Compiled by
MARIE BORAN
MindConnex
(PC, Mac, iOS)
“When shall we three tweet again?” Macbeth has gone all techy! Okay, not literally, but Irish educational software company MindConnex has just added the tragedy to its successful Shakespeare in Bits series. These digital versions take the unabridged text studied in the classroom and add study notes, audio cues, graphics, interactivity, character maps and more. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are also available on Mac or PC. “Two operating systems, both alike in dignity”… Ahem.
[ mindconnex.comOpens in new window ]
Goodbye Ceefax/Aertel
Does anyone remember Bamboozle, the interactive Teletext quiz with multiple-choice questions that allowed you to choose answers via the magic of your TV remote? The thrill of interactivity! The head rush from information on demand! In those pre-internet days Teletext, Ceefax and Aertel were the closest we got to surfing the information highway. Teletext met its demise back in 2009 for financial reasons but now we've had to say goodbye to BBC's Ceefax and RTÉ's Aertel. There's a digital version ( iti.ms/Src3B9) but it's just not the same. Mourn by pouring over the archives on the BBC website.
[ iti.ms/SrciMrOpens in new window ]
Lumosity (iOS)
This is not just another brain training game. Lumosity’s co-founder was a neuroscience PhD candidate at Harvard until he left to start his own company. While millions of people play various games to improve attention, problem solving, memory and speed, Lumosity is gathering anonymised data to improve research into cognitive training. Studies suggest that games like these can stave off cognitive decline.
[ lumosity.comOpens in new window ]
[ Cheat-Sheets.orgOpens in new window ]
This is my new favourite website. Should a dinner party lead to talk of astronomy, World of Warcraft, Photoshop or calculus I can surreptitiously consult the variety of cheat sheets. If your dinner party isn't bursting at the seams with geeks then this is probably not much use to you. But you can get a pop culture "pulse" from pepsi.comalthough it seems to be filled with X-Factor news, which may suit some as their source of "culture".
