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Join us for the Macworld/iWorld 2014 State of Apple Technology panel liveblog
When it rains, it pours. Sure enough, it has been raining here in drought-stricken Northern California, so much so that numerous flights were delayed coming into the city yesterday. And after a drought of Apple-related liveblogs, we actually have two that will be happening simultaneously. Mike Rose will be covering Microsoft's announcement today at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET, where we expect to hear about an iPad version of Microsoft's Office suite. At the same time and just a few blocks away, we will be liveblogging the "keynote" of this year's top Apple fan event -- Macworld/iWorld 2014 -- which is a panel discussion on The State of Apple Technology. Longtime Mac writer Jason Snell (Senior VP, editorial director, IDG Consumer & SMB) will moderate the discussion and is joined by Ben Bajarin (Principal, Creative Strategies, Inc.), Christina Bonnington (Staff Writer, Wired), Rene Ritchie (Editor in chief, iMore), and former TUAW blogger Christina Warren (Senior Tech Analyst, Mashable). So choose your liveblog wisely. Even better, open up two tabs in your favorite web browser and flip between the two liveblogs. It should be quite fascinating!
Japan considers using social networks in disaster situations
Emergency services are embracing technology as new ways to investigate, send alerts and receive reports of crises. And now, the Japanese are looking at social networks to support communication in disaster scenarios, especially when traditional services fail. The local Fire and Disaster Management Agency put together a panel discussion on just that topic, with representatives attending from the likes of Twitter, Yahoo, Mixi and NHN Japan, as well as various government and emergency bodies. The talk was motivated, in part, by the March tsunami, when the internet was the sole means of information for some, and with initiatives like Google's Person Finder playing a role in the aftermath. Any formal implementation of the ideas discussed is probably a long way off, and this is the first of three planned meets to hash it out. In the meantime, however, Twitter's Japanese blog posted some suggestions on how their network could be used in emergencies -- we just hope they won't be needed anytime soon.
Two Defiance videos emerge from SDCC
Two new videos about Defiance, the upcoming third-person shooter coupled with a television show, have emerged from San Diego Comic-Con 2012. While sometimes only snippets of videos highlighting key things get released, the first video actually serves folks who couldn't attend to the entire Defiance panel. During the 54-minute video, developers and actors of the Syfy and Trion collaboration discuss the game/television show combination and field questions from the audience. In the second video (which is much smaller by comparison at 13 minutes), Rob Hill, senior producer, and Grant Bowler, the actor who stars as the lead in both the game and the show, discuss the project further. They touch on the background of the post-apocalyptic world setting and discuss how the game and show will influence each other and evolve together. This video also shows game footage of vehicles and combat. The game, which begins before the show, will launch simultaneously on all three platforms: PC, XBox 360, and PS3. You can check out both videos after the break.
Survey suggests addition of panel discussions to E3
The E3 Expo management has issued a survey to some attendees that includes some questions about adding a new conference segment to the proceedings. The questions attempt to gauge interest in having "a conference program covering multiple industry topics, including panel discussions with industry leaders, at future E3 Expo events."Further questions narrow down potential topics, including "Interactive Entertainment Business trends," Game Development," "Game Career Development," and "New Product Demonstrations." Of course, querying attendees about this is by no means a confirmation that E3 will include panel discussions in the future, but it is an indication that the organizers are thinking about it. Adding what amounts to GDC-style content to the generally marketing-focused E3 would be a significant change in focus for the expo -- an event that just can't stop changing.
CCP Games releases EVE Fanfest 2008 videos
Most EVE Online players didn't have the opportunity to attend EVE Fanfest 2008 in Reykjavik earlier this month, but that doesn't necessarily mean they have to miss out on what was revealed. CCP Games and EVE TV have made good on their promise to release video footage of Fanfest presentations and panel discussions. While they did make live audio of some of this available in-game over EVE Voice, it was difficult to follow without the visuals to tie it all together. Now, they've put up a new video page dedicated to EVE Fanfest 2008, with both low res and high res downloads. They culled roughly 30 hours of raw footage down into 12 videos. We've listed them below, accompanied by the CCP descriptions and video links, for both YouTube (when available) and high resolution versions:
Virtual worlds teaching kids consumerism
Here's a CNet article about a USC panel discussion concerning how virtual worlds are affecting children, sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, who are investing in research in virtual worlds. Telling points from the discussion:Spaces like Club Penguin and Webkinz encourage consumerism as part of being a good citizen. Well, this is true, but let's lift our heads from the monitor and realize that American culture itself embraces that model, and virtual worlds are merely the latest iteration of that concept. If we're not careful, these things will become yet another scapegoat for undesirable behavior, just like videogames have been and continue to be.Educators continue to extol the virtues of virtual worlds as beneficial for learning. One of the strengths of online distance learning is its ability to provide the chatroom experience, which is inherently social, with the ability to immediately gratify the desire to search for background information. Being in your class in Second Life and Googling facts at the same time brings to your education a valuable 'live' experience that is difficult to match with standard real life classrooms. Add to that the playful nature of speaking through a customizable avatar, and this is a worthy new color in any educator's palette.Real world ugliness is promulgated throughout virtual worlds, including bullying, racism, and homophobia. The problem is that, no matter how you view virtual worlds, either as utopias or dystopias, human behavior is a learned thing, and that frequently begins at home. Respect for your fellow humans must be taught. If it isn't taught, it isn't learned. Of course online spaces are filled with abusive behavior; life itself is filled with it. Like consumerism, this is a problem that virtual worlds are only bringing into sharper relief, not engendering themselves.[Via CNet]
