Algorithmic Design and the 9/11 Memorial

On the newly opened 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero in New York City, the names are laid according to where people were and who they were with when they died. Jer Thorp had the difficult task of designing an algorithm for placement of the names, and he talks to Nora about the challenges of using math and computer science to tackle a very, very sensitive problem. (Runs: 13:44)

• The 9/11 Memorial
• Jer Thorp
• Jer's blog post about the project
• 9/11 Memorial Mobile APP
• Full uncut version of interview with Jer Thorp

9/11 Augmented Reality App

Brian August has created an app that uses augmented reality to add a silhouette of the World Trade Center to images of New York City's skyline. He calls the project 110 Stories, and he tells Nora why he thinks this app is about more than the destruction of the twin towers. (Runs: 8:47)

• 110 Stories
• Full uncut version of interview with Brian August

We Don't Need No (More of the Same) Education

School is back in session, and with it comes the annual questions: can our schools prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow? And what does the future of education look like? Cathy Davidson speaks to Nora about reforming education in a way that is informed by the collaborative principles of the web. But first, we look at other ways to incorporate "digital thinking" into non-institutional learning - from YouTube textbooks to code academies. (Runs: 12:31)

• Cathy N. Davidson
• The Khan Academy YouTube channel
• Codecademy
• Full uncut version of interview with Cathy N. Davidson

The Myth of the Digital Native

It's easy to assume that anyone under the age of 25 is "tech savvy", but it turns out that's not entirely true. A new study of undergrads suggests that these so-called "digital natives" are not so digitally minded after all. Nora speaks with Andrew Asher, the lead anthropologist on the project, as well as Eszter Hargittai who has researched differentials in how much young people know about tech. (Runs: 12:28)

• The Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries Project
• Andrew Asher
• Eszter Hargittai
• Spark blog: What Does Tech Savvy Mean To You?