Nick Floro's Blog

Thoughts, ideas, and knowledge sharing on technology, e-learning, design and running your own business.

Games & Simulations in Learning: Some thoughts and a Great Deal on the Wii

During my presentations on Games & Simulations, I encourage the audience to be sure to go out and play and try the different types of games and environments that are out there. This is a key for you to understand the different types of games and options that you can incorporate into the training content that you may be developing. One of the most fun consoles out there is the Wii because of its innovate interaction with the game and the ability to have multiplayers at the same time jumping and moving to achieve a specific goal. This is especially a great console for home's with families and it gives you an excuse to do your homework and have some fun with the kids or your spouse.
When we think of gaming we typically visualize the gamer below. In fact in the gaming generation (anyone born after 1980) 43% of the gamers are females and 26% continue over the age of 18. By the times these students graduate college they have over 10,000 hours of logged game play.

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In this age of technology, where kids and adults have such easy access to information and technology we need to continue to innovate, capitalize and integrate these concepts into our training in order to deliver training in new ways.

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Those of you that want to do your homework before meeting with me again, you can now get a Wii at Dell for $212.49. A great deal. 

The deal was found via Dealnews.com, a great resource for saving money on technology and other things we need: 
http://dealnews.com/Nintendo-Wii-Game-Console-for-212-free-shipping/298282.html Dell Home has the Nintendo Wii Game Console for $249.99 with free shipping. Apply coupon code "65G7RQ11J?M2LH" and it falls to $212.49. That's one of the few times we've seen the Wii for below list price. Sales tax is added where applicable. It includes the Wii console, Wii Remote Controller, Wii Nunchuk Controller, and Wii Sports. Coupon ends July 31.





WolframAlpha - Making the worlds knowledge computable for everyone - Amazing!

Think about how this can transform your knowledge, training, and provide people with instant access to knowledge. This is something if you have to play and experience, it's incredible and will get your mind racing. 

First watch the screencast:

Some things I tried:
What is pizza

Find the answer to word patterns: 

Some interesting items from their FAQ's

How much data is there in Wolfram|Alpha?

Many trillions of elements, continually growing through a large number of feeds.

Does Wolfram|Alpha get its data from the web?

No. It comes from Wolfram|Alpha's internal knowledge base. Some of the data in that knowledge base is derived from official public or private websites, but most of it is from more systematic primary sources.

Where does Wolfram|Alpha's data come from?

Many different sources, combined and curated by the Wolfram|Alpha team. At the bottom of each relevant results page there's a "Source information" button, which provides background sources and references.

Can I find the origin of a particular piece of data?

Most of the data in Wolfram|Alpha is derived by computations, often based on multiple sources. A list of background sources and references is available via the "Source information" button at the bottom of relevant Wolfram|Alpha results pages.

What is the closest precursor to Wolfram|Alpha?

In concept, perhaps Leibniz's characteristica universalis from the late 1600s—or the science-fiction computers of the 1960s. Technologically, many pieces of Wolfram|Alpha have precursors, but the ambitious scope of the whole project is believed to be unique.



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From Stephen Wolfram's Blog

And this is what inspired me to believe that building Wolfram|Alpha might be possible.
As a practical matter, many algorithms in Wolfram|Alpha were found by NKS methods—by searching the computational universe for programs that achieve particular purposes.

And there is a curious sense in which the discoveries of NKS about computational irreducibility are what make Wolfram|Alpha possible.
For one of the crucial features of Wolfram|Alpha is its ability to take free-form linguistic input, and to map it onto its precise symbolic representations of computations.

Yet if these computations could be of any form whatsoever, it would be very difficult to recognize the linguistic inputs that represent them.
But from NKS we know that computations fall into two classes: computationally reducible and computationally irreducible.
NKS shows that in the abstract space of all possible computations the computationally irreducible are much the most common.
But here is the crucial point: because those computations are not part of what we have historically studied or discussed, no systematic tradition of human language exists to describe them.

So when we use natural human language as input to Wolfram|Alpha, we are inevitably going to be describing that thin set of computations that have long linguistic traditions, and are computationally reducible.

Those computations cover the traditional sciences. But in a sense it is the very ubiquity of computational irreducibility that forces there to be only small islands of computational reducibility—which can readily be identified even from quite vague linguistic input.

If one looks at Wolfram|Alpha today, much of what it computes is firmly based on OKS (the “Old Kind of Science”), and in this sense Wolfram|Alpha can be viewed as a shining example of what can be achieved with pre-NKS mathematical science.

Flip MinoHD Camcorder - Great Portable Video Camera

I've owned a Flip Camera since Christmas, Santa delivered it into my stocking and I haven't stopped being blown away by the gadget. This video camera is amazingly small, compact and easy to use. The best part for me is it doesn't freak people out if you start using it at an event or with the family because its not large and doesn't have that fright factor "you are recording video of me." Recording can be started quickly by pushing the power button on the side and then clicking the record (red button) on the back and you can start in less than 3 seconds if the unit is off. The camera is so simple, my 3 year old was able to start using it right away.

The HD model runs about $200 and captures 1280 x 720, up to 60 minutes of content, on the built in 4gb memory chip. Sliding a lever on the side exposes the USB Arm and easily plugs into a Mac or PC to upload the content to your hard drive. Using a Mac, it couldn't be easier, the content comes right into iPhoto and you can start editing with iMovie or with QuickTime Pro. The video is saved in H.264 codec so the quality is incredible. The USB arm also allows you to charge while plugged in and the built in monitor and speaker allows you to review clips, delete or view while recording.



They just introduced a new model, the Flip Ultra HD which includes 8gb of internal memory which means up to 120 min of content and its sells for $199. The 4gb Ultra is $149. The new model also has an optional HDMI output for plugging right into a HD monitor or TV.

If you are looking to add video to your web site or start a video blog this is the perfect camera to get started with and record great quality content. It can also be used to record possible locations of a video shoot, interviews or testimonials.

Learn more on Amazon:

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