401kRollover Blog

Between 2010 and 2014, the National Science Foundation awarded $695,485 in U.S. taxpayer dollars to teach children a particular type of film-making when tutorials on the subject are available online – for free. On July 30, the Washington Times reported that the Federal government “spent more than half a million… to teach kids how to make video game-style movies that most can learn to create online for free.” The description of the grant, which was awarded to Georgia Tech Research Corporation, said it was designed to “explore approaches to artificial intelligence that can support creative digital film-making, an extremely rich new form of expression.”

The description continues that “the most accessible variant is machinima – a type of movie using 3D avatars.” However, machinima film-making tutorials are readily accessible online (and, let’s not forget, for free) via Youtube, discussion forums, apps and online courses. When Congress returns after its summer recess, one of its first votes will be on the National Science Foundation’s budget for 2016.

The allocation and direction of taxpayer dollars by this government continues to be an issue for many U.S. citizens. If you are concerned about the validity of these types of grants, please Like & Share this post.