Playing GTA V won’t make you a killer. Writing in The Week, Mathew Walther complains that violent video games are ‘sick’ and says it doesn’t matter if there’s any evidence to suggest that these games lead to violent acts; so long as he believes that they’re causing bad things to happen in peoples’ brains, those bad things certainly must be happening. Walther is echoing President Trump, who has spoken openly about his worry that violent video games are creating killers. (And like Walther, he’s completely wrong.) Violent video games are most definitely sick, but only if you say that like one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles…
Author: Loknath Das
Is there any point having Black Ops 4 on Switch? The morning Inbox enjoys a drunk night with Geralt of Rivia, as one reader recommends a half price Super Mario Run. Third party myth So I see there’s a lot of speculation on Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 appearing on Switch, because of that reliable rumour guy and a lot of the previous games appearing on Wii. But I’ve got to say, is that not the reason why it’s not likely? We had four Call Of Duties on Wii and Black Ops II and Ghosts came out on the…
As the saying goes, the best things in life are free: love, friends, and great software that works almost as well as a paid product. If you’re like me, you have probably shopped around for certain apps or programs, and then you balked at the price tag. “Is this really worth $200?” you ask yourself. Sometimes, you have to bite the bullet. But other times, there’s a free option that will get the same results. Most people know that there are very capable free alternatives to Microsoft Office. If not, you definitely need to tap into these free alternatives to…
The youth mental health support service ReachOut surveyed parents of 12 to 18-year-olds about their concerns and found that 45 per cent were worried about their children’s use of social media. Technology closely followed at 42 per cent. In comparison, 25 per cent were worried about their children using drugs, alcohol or smoking. ReachOut chief executive Jono Nicholas said parents were worried about the everyday use of social media and technology. “It’s an important part of their social network but in many instances they’re not sure if they’re safe while using social media sites,” Mr Nicholas said. “Unlike some of…
Mandatory limits could be imposed on the amount of time children are allowed to spend on social media, the culture secretary has suggested. Matt Hancock said social media companies had failed in their duty of care to children. “We are going to require them to take that care,” he told the Times. “For an adult I wouldn’t want to restrict the amount of time you are on a platform but for different ages it might be right to have different time cutoffs. “I think there is a genuine concern about the amount of screen time young people are clocking up…
The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. The world is full of connected devices–and more are coming. In 2017, there were an estimated 8.4 billion internet-enabled thermostats, cameras, streetlights and other electronics. By 2020 that number could exceed 20 billion, and by 2030 there could be 500 billion or more. Because they’ll all be online all the time, each of those devices–whether a voice-recognition personal assistant or a pay-by-phone parking meter or a temperature sensor deep in an industrial robot–will be vulnerable to a cyberattack and could even be part of one. Today, many “smart” internet-connected devices…
Mario is a simple guy. He wears overalls and a spiffy cap. He’s got a brother and a couple of close friends. He can run fast and jump high. In his various quests to save princess Peach, he makes use of all of these attributes and relationships, yet none of them tell us anything about who Mario really is. As Super Mario Odyssey has shown us, if you take away the overall, what remains is still Mario, a guy with a fluffy moustache and a pair of delightful nips. What he wears does not define him. Yet most of Mario’s…
This might blow your mind, but one of the most popular games in the world right now is a free one. Fortnite is a free-to-play game with a history that’s very funny and kind of dirty, a game that’s found tremendous success by pivoting from its original goals to capitalize on one of the hottest trends in video games. The gambit was so nakedly a rip off, but it worked! And now Fortnite has completely taking the rug out from under the game that made its whole schtick popular first. It doesn’t hurt that it’s also equally popular among grown-ass adults like yours truly…
Japanese police are investigating as possible suicide the death of an official at a finance ministry bureau that handled a land deal at the heart of a cronyism scandal threatening Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s popularity, media said on Friday. Suspicions that a school operator with ties to Abe’s wife, Akie, got a sweetheart deal on land for a school in the city of Osaka dented the premier’s popularity last year and the opposition has increased pressure on Abe after documents released by a ministry failed to banish suspicion that some had been doctored. A finance ministry employee in the western…
Fortunately, data is now one thing all investors – both private individuals and professionals – have access to in abundance. However, the sheer volume of information from official channels or social media rumours, both structured and unstructured, can be overwhelming. As such, there is a real danger of drowning in data. Smart investors may well be able to filter out the noise and focus on actionable information, although there is no guarantee of success. But for many, the overload of information and the inability to access the true value of this information lends to a dilemma where over-analysis leads to…