Like: ‘Alcatraz’ ARG: Unlocking the secrets of J.J. Abrams’ show | Hero Complex– latimes.com

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Jay West was lucky enough to get a teaser box from J.J. Abrams' Alcatraz. Here's a teaser of what he found:

" There was a letter inside with this message:

Dear Jay West,

We invite you to inspect these artifacts from Alcatraz. Over the next few months, we will be looking to you, and your audience, to help us uncover the mysteries of the island. Should your careful examination of the contents of this box lead you to any new discoveries, we urge you to share with your community. More of the story and further instructions are forthcoming. We hope you choose to participate!..."

read the full post here:

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/01/17/alcatraz-arg-j-j-abrams/#/4

Kids Think Technology is Fundamentally Human - Great Article by Harrison Weber

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Excerpt from a longer post well worth reading:

"..What can we learn from the digital natives?

We asked this question back in September, and it’s one that research firm Latitude sought to answer with its KIDS – Kids Innovation Discovery Series initiative. Now, Latitude is back to find out how technology, specifically robotics, can be used to inspire new opportunities for learning and creativity.

Latitude’s Robots @ School study, which was conducted this month, asked kids across the world to illustrate and write a story that answers this question: “What would happen if robots were a part of your everyday life — at school and beyond?”

The results provide a compelling look on how youngsters feel about modern technology, and most importantly, reveals that tech has a huge potential for blurring the lines between learning and play...."

The Original Content Wars Have Begun, But They're Bigger Than Hulu Vs. Netflix

Excerpt from Jeremy Scott's original post:

"For several years consumers have enjoyed streaming premium content services like Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and others. But as more and more television and film content moves online, the owners of the copyrights (typically studios or production companies) have started to see the potential in launching their own competing services--like Ultraviolet--and it threatens to end or hinder licensing rights. So the streaming companies have been forced to do the only natural thing in response: start creating their own content so they won't have to rely on licensing agreements.

Source: The Original Content Wars Have Begun, But They're Bigger Than Hulu Vs. Netflix http://www.reelseo.com/original-content-wars-begun-hulu-series-battleground-p...

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Was Megaupload bad for the creative industries? | Loz Kaye and Frances Moore Comment | guardian.co.uk

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Short Excerpt from full post here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/20/was-megaupload-bad-for-th...

Loz Kaye "We all – pirates and artists – have an interest in a properly functioning and free internet. Last year 70% of the total volume of British music sales were digital. The BPI would do well to remember that its future income is dependant on the very people it is currently antagonising.

It's time for a real debate to open, and name calling to stop. It's time for policy and law based on evidence, not lobbying. Over this week many found that "piracy" is not just a cultural, but also a political issue. Megaupload claimed 150 million users. 150 million pirates? Maybe. But remember, it could well be 150 million voters too."

• Loz Kaye is leader of the Pirate party UK

Read Frances Moore's response here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/20/was-megaupload-bad-for-th...

MediaShift . Why Publishers Are About to Go Data Crazy | Excerpt from PBS.org article

Original post by Sachin Kamdar, January 17, 2012

Trending Data Overtakes Snapshot or Historic Data

Imagine the data that Apple has on its iPad sales.

The company certainly has some research on customer satisfaction, device glitches, and sales by region, etc. -- but that's standard stuff. It also has data that analyzes sales and satisfaction over time. In the case of a business that sells a physical product like an iPad, the trending data over time is more valuable -- with it, Apple can adapt its sales and marketing strategy.  

Note the weakness of the analogy, however -- an iPad has a shelf life of several years. Content is an entirely different game.

Stories, in some cases, can have evergreen value, but the best-performing content on the web typically has a 24-hour window before traffic to the article or post falls significantly. It is for this reason that publishers have struggled to access trending data to inform their decisions. It's incredibly difficult to collect, crunch and deliver data and insights in that period of time. You have to be really fast. Our systems and tools are only now starting to catch up.

SiteSimon is one of the startups popping up to help publishers understand content.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and in 2012 publishers will finally get their hands on trending data that matters. Global trending hashtags are only the very tip of the iceberg.

This year the market is going to be flooded with real-time data analysis tools for content. Not real-time analysis for web pages -- and that's an important difference. We've had real-time web analytics, but those analytics are designed for the concept of a webpage, not the nuances and heartbeat of content.  

SiteSimon and Trap.it are two companies that have built technology to analyze and understand content. These companies apply this understanding to their users' behavior to accurately identify interests and provide personalized recommendations. Percolate, another startup, parses social streams to aid brands and businesses with topic-oriented content curation -- and there's no reason why publishers can't leverage similar technologies to optimize their content, too.

Read the full post for other key trends:

http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2012/01/why-publishers-are-about-to-go-data-cra...

College students raise awareness about wetlands restoration with Facebook game | VentureBeat

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Excerpt:

"Undergraduate students at the University of Washington Bothell’s Center for Serious Play created and released today a Wetlands restoration video game for Facebook entitled UWB Wetlands Restoration.

UWB Wetlands Restoration’s Jordan Weisman, interim director at the CSP and a veteran game developer, helped design and create the game with the focus of helping players to understand how important it is maintain and help restore the Wetlands ecosystem. Not only does the project educate students about an environmental issue, it also trains them how to make games. As such, it’s not a bad way to create the next generation of game developers.

Weisman had this to say about choosing the Wetlands as the basis for the game, “We were looking for a subject that captured some of the unique aspects of the UW Bothell campus, had a strong educational aspect to the play pattern, and a well understood game dynamic that the students could adapt to the subject matter.”

The game was created from concept to “ship” by undergraduate students from the university. It will be playable for free on Facebook, and allows players to build their Wetlands from the beginning of their existence to full fledged Wetlands churning with all kinds of plants, animals and even threats to the player’s beloved ecosystem..."

Read the full post here:

http://venturebeat.com/2012/01/19/college-students-raise-awareness-about-wetl...

Disruptive Trends from the Floor of CES 2012, by UPSTREAM - Core77

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ORIGINAL Post by core jr. 18 Jan 2012: on core77.com

"The International CES 2012, as it does every year, presented an enormous array of gadgets, technology innovations and a feeding frenzy of consumer electronics commerce.

But looking above the fray of the convention floors, we see several disruptors to shape the macro trends of the coming years. Major technology and consumer behavior shifts are emerging that are changing the business of consumer electronics, media and entertainment and digital-online media. As social and mobile adoption mainstreams for consumers and marketers, new platforms, technology and media will emerge shaped by these fundamental disruptors:

APPIFICATION: The term "product" is evolving as mobile, online and tablet applications open up a new market for entrepreneurs, brands and businesses to create new services, utility and enhancements to existing products.

POST-SOCIAL WORLD: Social media and social networks, having reached mainstream, become less of a point of focus and integrate into consumer and marketer toolbox. New space races will emerge from combined social, mobile, local and digital enabled products that are accessed in new ways via tablets, ubiquitous smartphones and portable ultrabooks.

UBIQUITOUS CONTENT & DATA: Data is everywhere and content can be accessed in multiple forms. This overwhelming choice and abundance of invisible data collection is presenting opportunities and obstacles for people and brands to filter through clutter to get better information, more product and service relevance, and new social connections while retaining trust in providers and a promise of privacy...."

Read the full article to catch what's trending

http://www.core77.com/blog/consumer_product/disruptive_trends_from_the_floor_...