Netflix For Kids: Netflix for Kids has come to the Xbox. This “just for Kids” service features movies and television shows that are just for kids – with the Trix Rabbit nowhere in sight!
This exciting service is already available online and on the PS3 and Wii gaming consoles and the Apple TV and now families with Xbox consoles can enjoy the service too.
And this new service is also exciting for another reason, other than because kids will like it! It is exciting too because it shows we are in the early stages of a shift in how we watch videos. As in the near future we’ll be able to personalize our digital video content. For example, just as this service is tailored for kids in the near future we’ll be able to access video content that is tailored to our personal tastes so if I prefer historical documentaries, high end science fiction and fantasy and video news stories from NPR and the Wall Street Journal but don’t like comedies or sports news; I’ll be able to tailor my viewing experience so when I turn on my TV to see what videos I’d like to watch I’m shown outstanding historical documentaries, high end science fiction and fantasy shows and video news stories from NPR and the Wall Street Journal without a comedy or sports video in sight!
Here’s a link to a Gigaom article titled Why Just for Kids is such a big deal for Netflix which offers more information on the Netflix for Kids service:
http://gigaom.com/video/just-for-kids-xbox-personalization/
Presidential Foods: And on a completely non-technology note I came across a neat NPR article, with accompanying audio podcast, titled Presidential Foods And What They Say About Our Leaders which offers this tantalizing, and delicious tid-bit of information – namely that what foods the President of the U.S. prefer and have eaten sheds light on who those presidents and their first ladies were, or are as the case may be, and what they value or valued. The article even offers a few recipes including one for Dolly Madison’s Layer Cake!
The article, Presidential Foods And What They Say About Our Leaders can be accessed at this link:
Linda R.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 
In reference to the first article, the concept of a “kids only” genre is nothing new. I have Dish, and when I added the Blockbuster @ Home package to my lineup I was excited to see the Kid’s Titles” easily broken down into four distinct age-group categories! I can monitor what they watch, filter according to age, and Dish recently added another 5,000 titles for kids. A Dish coworker got me interested in the BB movie service, and I don’t have to have an Xbox to enjoy it!
Thanks for the additional insight and information. I did not know that Dish had kids categories — so that is good to know. Thanks!