Improved technology played a big role in the identification of the two primary suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing.
Law enforcement officials were deluged with digital images and video after asking anyone who was in the area during the event to submit them. Traditionally it would take hundreds of officers countless hours to examine all of that media, but new versions of facial recognition technology have made that task much more manageable.
CNet explains how this tech works: "The software, which can help pick a person out of crowd, looks for differentiating features -- from the shape of a mouth to the ridge on a nose to the distance between a pair of eyes.
3VR in San Francisco has developed software that extracts information from video and then makes it searchable for its clients, which include retailers, banks, security firms and law enforcement."

“In the future we will see a broader range of topics covered by games that is more niche content.” – Doug Whatley
We all know by now that games harness the power of play, and through play we develop a range of 21st Century knowledge and skills, including language, communication, creative problem solving, critical...

“Digital games and simulations will continue to grow in cultural influence and shed their reputation for being merely violent or trivial, leading to their becoming a standard component of teaching and learning.” – Paul Darvasi
When the pandemic struck, were educators ready for virtual learning? “Digital games demand...
As families and teachers, we are all concerned about how our children are dealing with what is happening in the world. Staying positive during this unknown time is such an essential part of how your children will learn to deal with times of uncertainty and conflict. As we begin navigating this new school year, it is important that we tell our children that “it is ok” and “we will get through this.” It is...
Teaching can be frustrating, stressful, and high-pressure. Teachers are always “on.”
They must constantly respond and interact throughout the school day with students. There is little room to breathe.
But that’s exactly what is needed.
The technique I’m about to share with you can be life-changing, professionally, and personally.
First, some context. Teaching can trigger the fight-or-flight response, sometimes many times in the course of a school day. What...
Recently, I was listening to a podcast featuring investor and philosopher, Naval Ravikant. He spoke about how success was simply an extension of one’s authentic self. For example, a business, a blog, a podcast ideally are reflections of that person’s passions, interests, and uniqueness.
Instantly, I connected that idea to teachers and education. A teacher’s classroom setup - the pictures and posters on the wall, the rock chair, the carpet on the floor, the yoga mats, the funny and...
At the end of each semester, I require students in my college classes to participate in what’s called a Warrior’s Examination, an oral assessment, where a person must spontaneously (and courageously, hence the term, warrior) answer a randomly chosen question about the course content or concepts.
I did not invent this exam. It is extensively used at Naropa University, a private, Buddhist-inspired institution in Boulder, Colorado. I began using the assessment format after I felt that...