Tragedy at Rutgers
Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old freshman at Rutgers University, killed himself Sept. 22, allegedly after his roommate streamed video of Clementi having a sexual encounter with another male student. The roommate, Dharun Ravi, and his friend Molly Wei, apparently flipped on a webcam in Clementi’s dorm room after Clementi requested some privacy Sept. 19. Ravi posted a message on Twitter that night reporting the encounter; then two days later, Ravi tweeted again: “Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes, it’s happening again.” Clementi allegedly sought advice from members on a gay website before posting on the morning before his death a message on his Facebook page: “Jumping off the gw bridge sorry.” Ravi and Wei are facing significant jail time for invading Clementi’s privacy, and attendees of Rutgers’ football game Saturday observed a moment of silence. (ABC News)
Digital Divide
Kids would rather read books on screens than on paper, according to a report from Scholastic Inc. The report found that about 60 percent of youth between the ages of 9 and 17 think an e-reader would make reading more fun, and around a third say they’d likely read more if they had access to an iPad, a Kindle or similar device. Their parents aren’t quite sold on the e-reading revolution. The same study found that only 6 percent of them have a digital reader, and 76 percent say they’re in no rush to get one. (Time)
Full Stomachs, Empty Calories
Almost 40 percent of the calories consumed by the average child (ages 2 to 18) today are so-called “empty” calories, according to research from the National Cancer Institute. According to the institute, nearly half of these empty calories come from six substances: soda; sugary fruit drinks; grain desserts such as cake or doughnuts; dairy desserts such as ice cream; pizza; and whole milk. “The number is staggering and depressing,” said Kelly Brownell, professor of psychology, epidemiology and public health at Yale University. (ABC News)
Bricking Up the Store?
For the first six months of 2010, PC gamers purchased more games online (11.2 million units) than they did at physical stores (8.2 million units). That said, stores still rule the day in terms of actual dollar sales: Shop-oriented buys accounted for 57 percent of all money spent on PC games. (BBC News)
Quote
“I know that I’m written about online—we’re all written about online. It’s incredibly painful to read it, so I stay off of it. People can write things that are terribly cruel because of the anonymity of the Internet.” —Jesse Eisenberg, star of “The Social Network.” (MTV News)