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Kieran Rones

A psychologist who specialised in brains, eyes and animals. I am now working on research into the nature of digital piracy and digital pirates.

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Is the Web changing our brains? Part 2

More recently, John Hattie and Gregory Yates (Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn) have compiled a substantial review of a variety of topics regarding learning and the scientific support for learning theories. Aimed primarily at educators, the book aptly summarises the current evidence base and educational case regarding the Web and the changing brain (amongst many other topics). Continue reading →

Is the Web changing our brain? Part 1

In the Hangout the other day, one of the topics which prompted much debate was the impact of the Web on how we think and process information. This post (part 1 of 2) develops the theme. Like most complicated questions the details of the answer are complicated too. But the broader response is not. There have been concerns raised by those such as Susan Greenfield that the Web is fundamentally changing our brain. This is of course true. Continue reading →

Why Internet Piracy Research is Unclear

Piracy rate statistics are murky at best. Industry involvement in collection makes numbers hard to interpret and bias likely. But research on Pirates themselves remains murkier still. Law and Property Though we use the term “intellectual property”, copyrights were never really described in a ‘property’ context. The inception of copyright (Statute of Anne, 1710) granted “monopoly” and “responsibility” but not “ownership” outside of a contractual context. Continue reading →