Remote Worker Blogs

Those of you who work remotely will find the list that Marieke Guy has prepared of blogs that have helped her very useful.

To be honest, if you work at home alone you will probably find a lot of the information and advice helpful.

Scott Hanselman's Computer Zen is a technology blog by a guy who works from home. There are a lot of great technology reviews, podcasts, lists of services and programming tips but Scott also writes about the challenges of remote working in his remote work category.

Lea Woodward's Location Independent blog has always been a real inspiration. Lea left the rat race in 2005 and has been travelling round the work and working ever since (though they are now back in the UK). Her blog gives lots of good technical tips but is also one of the best for motivational support. I keep meaning to ask if Lea would consider writing a blog post!

Wide teams is a blog and podcast about geographically dispersed teams, with an emphasis on software development teams. It was created by Avdi Grimm, who has written a guest blog post for us before. The weekly podcast is excellent and offers a real hands-on perspective on newer ways of working.

How to Work from Home is a blog by Judy Heminsley. Judy organizes local Jellys (remote worker meet-ups) and is an active tweeter

Remote Worker Daily is the work of Doug Campbell, another guest blog post writer. It has lots of really useful advice, links to remote jobs and resources. Doug's site A mobile app a day is really good too.

The Work at Home Woman is a blog by Holly Reisem Hanna for mums who want to set up a business and work for themselves. There are quite a lot of interviews with home workers and lots of productivity tips.

In her Freelance Lifestyle blog Emma Cossey often writes about working from home. She also podcasts and offers online tutorials.

Andy Abramson’s blog is another technical perspective on home working. He often posts on VOIP and working anywhere.

The author of Head In The Clouds: The Location Independent Office – How to take your business or job online and work remotely from wherever you please!, Phil Byrne, also writes a blog about Living and working abroad. More useful tips and reviews.

Also a quick mention for Mashable and the readwriteblog – both great for ideas.

If you know of any great remote worker blogs please do go to Marieke’s post and add your recommendation into the comments.

Hazel’s comment:
Just what has this got to do with careers information? Not much.
What has this got to do with supporting guidance practitioners? A great deal – as more and more are forced into becoming consultants with the consequent loss of an employer’s central support system and administration.

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Some useful things I’ve been reading

Coming back to the real world from the cave that is where I hide when the depression gets too awful to cope with is not easy. Of course, it isn’t really a cave but just as some people visualize a deep hole so for me it’s the place where my mind goes to avoid having to make contact with people.

And there is, of course, the stigma of mental health problems which abounds in our society. I’m doing my best to be open but there’s the pressure of work not done, people not contacted and so on that does, if I’m not careful, push me back.

Enough about me, to the point.

Some things I found when I started reading through 12 issues of Tips & Advice Internet.

1. The control panel of Windows 7 and Vista has an “Ease of Access Center” which contains some little-known tools which may come in handy.
   You can access the Center by simultaneously hitting the Windows-key and the U-key (you do know about going back to your desktop with the Windows-key and the D-key, don’t you?).
   The Center contains tool such as “typing without a keyboard” and “using the mouse without a mouse” (both very useful if your wireless keyboard or mouse gives up the ghost). Other utilities such as Sticky Keys and a high-contrast visual display may prove useful.
2. Reading e-books on your computer
   If you don’t have an e-book reader but want to read e-books on your desktop, laptop or netbook, what are your options?
   Software versions of hardware:
       Nook e-reader software.
       Kindle e-reader software.
       Kobo books – which has more than a million free e-books.
   Your browser as e-reader:
       Kindle Cloud Reader
       Google Books
       and don’t forget Project Gutenberg
   And finally:
   Calibre is, apparently, brilliant. Not only is it an e-reader but also an fully-fledged management system for your e-library.
3. CX.com: the successor to Dropbox?
   Worth a try as it offers much more free storage than Dropbox and has backup and collaboration functions. Not yet available for Android or BlackBerry users.

Six issues read, six to go but after a while my brain ceases to function – my eyes see the words on the page but the meaning of them does not get through. More next week.

And to go back to the personal! I have managed to acquire an inflamed tendon in my leg which whilst not in any way incapacitating bloomin' well hurts. And the rather strong anti-inflammatory drugs are making me feel more than usually dopey.

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Sophia Smith Collection

This website is reviewed by Lia Vella (Colorado School of Mines) in College and Research Libraries News Volume 73 Number 4 (April 2012)

It is a splendid companion to the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College Libraries and offers a peek into the rich women’s history materials and programs in the Smith College archives. 

The site provides clear instructions and collections information for researchers planning a visit, links to helpful advice on archives use for novice researchers, and, most notably, access to plenty of digitized material: photos, documents, online exhibits, even a book-length work commemorating the 50th anniversary of the collection.

Sophia Smith Collection
Review 2012© American Library Association

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Onomap: a multicultural classifications of people's names

an article by Pablo Mateos (Dept of Geography, University College London) published in BURISA (journal of the British Urban & Regional Information Systems Association) Number 181 (September 2009)

Abstract

A team of geographers at University College London's Department of Geography and Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis a new methodology to analyse the ethnicity and geography of people's names across the globe. Onomap provides an innovative way of classifying any list of names into common cultural, ethnic and linguistic groups based on combinations of surnames and forenames.

Hazel’s comment:
I am amazed. This is a stunning piece of work since it takes the guess-work out of “where do they live?”.

You will, of course, still have to work out for yourselves whether it is sensible to provide careers advice in any of the principal Nigerian languages in the eastern boroughs of London where there is a large concentration of people with Nigerian names or if you should be concentrating on Polish (which does have the advantage of being a single language) in areas of London where 45% of the population was recorded at the 2001 Census in the “White Other” ethnic group but the maximum percentage of Polish is 3.15%.

Personal anecdote: when my grand-daughters were at school in Hackney (which appears to be the epicentre of the Polish population in East London according to Onomap) there were 68 different first languages being spoken. You cannot, with the best will in the world, cater for all of these from a limited budget for guidance.
PS. The family has now moved into LB of Enfield. Not, I hasten to add, primarily for education reasons but because of the crime-ridden locality.

Further information is available at:

info@onomap.org

Links:

http://www.onomap.org/

http://www.londonprofiler.org/

http://www.publicprofiler/worldnames.org

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All aboard – leaving social exclusion behind

I am continually being amazed at the wealth of information available from the europa website. The problem is that if you don't know to look for it then you don’t know it’s there. I was, therefore, very pleased to have come across the Eurofound news alerts where I was pointed to this resource pack on social exclusion which includes, among other useful resources:

Older people – Keeping active and involved

Employment and disability – Avoiding a one-way street

Role of the social partners

Working poor – Bringing them into the net

Children and young people

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OECD in Figures 2009

OECD’s original, simple to use, pocket-sized data book. As ever, this year’s edition contains key data on the OECD-wide economy, society and the environment. There are comparable tables covering the entire spectrum of the organisation’s work.

Now available from the Online Bookshop
The e-Book - PDF format is Free
Also sold as a subscription

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BatteryCare

You and I know, do we not, that completely discharging a recargable battery and then charging it completely before starting to re-use it is the best way to prolong its life?

Maybe you do it with your phone, your MP3 player or your camera. Do you do it with your laptop? Not on your life you don't unless you are a) very disciplined or b) control your laptop’s battery with BatteryCare http://batterycare.bkspot.com/

Don't thank me – thank Tips & Advice Internet which in issue 19 of year 13 tells us that the integrated battery meter in Windows is not very helpful (you can say that again). The recommendation also covers Battcursor http://en.battcursor.net/ but since that doesn't work with XP it was of no interest to me Luddit that I am.

Tax Credits: help us to help you get it right

A new 4-page (A5) leaflet (WTC10) from HMRC explaining that you have to tell HMRC when your circumstances change or you may build up an over/under-payment.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/wtc10.pdf

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I grovel!

I should have picked up this training from the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion (CESI) in July when it was first run. The second “showing” is this coming Monday – far too late for you to do anything about it.

I promise I will read CESI newsletters more carefully in the future.

Effective information, advice and guidance as part of successful employment and skills pathways for adults

This highly participative workshop will help organisations to understand how they can be at the forefront of this policy driver by helping you to develop practical ideas and actions that you can put into practice to bring results for your customers and business benefits for your organisation.

07/09/2009
Sheffield

More information

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For the student in your life

The International Student Identity Card provides access to discounts, and discounts, and discounts! Also special offers and a newsletter.
http://www.isiccard.com/

Thanks to Internet Resources News (cheers Roddy and crew)

OECD Statistical Narratives

via Statistics Directorate

This new webpage is intended as a repository for short statistical notes using the wealth of OECD statistics. The aim of these articles is to build knowledge from statistics, as well as give users a sense of what statistics are available from the OECD.

Hazel’s comment:
I wish I had a category for stunningly_useful_resources. This is awesome.
Yes, I know, I could create one but as with the cobbler's children being the worst shod my category list is ...

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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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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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Commission for Rural Communities

via Latest Internet resources added to Intute: Science Engineering and Technology

The Commission for Rural Communities was established in April 2005, and became an independent body in October 2006 following the enactment of the NERC Act. The Commission's “role is to provide well-informed, independent advice to government and ensure that policies reflect the real needs of people living and working in rural England, with a particular focus on tackling disadvantage”. Its three key functions are as rural advocate, expert adviser and independent watchdog for rural communities. It addresses issues such as housing, transport, access to services and rural economies through thematic studies, inquiries and evaluations. Users can also search the Rural Communities best practice database which shows how 5,000 communities have been tackling issues like social exclusion, road safety and access to health care. The website details the latest work of the Commission, gives access to news, events and blogs, and access to Reports of the Rural Advocate.

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Easier word processing for someone with aphasia

Jack Schofield, the technology expert at The Guardian was asked about alternatives to using Open Office's predictive text for someone who has acquired asphasia after having a stroke.

There are several programs that are designed for people with physical impairments or severe dyslexia that should be more useful than Open Office's predictive text or Microsoft Office's AutoComplete.

Two that are often used in British schools are Don Johnston's Co:Writer, £149 and Penfriend Ltd's Penfriend, £90. Penfriend will predict the next word and offer a menu selection without the user typing even one letter.

Another option is VK TypeHelp, described as an “adaptive predictive typing assistant”. I would look at Co:Writer first as it is the one listed on the Aphasia Now website.

Otherwise, I would suggest contacting a local aphasia self-help group and finding out what they recommend. Speakability may be able to put you in touch with one (email speakability@speakability.org.uk or you can call free on 080 8808 9572).

Hazel’s comment
Very useful, and not just for asphasia but for anyone who has difficulty with words.

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User manual search engine Diplodocs

via Phil Bradley's weblog by philipbradley

I was recently tasked with finding a user manual for my wife's sewing machine. Normally the first place that I'd go for something like this is to the website of the company that produced it, but curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to see if there was a search engine that provides access to user manuals. It turns out that there is, and it's called Diplodocs It's quite impressive and covers lots of manufacturers, lots of types of manuals, with an easy to use search interface.

Hazel’s comment:
Phil’s suggestions are always useful (perhaps particularly those which obliquely tell you not to touch said resource with the proverbial barge pole) but this is just brilliant. I used it to find the instructions for setting the alarm on a clock I picked up a charity shop.

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Skillstudio Limited

This communication skills training specialist company hooks users in with a free eCourse on job interview skills.

Hazel’s comment:
I picked this up from Internet Resources Newsletter ages ago and sort of, well, erm,
lost it! Thank you to the team at Heriot-Watt University for continuing to produce IRN.

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Disaboom

Thanks to Roddy and the team at Heriot-att University I picked this up from the ever-useful Internet Resources News (Issue 170 March 2009)

Disaboom
Disaboom.com is a dynamic, interactive online community for people with disabilities and those whose lives they touch. It combines disability-related health and lifestyles information with an engaging, member-driven community of personal profiles, blogs, forums and shared-interest groups, tailored to your needs. Providing a place for you to learn about – or talk about – your spinal cord injury, back or neck pain, diabetes, cerebral palsy, depression, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, amputation, or other condition.

A word of warning, though. It's American! Now, believe you me, I have nothing, absolutely nothing, against Americans or even American websites but you will need to ignore the advice to visit your downtown drug store, or respond to the Obama Stimulus Plan and join in with discussions as appropriate.

A community is only what the people of that community make it into and this looks like a good one.

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