the federal government, Erik has rallied from anorexia to go on to advocate for student agency and motivation in education. With a confidence bolstered in Azeroth, he's assembling his own experiences and aspirations into a big-picture view large enough not only to fill his own sails but to help others push off from safe harbor.
Growing Up in WoW: One-third of a lifetime shared with Azeroth
A few months ago, I received an email from the kind of player who sets off all sorts of bells and whistles for a feature writer like me -- a WoW fan who's integrated the game into a balanced, engaged, lively lifestyle. If you've ever found yourself shaking your fist and snarling at teenaged players as a group -- Get off my lawn! -- then you've probably never met a young player who's got his stuff together quite so well as Zukkai of Area 52 (US). I'm 18, I'm a raid leader for one of the 10man teams in our guild, and I've been playing since I was 12. In December, I can claim that I've played WoW for a third of my life. Along the way I've been in school full time, and will be attending university in the fall. When I first started playing, my parents regulated my play time. Once I started controlling my play time, I had to learn about my own time management and how to balance WoW with RL priorities. I've also learned how to deal with the social stigmas of playing WoW through high school, including how to explain to your friends that you might not be able to go somewhere because you have to raid. I've managed to grow up right along side the game, and I think playing it for so long has taught me a couple of valuable lessons along the way. I've had stretches where I'd be playing 4-5 hours a day and I've had stretches where I've toyed with quitting, but I've kept going for 6 years. I've never had massive amounts of time to play, but I've managed to put together my Insane title and collect a large sum of pets and mounts, as well as raid at the heroic level. Fixated on gaming? Hiding away from life? Not in the least. Our conversation with Zukkai reveals a player for whom World of Warcraft is just another pastime -- albeit one that's filled a full one-third of his lifetime. Moving in and out of WoW with the rest of life's rhythms is as natural as breathing, as Zukkai demonstrates in this look at life for one of the many players today who are growing up in Azeroth.
Nokia's Internships Lens uses AR to help find your next unpaid college gig
Finding a college internship that isn't soul-draining can be tough, but Nokia wants to help with that. Today, the Finnish company is announcing a joint effort with Internships.com to release Internships Lens, an app that leverages augmented reality and your social circles to point you toward the nearest gig that hopefully pays more than just school credit. It's similar to JobLens in that it displays employment info over the top of wherever your Lumia's camera is looking -- again using LiveSight tech -- and is exclusive to Nokia's line of Windows Phone 8 handsets. What's more, you can research an employer from within the app, which could calm those pre-interview jitters. If you still need a 'ship for the upcoming winter semester, maybe this could help.
LinkedIn launches University Pages, helps students learn more about colleges
LinkedIn has already branched out a bit with its own blogging and following features for select groups, and now the popular social networking site has introduced a tool geared towards students. Aptly dubbed University Pages, LinkedIn describes the new service as one that's part of its strategy to help college-bound pupils "at every critical milestone from campus to fulfilling successful careers." Beginning September 12th, LinkedIn's set to welcome high school students on its network and provide access to the new University Pages, allowing them to explore and rub elbows with about 200 participating universities, both in the US and abroad. Users will then be able to do things such as receive regular updates about campus news / activities and view notable members of each college's alumni. If one of your favorite schools isn't there just yet, fret not -- LinkedIn says "thousands more" will be given access over the next few weeks.
Google Play Books for iOS update includes support for textbook rental
Yesterday, Google issued an update to its free Google Play Books app for iOS, adding not only the usual "stability and performance improvements" to the app, but also providing some important new features that should be helpful for students as the school year quickly approaches. The app provides access to over 4 million books in the Google Play Book Store, with literally millions of those books available for free. New version 1.6.0 provides highlighting and note-taking for those books that are simply scans and not text files. There's a new sepia reading mode that's easier on the eyes. But the most important addition is support for rentals. Google Play recently introduced a digital textbook library, and students can now select and rent books from that library. The Google Play website notes that students can save up to 80 percent off of the cost of purchasing textbooks by renting through its service, an important factor to consider when trying to reduce the exorbitant price of a higher education.
Boundless unveils iPhone textbook app and premium studying upgrades
Boundless has pitched its digital textbook service as the free alternative to expensive college textbooks, but the absence of mobile support and study aids has limited its appeal. The educational startup is addressing both of those issues today. To start, it has launched a native iPhone app that optimizes the web client's highlights, note-taking and summaries for a smaller screen. The company is also introducing a premium option for students who need a little motivation. Readers who pay $20 per textbook get access to a steady stream of flashcards and quizzes, with notifications to minimize any slacking. Diligent learners can grab both the app and premium upgrades today -- at least, so long as they have no qualms with Boundless' ongoing copyright disputes.
