Gap Years Provide Valuable Experience

via Business: Career Advice Articles from EzineArticles.com

The idea of taking a year out to see the world before a period of study or prior to settling down in a job is a tempting one for many. However, a large number of people are put off by the worry that a gap year will be hard to explain on their CV or that, by being away from the job market for an extended period of time, they will lose the competitive edge. To the contrary, gap years are often seen as a positive experience by prospective employers.

Read full article

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Should undergraduates be taught Fortran? …

via Newton Excel Bach, not (just) an Excel Blog by dougaj4 from the Eng-Tips Forum

Doug approves of one response which indicated that undergrad engineers should learn, instead of Fortran:

1. How to spell
2. How to make an outline of a report before starting to type
3. How to use Excel the way it's designed
4. How to turn off MSN while at work
5. How things in their field of interest are manufactured
6. How their employers actually generate income and profit
7. How and where to find which design loads to use
8. What “design requirements” are
9. How to work with others
10. How to talk to clients

London launches online graduate jobfinder

via Kable: Publishing Kable

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has unveiled a website aimed at steering the capital's 100,000 recent graduates into work

Named Helping Graduates into Work, it went live on 21 July 2009, and has been developed by the Mayor's Office with the University of London careers group to provide information for students leaving the city's universities.


© Guardian News & Media Limited 2009

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Ten trivial (i.e non-work-related) items

Kenyan students charge their mobiles with pedal power via BBC News Technology UK Edition
Two Kenyan university students hope to market a device that allows bicycle riders to charge their mobile phones.

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
Edgar Allan Poe was also a player of hoaxes, a plagiarist, and substance abuser. But oh, how he could write... more

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
People think we live in an age of violence and killing. In truth, the past was far more bloodthirsty than the present age, as Steven Pinker explains... more

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
Lord Byron was mad, bad, dangerous, and a cad. But as both poet and as lover, he knew what women wanted... more

Friday fun via Science, Engineering & Technology Blog by Anne
More places to visit this week!
Techniquest has three science centres in Wales - Cardiff, Wrexham and Llanberis. Entrance is £7 for adults and £5 for children and concessions.
The National Railway Museum based in York has free entry as does the National Media Museum in Bradford.
The Discovery Museum in Newcastle also has free entry.

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
They can be eccentric, slow afoot, even grouchy. But old dogs can live out their final days with a humility and grace we all can learn from... more

Middle Eastern Geography via Coffee Klatch by pfitz
Do you think you know the geography of the Middle East? How about the broader region including North Africa? Try out this fun little game. It's on an education-based website and they don't score you per se, but give you as many tries as you need to drag the country names onto the map.
Check it out: http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
No rational justification can be offered for trust and self-sacrifice. But without them, social life is chaos, a war of all against all... more

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
Narcissistic tendencies - confidence, extraversion, a desire for power - can actually help to make you a good leader. But if you're a true narcissist... more

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
It was an historical cataclysm carried out on an unimaginable scale. Stalin's regime devoured not just human lives but hopes, dreams, trust... more

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Special Needs London – event

16-17 October 2009 Business Design Centre, London

Special Needs London has the resources, ideas, advice and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training to provide teachers, SENCOs, support staff and parents with the tools and skills to help all pupils achieve.

Learn about the latest issues from professionals with SEN expertise, within the inspiring CPD seminar programme.

Find thousands of resources to compare and buy for every kind of special and additional educational need.

Entry to the show is free, and seminars cost as little as £9+VAT each.

overview

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Finally, Sarah Palin

via Word Wise by Dan Santow

This is totally nonpartisan: The executive literary editor at Vanity Fair magazine copyedited edited Sarah Palin's resignation speech based on the rules of grammar, usage, style, accepted norms of good writing, etc – oh, and the editor corrected facts, a few of which were wrong. (Edits are in red; fact-checking notes in green.) If you're unfamiliar with what it's like to be edited by a really serious copyeditor, definitely take a look. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's pretty fascinating.

Hazel’s comment:
I found it fascinating too!

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Can Bibliographic Data Be Put Directly Onto the Semantic Web?

via Catalogablog by David (Thanks – I missed it)

an article by Martha M Yee (University of California, Los Angeles) in Information Technology and Libraries Volume 28 Issue 2 (2009)

Abstract

This paper is a think piece about the possible future of bibliographic control; provides a brief introduction to the semantic web and defines terms pertaining to the it.; discusses granularity and structure issues and the lack of standards for the efficient display and indexing of bibliographic data. It is also a report on a work in progress, an experiment in building an RDF model of more FRBRized cataloging rules than those about to be introduced to the library community (Resource Description and Access or RDA) and the creation of an RDF data model for the rules. I am now in the process of trying to model my cataloging rules in the form of an RDF model; this model can also be inspected here. In the process of doing this, I have discovered a number of areas in which I am not sure that RDF is sophisticated enough yet to deal with our data. This article is an attempt to identify some of those areas and explore whether or not the problems I have encountered are soluble, in other words, whether or not our data might be able to live on the semantic web. In this paper, I am focusing on raising the questions about the suitability of RDF to our data that have come up in the course of my work.

Postprint available free

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Job interviews – 101 common mistakes to avoid

via Business: Job Search Techniques Articles from EzineArticles.com

Learn the biggest mistakes committed during job interviews. The author provides 101 common mistakes. With preparation and conditioning to avoid these errors, applicants will dramatically improve their job search campaigns.

Read the full article

Hazel’s comment:
If these are common mistakes then I'm appalled, disgusted – add whatever words you like!

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Social Software as a Tool for Informal Learning

via elearningeuropa.info

A paper by Nina Kahnwald (Research associate , Technical University in Dresden)

Abstract

This paper offers an overview of empirical findings, concepts and definitions of informal learning. Initially, diverse dimensions and contested fields of informal learning will be interrogated. In the second section, the meaning of informal learning in the context of Web 2.0 and social software will be portrayed. Finally, the concept of personal learning environments will be examined in terms of contradictions and inaccuracies in relationship to the afore interrogated basic concepts of informal learning.

Introduction
Informal learning is often referred to in connection to ICT, Web 2.0 and Social Software. However, rarely is the concept of informal learning deliberated within the context of use. The following contribution attempts to uncover essential dimensions and areas of conflict of informal learning, thereby offering an analysis of contemporary discussions surrounding Social Software and Personal Learning Environments.

Read the full article here

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Phenomenology and Surveillance Studies: ...

Returning to the Things Themselves

an article by Norm Friesen (Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia), Andrew Feenberg (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver) and Grace Smith (Arapiki Solutions, Inc., Vancouver) in The Information Society Volume 25 Issue 2 (March 2009)

Abstract

In response to the increasingly quotidian, even banal character of surveillant practices in postindustrial societies, this article explores the possibility of a theoretical and methodological re-alignment in surveillance studies. This re-alignment entails a move from broadly Foucauldian, macro-level, structural or poststructural analyses, to the existential-phenomenological study of subjective consciousness and experience. This piece illustrates such an experiential study by taking part of Sartre's famous description of “the look”, and comparing it to a similarly experientially-based description of an everyday context of surveillance – specifically, a bank machine or ATM transaction. Through the analysis of these descriptions, the piece shows how the study of the lived experience of surveillance highlights the role of the body, of social convention, and also of individual agency in surveillant practices that can be overlooked in other analyses.

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Individual competencies that older workers ...

in successfully adapting during their careers

an article by J Barton Cunningham and Bryan Sweet in International Journal of Human Resources Development and Management Volume 9 Number 2/3 (2009)

Abstract

Some older workers are more successful than others in maintaining a high level of functioning despite losses in psychological and biological capacities. In this grounded theory study of the careers of eight older workers, we identified ten Protean-like competencies relating to:

• replacing beliefs about chronological age with beliefs of psychological age;
• taking steps to improve health;
• adjusting preferences to fit life's circumstances;
• cultivating relationships to improve work and career;
• developing relationships which recognise a diversity of interests;
• developing relationships for mentoring others;
• developing a sense of self in relationships;
• redefining the contract with the organisation;
• finding aspects of work which are meaningful and fulfilling; and
• replacing job-worth with self-worth.

One of the most frequent observations underlying these findings was the variation among the respondents in their beliefs about the ability to control the events they encountered in their lives.

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UK Copyright Law, In Verse

via Copyfight by drwex

No, that's not “inverse” as in backwards. It‘s “rendered in verse” as in “poetically”. Or at least, in rhyming couplets.

Back in 2006, Yehuda Berlinger put up a rendition of US Copyright Law in verse form. Now he's added the UK's copyright law – though he does point out that there are upcoming changes, which may require him to re-verse.

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Information as a basic element ...

of the modern information society and its place in the system of philosophical knowledge

an article by V O Melnikov, Yu O Melnikova and E V Gorbunova in Scientific and Technical Information Processing Volume 35 Number 6 (December 2008)

Abstract
Problems are considered associated with the philosophical understanding of the information concept as applied to the realities of the modern information society. The evolution of the notion [idea] of information is presented and on its basis the main philosophical concept of the concept “information” is elucidated. Various, sometimes opposing, scientific viewpoints on the problems under study have been analysed. The role of social information and the specifics of its relation with social processes are shown. The great significance of information systems and technologies for the development of modern society is demonstrated, which are at the same time the products of information processing and the means of its production. The important role of information systems in the management of information processes in modern society is explained.

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Becoming a modern-day fireman

via Business: Career Advice Articles from EzineArticles.com

What is a fireman? At first look this is quite a silly question and the answer to this, for most people is obvious, a fireman is someone who puts out fires. However, if you want to become a fireman today then you need to fully understand the modern day role of the fireman and their role within society.

Read the full article

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Wave of suicide sweeps China's graduate class

The Daily Telegraph reports that millions of students will graduate in China this year but with up to a third unable to get a job the number of suicides is soaring.

Dreadful story which I fear will be replicated across the world as the global crisis deepens.

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Labour market oligopsonistic competition: ...

the effect of worker immobility on wages

an article by Marios Michaelides (IMPAQ International, Labor Research Division) in Labour Economics

Abstract

We suggest that firms in a local labour market may be able to exploit worker mobility costs and offer immobile workers wages that are lower than their marginal product. If so, the ability of employers to exploit worker immobility in setting wages would decline in the competitiveness of the local labour market. We test this intuition using a measure of individual mobility costs and measures of local labour market competition. Our findings suggest that worker immobility causes substantial wage variation across workers in small, weakly competitive markets, and in occupations where wages are individually bargained.

Hazel’s comment:
Intrigued by a word in the title of this article that was completely outwith my vocabulary I set out to track down a meaning which allowed me to make sense of the article.

Thank you, Google, for your “define:” feature.

oligopsony – similar to an oligopoly, but where a small number of large buyers (not sellers) control a large proportion of the market and drive prices down. investors.saic.com/glossary.cfm

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Game as a career metaphor: ...

a chaos theory career counselling application

an article by Robert George Leslie Pryor and Jim E H Bright (Australian Catholic University, Sydney) in British Journal of Guidance & Counselling Volume 37 Issue 1 (February 2009)

Abstract

The potential of game as a career metaphor for use in counselling is explored and it is argued that it has been largely overlooked in the literature to date. This metaphor is then explicitly linked with the Chaos Theory of Careers (CTC), by showing how the notion of attractors within the CTC can be illustrated effectively using games metaphors. Games simultaneously illustrate the closed and open systems aspects of human endeavours and therefore can be a useful way of encouraging clients to appreciate the contingent and uncertain nature of their career development. It is argued, therefore, that metaphors provide an example of analogical reasoning that is useful for dealing with the modern counselling realities of complexity, connectedness, systems, changeability and chance.

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Re-conceptualisation of higher education quality management problems ...

using feedback systems thinking

an article by Benedict Oyo and Ddembe Williams in International Journal of Management in Education Volume 3 Number 3/4 (2009)

Abstract

Higher education institutions’ quality management-related problems are rooted in the underlying dynamics, complexity and nonlinearity of the systems’ structure in educational settings. An attempt to address these problems before understanding their causes has often led to no lasting solution. It has also been suggested that the degree of success of any intervention approach to quality improvement depends on the rigour of problem conceptualisation phase. This paper calls for the adoption of cause-effect analysis in identifying and representing higher education quality management problems, taking into account the inherent feedback within the quality system structure. The paper contends that feedback systems thinking provides higher education managers and quality assurance researchers with tools for quality process analysis. A feedback structure drawn from the Ugandan universities’ setting is used to illustrate the usefulness of feedback systems thinking for conceptualisation of quality problems.

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Social class and participation in further education:

evidence from the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales

an article by Ron Thompson (School of Education and Professional Development, University of Huddersfield) in: British Journal of Sociology of Education Volume 30 Issue 1 (January 2009)

Abstract
This paper examines the class distribution of young people, aged 16-17 years, in colleges of further education (FE) using data from the Youth Cohort Study. It finds that, contrary to popular perceptions of FE colleges as being for “other people’s children”, middle-class students as well as working-class students are well represented. However, this does not imply that FE colleges are institutions of choice; middle-class representation is often related to lower achievement and, for low-achieving working-class students, leaving education entirely is more likely than entry to FE. These findings are explored using notions of habitus and field. Their relationship with studies of the education of middle-class children is also discussed, and the paper suggests that research on class in FE colleges must come to terms with middle-class presence.

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Élite destinations: ...

pathways to attending an Ivy League university

an article by Ann L Mullen (Department of Sociology, University of Toronto) in British Journal of Sociology of Education Volume 30 Issue 1 (January 2009)

Abstract
As higher education expands and becomes more differentiated, patterns of class stratification remain deeply entrenched, in part due to class-based differences in college choice. A qualitative study of 50 Yale students shows the effects of social class, high schools and peers on students’ pathways to college. For students from wealthy and highly educated families, the choice of an Ivy League institution becomes normalised through the inculcated expectations of families, the explicit positioning of schools, and the peer culture. Without these advantages, less-privileged students more often place élite institutions outside the realm of the possible – in part because of concerns of élitism. These findings suggest that even low socioeconomic-status students with exceptional academic credentials must overcome substantial hurdles to arrive at an Ivy League university.

Hazel’s comment:
It's not just in the UK that the economically deprived find it difficult to break down the barriers to entry into the institutions of the economically advantaged.

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Ten trivial (i.e. non-work-related) items

Big toys for big boys via In through the Outfield by Neil Infield
It is often said that men are just boys in adult bodies. This seems to be the approach taken by Männerspielplatz, an amusement park for men that lets them get in touch with their inner construction worker (thanks to SpringWise)
Neil has really surpassed himself with finding this gem!

Baby pictures in lost wallets increase the chance they will be returned via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow

Edinburgh psych researcher Richard Wiseman and team left a load of wallets lying around with various contents, trying to see if there was a correlation between, say, baby pictures or cards indicating charitable giving and the rate at which wallets are returned.
Want to keep your wallet? Carry a baby picture (via Derren Brown)

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
Christina Hoff Sommers has been called a "thug," a "parasite," and a "female impersonator." But to be accused of practicing "metonymic historiography" - Oh, dear... more

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
The mind is not the brain. To confuse the two, which is what neuroscience does all the time, leads to a world bereft of meaning, morality, dignity, and freedom... more

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
Albert might marry Victoria, but he was not to run the household. He was only allowed to bring from Germany his valet, his librarian, and his greyhound... more

Friday Fun: Redstar Fall via the How-To Geek by Mysticgeek
This Friday we take a look at a fun and relaxing physics flash game called Redstar Fall. It becomes challenging the higher up in levels you go and provides fun distraction until the whistle blows. The goal of the game is to get the red star on the platform by removing different objects but don't let it fall off. Play Redstar Fall

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
Auto repair as a skilled manual labor is far more cognitive than most people realize, Matthew Crawford says. And it's one thing that can't outsourced to China... more

Birth and early history of the Internet video via Phil Bradley's weblog
Found this really nice little gem of a video from Peter Scott's weblog.
It's about 8 minutes long and gives a really nice simple introduction to the early history of the Internet.
History of the Internet from PICOL on Vimeo.

via Arts & Letters Daily - ideas, criticism, debate
Col. Percy Fawcett was convinced by research, deduction, and clairvoyance that an undiscovered city lay hidden in the Amazon. So he tried to find it... more

Survival of the fitness craze by Fiona Russell via The Herald
It started with the Russian special forces and was then revamped as a US military training method, before celebrities such as Lance Armstrong, Sly Stallone, Jennifer Aniston and Penelope Cruz became converts. Now the ancient-looking kettlebells have arrived in Scotland and it seems that demand is outstripping workshop places. Read more
But what is a kettlebell? I was intrigued to discover that it's more like a kettle ball. Take one medium-sized child's ball and add a handle from an old-fashioned, stand on the stove, kettle and there you just about have it.
Google brings up a lot of companies trying to sell these things, which come in a range of colours and weights (including pink 2kg ones for the ladies), but my favourite find was a photo from Iran in 1897 on a “vintage kettlebells” blog.

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Powerlessness corrupts

I recently “re-found” this short essay by Richard Reeves and thought to share it with you in the context of the powerlessness of people to overcome the effects of the recession on their lives.

via Demos Greenhouse by Richard Reeves

Lord Acton famously wrote in 1887 that “power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. (Actually his Lordship's full name was John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, which takes some beating.) But Acton was thinking about power over others – and in particular arbitrary, unaccountable power. Like Cicero, Rousseau, Harrington, Mill and Madison, Acton feared the consequences of all forms of slavery, not only for the slave but the owner, too.

Autonomy – self-government – is something else. The power to set and alter the trajectory of your own life is not corrupting, but liberating. That's why Demos searches for and communicates ideas to give people more power to shape their own lives. I hate the term “empowerment”, because it presupposes that it is the job of others (the well-educated élite) to improve others: there are few more patronising phrases than “I am here to empower you”. Similarly, discussions of the “devolution” of power start from the presumption that power should ordinarily be held by the officers of the expert state. Any dispersal of power has to justified on economic or efficiency grounds. This is entirely the wrong way round. Witness the conservative alliance of the British Medical Association and UNISON opposing progressive government plans to extend pilots giving people with long-term health conditions their own budgets. But power, like jam, is best spread around. Our starting point should be that power lies in the hands of people, with every step towards centralisation strongly justified in terms of better outcomes for the disenfranchised individuals and communities.

Our vision is a democracy of free citizens, with an equal stake in society. Attaining these goals requires progress along four axes, which guide Demos’s work: more capable citizens; public institutions which enhance independence; opportunities for citizenship; and security. A society of powerful citizens will be better for all. The most disadvantaged in our society are those who lack a sense of power over their own destinies, who live at the mercy of others. The powerless end up detatched from society, politics and community. In the end, it is not power which corrupts, but powerlessness.

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Integrating Social Class Into Vocational Psychology: ...

Theory and Practice Implications

an article by Matthew A Diemer (Michigan State University) and Saba Rasheed Ali (University of Iowa) in Journal of Career Assessment Volume 17 Number 3 (2009)

Abstract
Although social class plays a salient and significant role in career development and occupational attainment, social class is under-represented in vocational psychology theory, scholarship, and practice. Vocational psychologists are in a unique position to meet the career development needs of persons from all social classes by integrating a fuller understanding of social class into their scholarship and practice. This article provides an interdisciplinary review of conceptualisation and operationalisation of social class, the consideration of social class by theories of career development, the impact of social class upon career development processes, and implications of social class for career counseling and assessment. Through helping vocational psychologists more deeply understand social class and its interconnections to career development and occupational attainment, this article intends to create a springboard for the further integration of social class into vocational psychology scholarship and practice.

Hazel’s comment:

“Yes, yes” I found myself saying and then realised that I didn’t have a clue as to what a vocational psychologist is or does. Google wasn't a great deal of help although I did find the Society of Vocational Psychologists, several books about vocational psychology and yet another journal to add to the ever-growing list of sources that Dawn and I use to produce this blog and ADSET Member’s Update.

Then I came across a dictionary of vocational psychology terms “vocational psychology dictionary, focusing on terms important for career choice and development, work, and leisure” which I guess answers the question to an extent.

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Cutting through the hype to make a confident future library and information ...

profession

via Information Literacy Weblog by Sheila Webber

Last month I gave a talk at the CILIP East of England ISG meeting, in Foxton, UK. I have now posted it to Slideshare, adding some additional, explanatory notes (mostly in boxes on the slides). The talk was part of a programme that was looking at what skills and knowledge library and information professionals needed to meet the needs of young people. “Cutting through the hype” (in my title) indicates that I think that we shouldn’t accept steroetypes and generalisations of what generations are like.

Cutting through the hype to make a confident future library and information profession
View more presentations from sheilawebber.

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Tax incentives for education and training

A one-day conference in Brussels (Centre Borschette CCAB, Rue Froissart 36) on 22 September 2009 organised by Cedefop and the European Commission's Directorates-General for Education and Culture and Taxation and Customs Union

The conference will provide innovative perspectives on the trends and developments in tax incentives used by governments to promote education and training.
It will in particular:

• disseminate results of Cedefop's study on 'The use of tax incentives to support education and training in six selected Member States' (Germany, France, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands and Finland);
• highlight good practice on the tax treatment of education and training; and
• discuss research results on the impact of tax systems on education and training decisions and different ways to encourage lifelong learning.

The conference focuses on EU Member States but also looks at experience in other countries.
It will bring together education, training and tax experts from government and business communities, academia, social partners and the European institutions. Discussions will not only reflect the current situation but also look at whether reforms are needed to make tax incentives for lifelong learning more effective. The conference provides the opportunity to understand better the role of tax benefits in promoting education and training and can help policy makers in designing taxation policies.

Details

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Libraries act to stop young people becoming “NEET”

via Library & Information Update blog by Ms Elspeth Hyams


Public library services are working with youth agencies like Connexions to tackle one of the most intractable issues in social policy: the number of young people not in employment, education or training.


Action is crucial to help mitigate the effects of the recession which, The Times says, “is having a disproportionate effect on the young: whether they are educated and mired in student debt, or low-skilled and burdened by low expectations and the acceptance of a benefits culture.” (Just the Job, 3 July 2009).

The Guardian notes that the Conservative Party has accused the government of creating a lost generation as number of teenagers starting apprenticeships drops by 8% . It too covers the numbers story (Nearly a million young people not in work or education) and notes that the Number of teenagers not in work or school rises to 10.3 per cent.

Update [Library + Information Update from CILIP] is sponsoring a second executive briefing [link goes to request a brochure], on 27 November 2009, to explore how some library services and alternative providers are already working with young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs).

With a keynote address from the Department for Children, Schools and Families leading NEETs policy-maker Oliver Newton, this will be one of this year's essential meetings.


The number of young people who are NEET is a hot topic. Library services can and are taking a lead in recessionary times. Come to the briefing to find out more about the policy agenda and positive action, to tackle one of the biggest social issues of the day.


Elspeth Hyams, Editor, Update

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Sociability and social interaction on social networking websites

an article by Andrew Keenan and Ali Shiri in Library Review Volume 58 Issue 6 (2009)

Abstract
Purpose
Social websites have become a major medium for social interaction. From Facebook to MySpace to emergent sites like Twitter, social websites are increasing exponentially in user numbers and unique visits every day. How do these websites encourage sociability? What features or design practices enable users to socialise with other users? The purpose of this paper is to explore sociability on the social web and details how different social websites encourage their users to interact.
Design/methodology/approach
Four social websites (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter) were examined from a user study perspective. After thoroughly participating on the websites, a series of observations were recorded from each experience. These experiences were then compared to understand the different approaches of each website.
Findings
Social websites use a number of different approaches to encourage sociability amongst their users. Facebook promotes privacy and representing “real world” networks in web environment, while MySpace promotes publicity and representing both real world and virtual networks in a web environment. Niche websites like LinkedIn and Twitter focus on more specific aspects of community and technology, respectively.
Originality/value
A comparison of different models of sociability does not yet exist. This study focuses specifically on what makes social websites “social”.

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Trial and error

I've just published a short post on ADSET's business info blog about the ADSET stand at the Association for Careers Education and Guidance's conference and exhibition.

Having discovered just how easy it is (or not as the case might be) here, for those who couldn't get to Cambridge on Thursday or Friday, is a snapshot of what you missed of the exhibition.

Well, that I wrote some time ago and found that one picture is not too difficult but that positioning more than one is a pain. Maybe I need a training course!

So, to save the hassle I've uploaded to my Picasa web album. A couple of things went obviously wrong in this my first serious foray into using my new(ish) camera.

1. Not all the pictures I thought I'd taken were actually there when I downloaded them. Did I simply not take a picture of a stand, did I delete it by mistake, or are there gremlins in the works.

I did not attend the conference programme itself so can't comment on that but I have no doubt that something will be available on the ACEG website before too much longer.

The Edgeless University: ...

... why higher education must embrace technology

This new report from the thinktank Demos has attracted a lot of comment in the blogosphere. The post that, to my mind, captures the essentials and explains the essentials of what this report covers is that from Brian Kelly (UK Web Focus).

Brian admits that he hadn't absorbed everything from the 90-page report when he wrote the post on the launch day and I have no doubt that the conversations will continue for quite a long time.

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Managing your social network addiction

via Stepcase Lifehack by Ibrahim Husain

Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, Friendster, Tumblr, Xanga… the list goes on and on. Stunning stuff, read it for yourself.

Go through the steps:

• Rehabilitation
• Track your time online
• Remember the telephone
• Go outside
• Limit your memberships
• Use your networks productively
• Prioritise
• Stop procrastinating
• Remove the cellphone apps
• Spend more time with close friends and family

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Should you avoid tweeting that you've been laid off?

via TechRepublic Blogs

Should you avoid tweeting about the fact that you were just fired? Should you refrain from mentioning your recent layoff in Facebook? Toni Bowers weighs in on these questions.

Hazel’s comment:
Written for IT folks but with relevance to everyone caught up in the recession.

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