XplanaZine

Here’s our take on news that matters for Tuesday, April 18. Today’s theme is coming up , and here are a some links to headlines about technology that is changing the way we live and learn.

• Gaming –
  A recent study conducted among 100 university undergraduates at the University of York, soon to be published in the Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, says that video gamers consistently out performed their peers in a series of tricky mental tests. The best performers were found to be adept video gamers and were bilingual. Also, Alice Taylor has a good post on what she calls the “ick factor” in gaming (from a female perspective). Her point is that women have to work their way through the icky gore and violence of some game concepts to get to the fun. But, she says, turnabout is fair play now that an increasing number of “girl-oriented” games are appearing. looks like the guys will have to work through their own “ick factor.” Finally, Gamasutra has this interesting article related to video game art. While realistic, 3D graphics are most prevalent, other,more stylized forms are popular too.
• Blogging, mediacasting, and online creations — Rise of on-demand programming may mean a wider audience but radio and TV affiliates worry about losing ad dollars. Also, this article in IndyStar.com by two Indianapolis teens provides a good take on teens and blogs (from the kids’ perspective). For another teen’s point of view, see katrina Rinaldi’s two articles (Part 1 and Part 2)on Xanga.
• Handhelds – I don’t guess we needed a report from the U of Maryland to tell us that, while we’re attracted to all the cool features in devices and Web sites, ultimately simpler is better. BusinessWeek has this slide show on the evolution of online and distributed video.
• Social Networks – Excitement is growing around Cyworld’s U.S. launch. Marc Canter weighs in on Cyworld’s Korean aesthetics and why the site might be more appealing that MySpace. Jackson West also weighs in with discussion about their potential appeal to a younger market and their approach to commercialization.
• Technology Talks — The move is from eyeballs to attention in terms of Web traffic. This article talks about that shift and what one company, Attention Trust, is doing about it.