Indestructible Laptops

Alexander Rubio, a friend of mine, who is involved in the Bits of News site (in which I am also involved so that's your conflict of interest disclaimer there) has come up with a wonderful study from Sweden about which laptops are most disaster proof. It appears that if you should want to destroy a laptop, the Apple MacBook was the hardest model of the ones tested to completely wipe out. Having said that this sounds like the kind of science that would be fun- dropping laptops from high places with no concern about the cost to yourself in order to test them appeals to the boyishly destructive impulses in my psyche!

Star Maps

I have just found a fascinating website called Wikisky which gives you a star map, which can orientate to reflect the sky over the place where you live and where you can click on a star or galaxy and they link to articles about that part of the nightsky. Such are the things which need noting in this world.

Civilisation

The Weekly Standard just published a tribute to the computer game, Civilisation. As someone who has played many versions of this computer game, I acknowledge it can consume one's life but it is also one of the more interesting computer games around and does genuinely have some educational content. People often knock computer games from afar but I think civilisation gives the lie to that. I'm not sure about its history- but introducing concepts like feudalism, democracy and communism to a kid must be useful, no matter how problematic the definitions. There is another aspect though to the game which is its complexity, because its so complex it stimulates I think people's strategical sense- especially kids of a young age. It also helps teach them hopefully that politics isn't just left and right but is a bit more extensive than that. Having said that like all good things- if you thought politics was game play you'd be on to a nasty shock and as to the definitions of concepts, personally Marx is much more fun than managing a communist dictatorship. Overall though this is a good game- it teaches people things- its worth playing and isn't mindless, it can be addictive- you have been warned. Most of all its great fun.

(Apologies to the Inky Circus, but the topic for this had to be nicked from them- it was too good.)

LATER Matthew Sinclair has reminded me in the comments that he posted on this a couple of weeks ago- his article is well worth reading too and is here.