Microsoft Takes Another Shot At Brainwashing Kids On Copyright Laws

from the educate-who? dept

One of the popular myths coming from the industries who rely on the copyright crutch is that unauthorized content sharing is really an "education" issue. For years, they've insisted that if kids just understood copyright laws, they wouldn't engage in file sharing. To that end, the RIAA likes to claim that its questionable legal campaign is really just an educational effort and has nothing to do with squeezing money out of people with threatening letters on weak evidence. The various lobbying groups have all set up "education" programs that generally appear to be more like brainwashing programs. They tend to be excessively one-sided and students see through the programs pretty quickly.

Microsoft itself got into the IP propaganda game a few years ago with a contest asking kids to create a video about how important intellectual property rights were. As if to drive home the point, any video you submitted to Microsoft became its exclusive property. Apparently, that little education campaign wasn't enough, as Microsoft is now announcing a brand new propaganda education campaign targeted at teens, kicked off with a bogus study claiming that teens would stop unauthorized sharing if they only knew about copyright laws.

Now it's no surprise that many people don't understand what the real purpose of copyright is -- but companies like Microsoft are just as bad in not understanding the real purpose of copyright as the teens they accuse of not understanding it. Given all the previous attempts at "educating" children, this new effort won't get very far, but perhaps we can get together and craft an "education" campaign targeted at the various industries who insist we need to be educated on copyright. Anyone want to help? We can kick it off with an explanation of fair use. Then follow it up with an economics lesson about how artificial scarcity limits markets. Perhaps we can even dig into the ways that companies like Microsoft admit they benefit from unauthorized use, while holding a special lesson on how unauthorized use and innovation often work hand in hand. To kick it all off, we can put out a study showing how poorly execs in struggling industries understand copyright. I'm sure that would go over well.

Filed Under: copyright, education
Companies: microsoft

Is It Better To Study Economics Or Computer Science?

from the how-about-both? dept

Economist Arnold Kling is pointing out that while fewer college students are enrolling in computer science majors, the number focusing on economics is exploding. It's probably a rather cyclical trend -- but Kling suggests this isn't necessarily a bad thing. His point appears to be that you can pick up enough computer science on the side, but that learning economics could come in a lot more handy -- even in the technology industry. Of course, he leaves out the fact that you can also pick up an awful lot of economics on the side. I'd argue that both skills are important, and it's difficult to see one being much more important than the other. If you have a proclivity towards one, then pursue that -- but if you're really skilled, why not learn both?

Filed Under: computer science, economics, education, students

I've Decided To Major In YouTube Watching

from the and-minor-in-digg dept

Lots of colleges have random "light weight" classes that people always seem to joke about. When I was in school I remember the jokes about "Physics for Poets" and "Rocks for Jocks" (though, I think that second one had a more formal name). However, with a new generation of internet services, there can now be a new generation of odd classes that people will make fun of, such as the new class being offered by Pitzer College which is all about YouTube. The class seems to involve watching YouTube videos, commenting on them, discussing them and creating your own YouTube videos. To be honest about it, this is really sounds like a typical class in popular culture -- which are found at universities around the world -- but with a slight YouTube twist, which helps it generate news and become part of the pop culture itself. Now, if someone would just offer a class in using Digg... that would get some attention.

Filed Under: classes, education
Companies: google, youtube

Nintendo Moves Into The Educational Market

from the whatever-happened-to-burgertime? dept

While Sony and Microsoft duke it out with price cuts on the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360, Nintendo keeps chugging along in the background, with the Wii continuing to sell well despite still being hard to find at many retailers. A big part of the success of the Wii, and Nintendo overall, has been the company's focus on creating products and games that appeal to a wide audience, and don't rely on sheer processing and graphics power, but rather innovative and creative game play. This is the sort of strategy that EA's new CEO recently alluded to, when he said his company has become stagnant and caught in an endless loop of franchise title updates, and isn't doing enough to court casual gamers and other non-traditional market segments. Even more so than the Wii, Nintendo's DS portable console reflects its strength in this area. It started with things like Brain Age, which attracted an older demographic by blurring the line between learning and gaming, but now the DS is becoming a platform for reference materials and educational programs in Japanese schools. The DS is an attractive device for the schools because it's relatively inexpensive (compared to laptops), and it's easy to use, while its touchscreen and voice-recognition functionality provide a useful platform. Nintendo trumpets the fact that 60% of DS buyers don't consider themselves videogamers -- and it's by catering to this market that Nintendo is finding a lot of success, rather than by rolling out expensive, yet powerful, consoles that focus on complex, involved games.

Filed Under: education
Companies: nintendo