June 2011

Does Addictive Internet Use Restructure the Brain?

Kids spend an increasing fraction of their formative years online, and it is a habit they dutifully carry into adulthood. Under the right circumstances, however, a love affair with the Internet may spiral out of control and even become an addiction.

Whereas descriptions of online addiction are controversial at best among researchers, a new study cuts through much of the debate and hints that excessive time online can physically rewire a brain. The work, published June 3 in PLoS ONE, suggests self-assessed Internet addiction, primarily through online multiplayer games, rewires structures deep in the brain. What's more, surface-level brain matter appears to shrink in step with the duration of online addiction.

What NJN is, and what its end will mean

New Jersey Network — created 40 years ago by a New Jersey governor and legislature concerned about being overlooked by New York and Philadelphia television stations — is now scheduled to go dark in just two weeks.

The state-run television network will be closed down, with programming turned over to New York public television. Radio licenses will also be sold, all in an effort to comply with the desire of the current governor and Legislature to get New Jersey out of the broadcasting business. Here's a closer look at NJN, as well as a look at what, if any, hope there is to save the state-run television station.

Could WHYY Refine Public Media's Role?

An ambitious digital strategy at Philadelphia's leading public TV and radio outlet may just be the template for reinventing a challenged industry. Bill Marrazzo, the company’s president and CEO, explains how a multiplatform focus on news and civic dialogue is changing the way his staff works while mining a younger audience.

Wi-Not? South Korea's Seoul To Blanket The City With Free Wi-Fi

[Commentary] South Korea's capital city is already the best connected in the world, so it's not surprising that the local government has announced a $44 million project to bring free Wi-Fi Internet access to every outdoor space and street corner city-wide.

Surprising, no. But jealousy-inducing? Oh my, yes.

All buses, taxis, and subway trains will be covered, too. Korea Telecom (KT) already had Seoul's subway lines covered with WiBro, its nationwide commercial wireless broadband service. Was that good enough? Not in Seoul. KT had rolled out that leg of its service back in 2004 and put it into service in 2007. Before North American telecoms got serious about 3G, before much smaller municipal Wi-Fi projects stateside collapsed under their own weight, South Koreans were already living the IEEE 802.16e mobile WiMAX dream. South Korea's wireless penetration rates and download speeds make most of the U.S.'s cabled broadband look like an anachronistic joke. Seoul is already the long-reigning hotspot champ. You can already get wireless almost everywhere. Their version of the last mile problem is getting Internet signal outside. Actually, Seoul's problem (such as it is) illustrates both the genius and the frustrations of municipal wireless plans worldwide.

Chapel Hill’s high hopes for broadband quashed by law

The hope of extending a broadband network being built by the town of Chapel Hill to the municipal school system and to UNC-Chapel Hill has been thwarted by a new law that prohibits local governments from selling such service. “We can use it as an internal network, but we won't be able to sell it to schools,” says Interim Chief Technology Officer John Bjurman. “We were planning to try to connect the schools, along with the town and (UNC-Chapel Hill).”

What Big Media Can Learn From the New York Public Library

Despite looming budget cuts, the library is flourishing and putting out some of the most innovative online projects in the country.

National Library of Medicine launches MedlinePlus Connect

The National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has formally launched MedlinePlus Connect.

This free service allows health organizations and health information technology (HIT) providers to link patient portals and electronic health record (EHR) systems to MedlinePlus.gov, a trusted source of authoritative, up-to-date health information for patients, families and health care providers. MedlinePlus brings together information from NIH, other federal agencies, and reputable health information providers. MedlinePlus covers a wide range of health conditions and wellness issues, and includes key resources to inform patients about their health. Patients using portals or EHRs that have implemented MedlinePlus Connect can access easy-to-understand health information on MedlinePlus that is directly related to their diagnoses, medications, and lab tests. “MedlinePlus Connect is the latest result of NLM’s long standing commitment to using technology and standards to bring high quality information to patients and clinicians when and where they need it,” noted NLM Director Donald A.B. Lindberg, M.D. To use MedlinePlus Connect, an organization should contact their EHR vendor or work with their in-house technical staff to follow the instructions in the technical documentation.

What's Eating College Radio?

To be sure, hundreds of student-run stations of varying levels of quality and professionalism continue to broadcast within the Federal Communications Commission's historically designated noncommercial portion of the spectrum, 88.1 to 91.9 MHz. But in a trend that industry observers say began in the 1990s, many others have been driven onto the Web or into oblivion when college administrators have decided to sell their licenses for much-needed cash.

Apple Investigated for Anti-Competitive Behavior in India

Apple is facing an investigation into anti-competitive behavior in India following a complaint being sent to the Competition Commission of India claiming the company is limiting the availability of its products to a few service providers. A customer has filed a complaint before the Commission under Section 4 of the Competition Act 2002 that Apple is curbing the customer's choice by limiting the availability of iPhones and iPads in India to a limited number of service providers, besides its signature stores.

Ofcom gives green light for mobile spectrum trading

Ofcom has given the green light for mobile operators to trade radio spectrum.

The move is designed to help boost mobile network capacity and deliver faster and more reliable mobile services for customers. The new regulations cover spectrum at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz, and will allow operators with a greater need for spectrum to make offers for spectrum from operators who need it less. Ofcom hopes this flexibility will help operators respond more efficiently to demand for mobile data services. It will be responsible for the administration of spectrum trades and will consider whether competition is likely to be impacted before approving any trade.

Benton

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