Scientists Use Videogames to Improve Older Brains | WSJ


In the future, your doctor may prescribe you a videogame.

In a groundbreaking new study at the University of California, San Francisco, scientists found that older adults improved cognitive controls such as multitasking and the ability to sustain attention by playing a specially designed videogame — and that the effects can be long lasting.

The study, to be published in the scientific journal Nature on Thursday, is part of a broader effort to understand whether specially designed videogames can help treat neurological disorders, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and even depression. There is growing evidence, researchers say, that videogames could eventually become therapies on par, or used in tandem, with ingestible medications.

See the full story: Scientists Use Videogames to Improve Older Brains | Digits | WSJ.

Dr. Seuss Available as eBooks for First Time | GoodReader


Random House Children’s Books, the publisher of multi-award winning and best-selling children’s author Dr. Seuss’ entire catalog of children’s content, announced today that it would begin releasing most of the author’s forty-four books as ebooks for young readers, starting with fifteen titles near the end of this month. The ebooks will keep the original layout and beloved illustrations, but will also incorporate a read-aloud narration.

Dr. Seuss Ebooks

See the full story: Dr. Seuss Available as eBooks for First Time | GoodReader.

New Kindle Paperwhite Has Goodreads Built into Device | GalleyCat


Amazon has unveiled a new Kindle Paperwhite, building Goodreads interaction straight into the $119 eReader. Goodreads members can now rate books and share passages from inside the Kindle.

via New Kindle Paperwhite Has Goodreads Built into Device | GalleyCat.

‘Most Amazing, Stupendously Clever’ Little Free Library of the Day | Shelf Awareness


Checking in at Little Free Library’s Facebook page is always fun, but a post yesterday was so mesmerizing that even the LFL folks couldn’t resist exclaiming: “Is this the most amazing, stupendously clever, epic, mechanically excellent (?!) and stunningly cool Little Free Library ever? It’s a kinetic sculpture! A neighborhood art piece! Destined for the Museum of Modern Art? The Walker? The Guggenheim? Have you ever seen anything this fab?”

via ‘Most Amazing, Stupendously Clever’ Little Free Library of the Day | Shelf Awareness for Wednesday, September 4, 2013 | Shelf Awareness.

Degree or disagree: Your field of study matters [Infographic] | Macleans.ca


Degree or disagree: Your field of study matters – Blog Central, Show and Tell | Macleans.ca

Story of Your Worthless Degree

10 Great Sites for Bored History Nerds | Flavorwire


10 Great Sites for Bored History Nerds | Flavorwire.

See the post for links to an eclectic list of history websites.

  1. The Bowery Boys
  2. Fuck Yeah, Victorians
  3. The Smithsonian’s History Blog
  4. The History Chicks
  5. My Daguerreotype Boyfriend
  6. Messy Nessy Chic
  7. Edwardian Promenade
  8. Calumet 412
  9. Food History Jottings
  10. Russian History Blog

I recommend Jane Austen’s World, PBS History Detectives and Best of History Websites (a comprehensive resource portal).

I AM A {SOCIAL} LIBRARIAN Infographic, Free Download | Stephen’s Lighthouse


I AM A {SOCIAL} LIBRARIAN Infographic, Free download | Stephen’s Lighthouse

I Am A Social Librarian

How You Too Can Transition from a Librarian to a Doctoral Student | Hack Library School


Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Abigail Phillips.

So, how do you, dear reader, know if you really want to get a PhD? If you are working as a public librarian or school media specialist, how do you know if academia is a good fit for you? What follows are some suggestions, tips, and advice from an ex-librarian turned academic for those thinking about entering a PhD program. Although my focus in this post is on potential doctoral students in Information Studies, this advice can be applied to any doctoral program.

via How You Too Can Transition from a Librarian to a Doctoral Student | Hack Library School.

From Collaborative Coding to Wedding Invitations: GitHub Is Going Mainstream | Wired.com


“The open, collaborative workflow we have created for software development is so appealing that it’s gaining traction for non-software projects that require significant collaboration,” says GitHub cofounder and CEO Tom Preston-Werner.

With 3.4 million users, the five-year-old site is a runaway hit in the hacker community, the go-to place for coders to show off pet projects and crowdsource any improvements. But the company has grander ambitions: It wants to change the way people work. It’s starting with software developers for sure, but maybe one day anyone who edits text in one form or another — lawyers, writers, and civil servants — will do it the GitHub way.

See the full story: From Collaborative Coding to Wedding Invitations: GitHub Is Going Mainstream | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com.

University of Texas at Austin Online Class Aims to Earn Millions | WSJ.com


Two University of Texas at Austin professors this week launched their introductory psychology class from a makeshift studio, with a goal of eventually enrolling 10,000 students at $550 a pop and bringing home millions for the school.

The professors have dubbed the class a SMOC—Synchronous Massive Online Class—and their effort falls somewhere between a MOOC, or Massive Open Online Course, a late-night television show and a real-time research experiment. The professors lecture into a camera and students watch on their computers or mobile devices, in real time.

The class, which made its debut [August 29, 2013], is emblematic of just how quickly the once-static business model of higher education is shifting as technology gives students more options and forces schools and professors to compete for their attention.

See the full story: University of Texas at Austin Online Class Aims to Earn Millions | WSJ.com.