STUDY SAYS HIGHER EDUCATION MAY LEAD TO LONGER LIFE

According to a recent study, getting a college degree or even a GED from high school may be connected to longer life.  In fact, scientists now compare the benefits of higher education to those achieved by quitting smoking – lower mortality rates.

In the study involving information from more than one million people, researchers from the University of North Carolina, New York University, and the University of Colorado report a link between higher education and increased life expectancy.

The researchers suggest that – through the lens of healthy behavior - education should be viewed similarly to diet, smoking, and alcohol consumption – that is, when it comes to living longer, pursuing higher education is as relevant as pursuing healthy choices regarding eating, drinking, or smoking.

The study suggests that government policies focused on improving educational attainment would result in an improved survival rate in the United States.

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HOLOGRAMS TO CONNECT US TO THE FUTURE

Imagine that years after you pass on, somehow your great great grandchildren or other people of the future could speak to you "face-to-face".  Imagine that they could ask you questions about your life and that you could tell them what it was like to live in your time.  A project underway right now may make such a scenario a "real" possibility in the not-too-distant future.

Researchers at the University of Southern California are in the process of developing for the humans of today the ability to create an extraordinary, life-like, 3D hologram that can actually converse with humans of the future.

The project -- New Dimensions in Testimony -- uses cutting edge technology to produce images of selected people, manifested as holograms that look remarkably like the subject.  The images are so "real" that it appears as if the person is actually present in the room.  Using further technology (think Siri from iPhone fame), the hologram will be able to ask and answer questions, and virtually converse with people in the future. 

The first subject being used in the project is a survivor of the holocaust, but the expectation is that when the project is complete, anyone with a story to tell would be able to take advantage of such technology, presenting an extraordinary change in the way information and legacies are passed down to family members and to others of the future.

GOOGLE'S VIRTUAL REALITY - FOR YOU

Google wants to help you to view videos and other images in 3D.  All you have to do is use its virtual reality viewer called Cardboard, along with your smartphone.

The Cardboard viewer certainly does not pretend to be high-end.  It really does look a bit like a cardboard box fitted with simple lenses.  And, though Google is launching a campaign for Cardboard at the moment, it was actually given away last year at its I/O developer conference.

With Cardboard (and a smartphone) users will be able to get a 3D view of various images, like personal pics and images in Google Earth.  The ostensible goal of this project is to provide the masses with an inexpensive way to engage the world of Virtual Reality.

Read more about it.

STUDY SAYS HUMAN ATTENTION SPAN NOW LESS THAN GOLDFISH

A study conducted by Microsoft indicates that the attention span of humans - particularly those immersed in social media - is less than the attention span of a goldfish.  

The research says that today's humans have an attention span of eight seconds, while a goldfish has an attention span of nine seconds.

Fifteen years ago, at the incipient stages of the mobile movement, the human attention span was 12 seconds. According to the researchers, the drop to eight seconds is due in large part to increasing engagement in the digital world.

Microsoft used information obtained from more than 2,000 participants in the study, some of whom had their brains monitored by electroencephalograms (EEGs).

In a related finding, the study also indicates that humans are getting better at multitasking.  

SHAKESPEARE NOT REQUIRED FOR MOST ENGLISH MAJORS

How much should Shakespeare be a part of a college English major's life?  Tough question.  How about this?  Should an English major be required to take at least one course focused on Shakespeare?

Not according to the powers that be in higher education, apparently.

Though it may come as a surprise to the average person, a course in Shakespeare is not required in most highly regarded U.S. colleges.  In the Ivy League alone, only one college requires it.

A 2015 study for The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) found that only 4 colleges - out of at least 50 of the highest rated colleges in the U.S. News & World Report rankings - required their English majors to take a course focused on Shakespeare.  That means, of course, that 92% of those highly ranked colleges would not have such a requirement.

The study - referred to by ACTA as "The Unkindest Cut" - included the top 25 schools in the category of Liberal Arts Colleges, and the top 25 in the category of National Universities.  Two colleges in each of those categories require the Shakespeare course.

According to the study, the four colleges that do require a Shakespeare course for their English majors are Harvard, UC Berkeley, The US Naval Academy, and Wellesley.

In regard to actual requirements for English majors, the research reported that some of the no-Shakespeare-required colleges give equal weight to courses in Shakespeare and courses such as "Gender, Sexuality, and Literature: Our Cyborgs, Our Selves", "Pulp Fiction: Popular Romance from Chaucer to Tarantino", "Renaissance Sexualities", and "Love and Ecstasy: Forms of Devotion in Medieval English Literature".

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