Researchers have long known that at about 18 months children experience a vocabulary explosion, suddenly learning words at a much faster rate. They have theorized that complex mechanisms are behind the phenomenon. But new research suggests far simpler mechanisms may be at play: word repetition, variations in the difficulty of words, and the fact that children are learning multiple words at once.

Blog: On August 1, the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee approved an amended version of the Free Flow of Information Act. If passed, the law would protect journalists from having to testify about information obtained through their news gathering

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

Things haven't looked great for internet radio stations for a while now, and though SoundExchange has put a pause on the rate hikes while it's in talks with the webcasters, not much progress has been made, and US Senators Ron Wyden (D) and Sam Brownback (R) have decided to do something about it. They're promising to push forward their co-sponsored "Internet Radio Equality Act," which hopes to chuck the new extravagant rates decided upon by the Copyright Royalty Board and return to a flat percentage-of-revenue model. Wyden and Brownback also decry the recording industry's use of a minimum per-station fee to leverage broadcasters into DRM, which "fails to respect the established principles of fair use and consumer rights." While they do support a negotiated solution, the Senators promise to takes steps toward passage of the IREA if there's no progress in negotiations by Labor Day. To throw your weight in behind the movement, check out the read link.

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