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ICT and media news

Some ICT and media news – entertainment, social media, drones, Facebook and driverless cars…..

 

Media Consumer Survey 2015: Australian media and digital preferences

A snapshot of how Australians aged 14 to 68 years+ are consuming different media and entertainment, using technology and devices, interacting with social networks and responding to advertising. In 2015, using the internet has joined watching TV as our preferred source of entertainment. Low-cost monthly subscription services are increasingly popular (videos, music). And of course, our smartphones are our fave device.

 

Includes the renaissance of books, magazines and news! Preferred sources of entertainment: 60% watch TV on any device; 60% use the internet; 36% listen to music; 33% read books; 25% go to the movies; 24% play video games; 23% attend live performances; 17% read newspapers; 15% listen to the radio; 8% read magazines. 85% multitask while watching TV.

 

Our social selves – 80% have at least one social media account; 59% use social media daily; 51% say time spent interacting through social media is as valuable as time spent together; 9% use social media as the most frequent source of news (we are not willing to pay for online news).

Good short video: http://www2.deloitte.com/au/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/media-consumer-survey-2015.html

https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/deloittes-media-consumer-survey-report-2015

 

Social media or face to face: is one better than the other?

Many say that time spent on social media is as valuable as time spent in person, but others say we need 3 to 5 significant, close relationships to stay healthy.

http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/social-media-or-face-to-face-is-one-better-than-the-other-20150827-gj8uwu.html

 

Selfie drones

Forget the selfie stick – soon a selfie drone will follow you and take a photo. Great for when you are snowboarding, surfing, riding a bike, dancing…. $150+

http://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/internet-of-things-selfie-drone-could-be-the-next-big-thing/story-fnjwul0i-1227539297321

 

Drones build a bridge you can walk across

Watch the 3 little drones weave a bridge using spools of rope. Meanwhile, a Dutch 3D printing company will use a 3D printing robot to build a steel bridge over a canal in Amsterdam. Futurists predict these robots will one day create streets and buildings on their own, with remote programmers replacing construction workers.

http://mic.com/articles/125584/watch-these-three-drones-build-a-bridge-you-can-walk-across

 

Facebook drones will beam internet from the sky

Facebook has built a giant solar-powered drone for its Aquila program, which will be used to provide internet access to remote parts of the world. It will hover up to 27 000 metres and can stay in the air for 90 days. Lasers will be used to beam data to the drone from a land-based fibre line.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-31/facebook-drone-to-beam-internet-from-sky/6661756

 

Facebook looks beyond the “likes” button

Facebook knows that people want to show empathy with posts that they read. They don’t want to just add a “dislike” button so they are working on other buttons – what exactly is still a mystery.

http://www.computerworld.com/article/2984465/social-media/facebook-moves-beyond-the-like-button.html

Possible buttons? eg. that sucks; enough already; meh…:http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/hey-facebook-here-are-the-new-like-buttons-we-really-want-to-see-20150915-gjnke8.html

 

Green light for driverless cars in Australia

Driverless cars will be allowed on public roads under legislation to be introduced to South Australia’s parliament this week – from cars which have adaptive lane-keeping technology, to fully driverless vehicles. Google expects its first commercially available self-driving car to be ready by 2017.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/in-depth/sa-gives-green-light-for-no-driver-vehicles-on-public-roads/story-fnw66tov-1227539319303

Categories
Mental health

RUOK? Day and World Suicide Prevention Day 10 Sept

RUOK? Day and World Suicide Prevention Day are both on this Thursday 10 Sept.

https://ruok.org.au/inspire-conversations

http://wspd.org.au/

 

Living Is For Everyone

This Aust. Govt project is a suicide and self-harm prevention resource. Excellent links, fact sheets and information.

http://www.livingisforeveryone.com.au/Home.html

24 fact sheets: http://www.livingisforeveryone.com.au/LIFE-Fact-sheets.html

Brochure: Suicide – worried about someone?: http://www.livingisforeveryone.com.au/Suicide-worried-about-someone.html

Excellent links to services for helplines, mental health, drugs and alcohol, youth, gender diversity, bereavement…. http://www.livingisforeveryone.com.au/Links.html

 

You may have seen this email today from the ACT Govt:

 

You can recognise the signs – Let’s Talk for Suicide Prevention

It is distressing to realise that someone close to you may be considering taking their own life. It is often difficult to know what to say or what to do. People need to know that it is OK to Talk. Recognising the warning signs is one way that you can support someone who you are concerned about.

Below are some suggested signs that you might look out for in someone you know who may be at risk:

  • Have you noticed any changes in their behaviour? For instance have they began giving away precious objects;
  • Has the person begun to withdraw? Do they make excuses not to go out with friends and family like they have in the past?
  • Has the person you are concerned about stopped engaging in the activities that they usually enjoy?
  • Why do people take their own life?
  • There are no simple explanations as to why people take their own life and often the reasons are not clear to others. A person’s desire to take their own life may be driven by a number of factors. It is often related to a desire to escape intolerable emotional or physical pain or a sense of hopelessness.

 

There are a number of factors that are known to increase a person’s risk (risk factors):

 

  • Poor physical or mental health;
  • A history of deliberate self-harm;
  • Social or financial problems;
  • Discrimination;
  • Low educational achievement;
  • Legal problems;
  • Imprisonment;
  • Lack of parental bonding;
  • Family violence or disharmony;
  • Lack of friends;
  • Experiences of bullying;
  • Experiences of harassment;
  • Experiences of abuse; and
  • Social isolation.

 

There are also some things that may reduce the possibility that an individual or group of individual’s will become suicidal (protective factors):

 

  • Good physical and mental health;
  • Economic security;
  • Self-esteem;
  • A spiritual or religious belief;
  • A personal sense of meaning or purpose to life;
  • Personal resilience and problem-solving skills;
  • Connectedness to family and school;
  • Responsibility for children;
  • Functional family communication patterns;
  • The presence of a significant other person in an individual’s life;
  • Community and social integration; and
  • Non-stigmatised community attitudes to mental illness.

 

Getting help

 

Living is for Everyone (LIFE) website is a world-class suicide and self-harm prevention resource. Dedicated to providing the best available evidence and resources to guide activities aimed at reducing the rate at which people take their lives in Australia.

The LIFE website is designed for people across the community who are involved in suicide and self-harm prevention activities.

Suicide Prevention Australia a non-profit, non-government organisation working as a public health advocate in suicide prevention.

Supportlink StandBy Response Service is a coordinated community crisis response service for families, friends and associates who have been bereaved through suicide.

Lifeline Australia 24hr crisis support on 13 11 14. Suicide prevention, crisis support and mental health services.

beyondblue Australian organisation provides information about depression to consumers, carers and health professionals.

Headspace http://headspace.org.au/ provides support, information and assistance for young people aged 12 to 25 years who are experiencing emotional or mental health issues and/or a substance use issue.

eheadspace is a confidential, free and secure space where young people 12 – 25 or their family can chat, email or speak on the phone with a qualified youth mental health professional.

Kids Helpline a 24 hour telephone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25. Ph. 1800 55 1800.

Mens Line Australia a telephone support, information and referral service, helping men to deal with relationship problems in a practical and effective way. Ph. 1300 78 99 78.

Categories
films

Good films

Some good films for various curriculum areas, many of them based on books…..

 

Me and Earl and the dying girl

Great reviews – standing ovation at Sundance Film Festival; Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. Based on the 2012 debut novel by Jesse Andrews. Comedy-drama directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. Stars Thomas Mann and Olivia Cooke. An awkward high school student who loves making movie parodies with his mate is forced by his parents to befriend a former childhood friend who has leukemia. “Beautifully scripted and perfectly cast, this is a coming-of-age movie with uncommon charm and insight”. “A funny, touching and highly inventive tale” (J. Yuan). Out now.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/me_and_earl_and_the_dying_girl/

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girl-review-thomas-mann-and-olivia-cook-shine-in-inventive-comedy-20150902-gjd7wh.html

 

Pan

Peter Pan origin story directed by Joe Wright. Stars Hugh Jackman, Rooney Mara and Australian Levi Miller as Pan. A young boy is whisked away from an orphanage to the world of Neverland, where he meets new friend James Hook and the warrior Tiger Lily (Rooney Mara). Together they try to save Neverland from the evil pirate Blackbeard (Hugh!) and Pan becomes a hero. Blackbeard “first appears on screen high above the mines of Neverland, where hundreds of boy slaves toil in search of the fairy crystals that will bring him eternal youth before joining him in a choral version of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit. As entrances go, it’s a showstopper”. Awesome.  Opens 24 Sept.
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/hugh-jackman-discovers-his-darkside-as-child-snatcher-blackbeard-in-pan-20150903-gjedwr.html

http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/jul/16/peter-pan-film-joe-wright-hugh-jackman-rooney-mara

 

The Martian

Sci fi film based on the novel by Andy Weir (self-published in 2011). Directed by Ridley Scott. Stars Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor. During a manned mission to Mars, an astronaut is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. Now he must try to survive, relying on his ingenuity, wit and spirit whilst his crewmates plot a daring rescue mission and NASA tries to bring him home. Opens 30 Sept.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpVuPakX1ZY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(Weir_novel)

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/how-andy-weirs-the-martian-became-so-successful-2015-6

 

Holding the man

Directed by Neil Armfield. Stars Ryan Corr, Craig Stott, Sarah Snook. Based on the acclaimed memoir and play by writer, actor and activist Timothy Conigrave, which won the UN Human Rights Award for Non Fiction in 1995. The moving love story of Tim and his partner John Caleo, whom he met in high school, and the devastating effect of AIDS. Rated MA15+. Out now.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/sydney-film-festival-2015-review-holding-the-man-matches-humour-with-devastation-20150615-ghntu6.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3671542/

 

Oddball

Directed by Stuart McDonald. Stars Shane Jacobson, Sarah Snook, Deborah Mailman. Inspired by the true story of Warnambool chicken farmer Allan Marsh, who taught his dog Oddball to protect an endangered colony of penguins near the Great Ocean Road. Opens 17 Sept.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bushtelegraph/oddball-dog-movie/5630762

http://www.shanejacobson.com.au/oddball/

 

Matilda the musical

This is a great show for all ages based on the book by Roald Dahl with clever and powerful music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. See it if you can – on now at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney.

http://au.matildathemusical.com/category/news/

 

Ready for this

ABC drama series for teens, from the producers of Dance Academy and Redfern Now. Follows 6 elite and talented indigenous teenagers, living together at Arcadia House, who have come to the city to explore their dreams. Begins 5 Oct ABC3.

http://tv.press.abc.net.au/rising-young-talent-star-in-abc3-drama-ready-for-this

 

The dressmaker

Based on the novel by Rosalie Ham. Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse. Stars Kate Winslet, Sarah Snook, Liam Hemsworth, Judy Davis. Revenge comedy set in the outback in the 1950s – “Unforgiven with a sewing machine”. A stylish woman returns to her small town and uses her sewing machine to transform the rural women and exact revenge on those who did her wrong. Opens 22 Oct.

http://theconversation.com/books-at-miff-how-the-dressmaker-was-adapted-into-a-film-starring-kate-winslet-45376

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/kate-winslet-and-liam-hemsworth-sizzle-in-outback-drama-the-dressmaker/story-e6frfmw0-1227439679402

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2910904/

 

Steve Jobs

Adapted from the acclaimed biography by Walter Isaacson – will this film be the best of all the films about Jobs? Stars Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Sarah Snook (again! always excellent). Directed by Danny Boyle; written by Aaron Sorkin. Explores the trials and triumphs of the tech guru. Fassbender may not look like Jobs but the trailer looks excellent. In a serious role, Seth Rogen plays Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder. Due Oct. 2015.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2080374/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs_(film)

 

The light between oceans

Based on the award-winning book by M.L. Stedman. Stars Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz. Directed by Derek Cianfrance. A lighthouse keeper and his wife, living off the coast of WA, keep a baby girl who washes up in a lifeboat –  a decision that has devastating consequences. Filmed in NZ & Tasmania – unfortunately with not many Australian actors! Opens Jan 2016.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/the-light-between-oceans-20120414-1x05y.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Light_Between_Oceans_(film)

 

Unity

Documentary by Shaun Monson. Narrated by 100 actors, artists, athletes, authors, musicians, military personnel, business people. Explores humanity and why we don’t seem to be able to get along, despite the advent of science, technology, philosophy, literature….. Was in cinemas in August.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/unity-review-our-egos-versus-the-earth-20150804-giq6qx.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2049636/

 

Midnight special

Sci-fi drama written and directed by Jeff Nichols. Stars Adam Driver, Kirsten Dunst and Joel Edgerton. A uniquely gifted boy with special powers goes on the run with his father, hunted by an extreme religious sect and government task force. Opens March 2016.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2649554/

 

Plus!

Peter Allen: not the boy next door (Ch. 7 Sept 13 and 20) – Stars Joel Jackson with Rebecca Gibney as his mum and Sigrid Thornton as Judy Garland.

Maze Runner 2: the Scorch Trials – Stars Dylan O’Brien. Opens 10 Sept.

Spectre – New James Bond film. Stars Daniel Craig & Christoph Waltz. Directed by Sam Mendes. Due Nov 2015.

Star Wars episode VII: the force awakens – Directed by J.J.Abrams. Due Dec 2015.