Letters to the Editor – 23/09 – Future of gaming, Care robots, Best of Twitter
Future of gaming
[Re: Computer games have grown up – and they’re an economic powerhouse, Friday]
This is an excellent article. While George Osborne goes on about the march of the makers, the gaming industry shows exactly what Britain can do if creativity is allowed to combine with technical and scientific know-how. I even think online worlds like Second Life – where people take on whatever persona they like, build landscapes, create virtual businesses – will in turn have a beneficial impact on the real world. There’s a university in Peru that’s using this “new reality” to train teachers in a future paradigm of online, massively-accessed education.
Mitch Stone
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Care robots
[Re: As Google plans to extend the human lifespan, can we be optimistic about living for longer?, Friday]
This is one of the most exciting trends out there, and yet people complain about a pensions crisis and the cost of living longer. Many of us will be around until we’re in our hundreds. But this calls for reform of the pension system – and people taking more responsibility for care costs – not fear. In any case, they’re already developing care robots that use sensors and cameras to supervise elderly people and make sure they take medicine when they’re meant to. People with dementia can get reminders, while doctors can remotely monitor our health. Cheaply.
Name withheld
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BEST OF TWITTER
Foxton shares rise says it all about overheating house prices in London. Shame Treasury can’t read markets.
@oakeshottm
Ed Miliband says if he wins next election, you’ll pay more tax so those on welfare can have a spare room.
@GavinBarwellMP
Gordon Brown had many strengths. But why he needed people like McBride and Whelan is a mystery.
@campbellclaret
Fed’s forecasting of growth has been wrong 63 to 71 per cent of the time since Ben Bernanke started.
@KeithMcCullogh