Summary: By day, Jane is an unassuming single mother. At night she's a high-stakes poker player-thanks to the Internet. So far Jane has won thousands of dollars, as have many online gamblers, while others have lost huge sums. This program looks at the explosive cyber-gambling industry, examining some leading sites and profiling men and women whose lifestyles now revolve around card-playing by computer....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: As online gaming companies position themselves to tap an entertainment market that is projected to explode, researchers question the safety of deeply immersive virtual worlds. In this program, MIT psychologist and sociologist Sherry Turkle; David Greenfield, author of Virtual Addiction; Richard Garriott, creator of Ultima Online; Brad McQuaid, co-creator of EverQuest; representatives of Sony...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: The Amish rarely allow themselves to be photographed or filmed, yet several members of the isolated religious community agreed to appear in this eye-opening documentary. Filmed on location in Pennsylvania and Ohio Amish country, the program goes beyond stereotypes and common misconceptions, presenting a fully human portrait of a misunderstood people. Interviews with Amish men and women-some...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: No email, no Facebook, no blogging. No Google for researching term papers, even. From here on out it's pencils, spiral notebooks, typewriters, and good old-fashioned library books. What twenty-something in his or her right mind would partake of such insanity? Answer: three college students who have volunteered to spend 30 days without touching or using a computer. Documenting their "digital...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: Tens of thousands of people "live" there, and tens of millions of U.S. dollars are exchanged there. Welcome to SecondLife.com! After introducing viewers to this compelling virtual world, You Only Live Twice grapples with overlapping in-world/real-world issues ranging from cybersex and the psychological repercussions of virtual sex crimes, to intellectual property rights fraud, to taxation on...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Whether they live in America, Britain, or elsewhere, most teenage boys have been exposed to some form of pornography. But the Internet has radically escalated that exposure-to the point at which many adolescents are addicted. This program follows the stories of teenage porn addicts as they struggle with the issues that drive their behavior-although not all are open to soul-searching. Darryl,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Americans have grown used to being watched at ATMs, in lobbies, and even while driving. Now they are being tracked by satellite if they rent a car or make a cellular phone call and timed if they use an electronic pass to pay a toll. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel and correspondent John Donvan survey the increasing intrusion-real or perceived-of technology into Americans' privacy....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: What would modern life be like without technology? Where has technology made a difference? This program explores how the equipment we often take for granted has become an integral part of our daily lives. At work, at school, and in the home, technology has become one of our most valuable resources. Robots, computers, and many other types of high-tech hardware are introduced.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: In this Fred Friendly Seminar moderated by Harvard Law School's Arthur Miller, panelists such as U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer; Nadine Strossen, president of the ACLU; Jamie Gorelick, of the U.S. Department of Justice; Professor Stephen Carter, of Yale Law School; and others examine the fine balance between the power of the government and the rights of the individual in a fictional...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Civil liberties advocates have warned against government surveillance for decades. Today, corporations use technology to monitor employees and customers. Is big business the new big brother? This program addresses the growing debate about our "surveillance society" and its erosion of privacy and anonymity-which could become casualties of the war for market supremacy as well as the war on...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: One of the ironies of the ubiquitous technologies now in use is that they were supposed to save time and improve the quality of life. What went wrong? This cautionary program examines the social and ethical consequences of the increasingly fast pace of life in the U.S. It contrasts the American 24/7 work ethic with the business traditions of other countries and, in the process, examines the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Relationships in the modern megalopolis: interpersonal or impersonal? This program investigates the new interactive society model in which physical neighborhoods connected by proximity have been displaced by virtual neighborhoods linked by technology. Topics discussed include the intimate anonymity of the Internet; the use of emoticons in e-mail; the growing importance of telecommunications;...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Beginning with a condensed history of classical and quantum physics to contextualize the current state of quantum science, this highly visual program takes viewers to the frontiers of quantum computation. Wave-particle duality, entanglement and superposition, the EPR Paradox, Schrödinger’s Cat, the famous double-slit experiment, and the “noisy observer effect” flash by like road markers on this...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: Ireland never had an industrial revolution-its economy leaped from agrarian gloom into high-tech high-gear almost overnight. This Wide Angle case study visits Limerick, one of the country's largest cities and the epitome of the Celtic Tiger's rise. Once the blighted setting of Angela's Ashes, today's Limerick boasts the glories and the growing pains of all economic boomtowns: heavy foreign...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Mike Tan wants his company, TeamPages, to become the Facebook of amateur sports teams. Will he strike it rich or strike out? This program looks at the opportunities and pitfalls of starting social networking sites. Leila Boujnane, CEO of the image search software company Idee Inc., and Evan Carmichael, founder of Canada's favorite Web site for entrepreneurs, evaluate the TeamPages startup. The...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: With nano-enabled drugs that destroy diseased cells and enable tissue repair, doctors may one day extend life expectancy far beyond our current capabilities—at least in countries wealthy enough to afford the technology. But the medicine that so radically redefines our standards of health and mortality will also profoundly challenge our social support systems and cultural values. In this Fred...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: When the Crisps confiscated their teenage son Brandon's Xbox, they never expected him to run away from home.or to die from injuries sustained while in hiding. Using Brandon's story as a case study, this program delves into the growing psychological problems of video game obsession and addiction. Interviews with Brandon's parents and best friend, a family therapist whose patient list includes...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: Bouncing between Canada and the U.S., Sc@mmed exposes an urgent problem of global proportions: phishing, the illegal gathering of others' personal information online in order to steal all their money-and even their identities. Through the cautionary stories of two people who got burned, this program shows how cybercriminals use scam spam and spoof Web sites to trick people into willingly giving...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: The teenage years have always been tough-but digital technology has raised the dangers of the social battlefield to a whole new level. This ABC News program reports on how cell phones, digital cameras, and personal websites encourage and amplify the frequent cruelty of teen behavior. With the help of an experiment conducted by Brigham Young University child development researchers, the program...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Technological innovations are penetrating ever more deeply into the substance of society-faster, in fact, than people can assimilate them. As ethical dilemmas and unforeseen consequences pile up, will techno-enthusiasts succeed in weaving a net that will ultimately trap us all? Following a concise summary of Technoscience, this disturbing program addresses diverse topics such as virtual...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Was the performance of IBM's Deep Blue against Gary Kasparov an example of supersonic calculation or the first step toward artificial intelligence? Does the acclaimed performance artist Stelarc, striving to become a cyborg-like hybrid, represent the possibility of a strange new race? This startling program tracks advances in robotics at Stanford University and Honda Motors, biotechnology as...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Is the surveillance society inevitable? In No Place to Hide, Peter Jennings examines high-tech monitoring methods that promise greater safety and security but threaten personal privacy. The program shows how Acxiom, ChoicePoint, and other companies use supercomputers to obtain data on more than 90 percent of American households-and how law enforcement and government intelligence agencies...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Does too much e-mail induce physical and mental stress? What impact does excessive e-mail have on business and the economy? Can companies and employees change their e-mail habits for the better? This program studies the phenomenon of the e-mail avalanche-its origins, its effects on work and everyday life, and how it can be avoided or at least reduced. Expert commentary is provided by Dr. Cary...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Most people learn traditional standards of behavior and respect for others by the time they are teenagers-but many don't realize that those rules are just as valid in cyberspace. This program helps students take the high road on the information superhighway and avoid the temptations of the fast lane, pointing the way toward an ethically sound Internet presence and lifestyle. Guidelines for the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007