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

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Can dogs talk? Kind of, says the latest scientific research. But they tend to have very poor pronunciation... more

Photos of food and their sugar-cube equivalent via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder
SugarStacks.com has photos of different kinds of food (both processed and natural) showing how much sugar is in the the food by displaying a stack of 4 gram sugar cubes next to the item.
(Via Presurfer)

India moves to patent yoga poses via In through the Outfield by Neil Infield

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The cognitive capacities that have made us so successful as a species also work together to create a human tendency for religious thinking... more

Friday Fun: Relieve Workweek Frustration Playing Mad Monday via the How-To Geek by Mysticgeek
Friday is here again and you’re frustrated at the pointy-haired bosses and the entire workweek in general. Let out that frustration with Mad Monday, a quick paced online flash game that lets you shoot vehicles and run them off the road. It starts out with a soothing image of a crazy maniac ready to do damage and hard rock playing the background. Mad Monday is a lot of fun with some over the top scenarios and loud music and sound effects that you cannot turn down in game options. You might want to make sure volume is very low or muted when the boss strolls around.

3 Funny Flash Games That Make Fun Of The Gaming Industry via MakeUseOf.com by Simon Slangen
The gaming industry constantly changes. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse.
Until now, we’ve mostly read about these things on gaming blogs and in magazines, but a new medium is rising. Over the past year, a number of satirical Flash games have travelled around the world, from browser to browser. These games ridicule and take on some of the critiques on the current-day gaming industry. We’ve listed the three best and most famous of these games for you, and the messages they are trying to tell.
You Have To Burn The Rope (YHTBTR)
This game has made its parade around the internet, and was instantly loved by nearly anyone who played it. The concept isn’t too complicated – you have to burn the rope.
If you can’t figure it out, there’s a walk-through on YouTube here.
The Message
You get told everything from the start of the game. In fact, the game is even titled to spoil the solution. Why? It’s a pretty obvious satire – games are getting too damn easy.
Achievement Unlocked
Try to unlock all achievements in Achievement Unlocked. Have you used the arrow keys yet? Try jumping up and down. Woah, you’re the best! Unlock all 100 achievements and show the world who’s the (wo)man!
The game’s concept? Story? Why, you’re earning achievements, aren’t you? Have fun!
The Message
This game, released a few months after YHTBTR, continued the satirical approach of the gaming industry. By pushing it into excess, Achievement Unlocked ridicules the increasing focus on Achievements and Trophies in games these days.
UPGRADE COMPLETE!
Nephew of Achievement Unlocked, UPGRADE COMPLETE carries on the flag of cynicism attacks. The only problem – the game’s such enormous fun that you’d almost start doubting the point it tries to make.
The Message
If this game weren’t so darn fun, it would make its point perfectly. All this upgrading is simply ridiculous. Like Achievement Unlocked, it wags its finger at a peripheral system that’s playing an increasingly bigger role in games.
Alright, maybe after you’re done with making fun of present-day gaming, you’d like to play some “real” games:
The Best Online Flash Games
Top 5: Addictive and Challenging Web Games
MUO Games – The Best Websites to Play Flash Games
The Casual Collective – Fun Online Multiplayer Flash Games

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
It was a great moment in evolution and it changed our bodies and our minds forever: Drop food in fire, then eat it... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
For Simon Schama, the American story is a compelling one. New plot lines may now emerge, but we’ve known the central character for a very long time... more

Ink Calendar: paper that uses capillary action to fill in one day’s number at a time via Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow
Oscar Diaz’s Ink Calendar uses capillary action to suck ink across the numbers embossed on the page, one day at a time, gradually coloring itself in over the month. So cool.
(via Cribcandy)

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Stalin would kill not just you for the wrong thoughts: he would kill your family, down to the last child. Not even the Czar at his worst did that... more

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Trade unions learning representatives: progressing partnership?

an article by Catherine Cassell (Manchester Business School)and Bill Lee (Management School, University of Sheffield) published in Work, Employment & Society Volume 23 Number 2 (2009)
Abstract

The statutory rights given to trade union learning representatives (ULRs) to facilitate and organise learning in the workplace has led to the creation of a new specialised union lay official role. This article investigates how the ULR initiative is facilitating the development of learning partnerships in the workplace. Empirical data is provided from a qualitative study that draws on interviews with full-time trade union officials from a range of unions. It is argued that although the ULR initiative provides opportunities for unions to promote the ideal of learning partnerships within the workplace, rights to learning remain a contested terrain between many employers and unions.

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Young People, Online Networks, and Social Inclusion

an article by Tanya Notley published in Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication Volume 14 Issue 4 (2009) © International Communication Association

Abstract

This paper examines the ways 9 teenage Australians – identified as being “at risk” of social exclusion – are using online networks to participate in society. The research finds that online networks provided participants with valuable opportunities for social inclusion. These findings are contextualised in relation to current Australian government education and social policies that, on the one hand, aspire to support young people’s social inclusion, and on the other restrict their ability to use online networks because of safety and health concerns. This study contends that by defining and understanding the social value of young people’s online network use we can move toward a policy framework that not only addresses potential online risks, but supports equitable digital inclusion for young people.

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Ten trivial (i.e non-work-related) items 9

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
"It is not Che's high cheekbones, long eyelashes and cool bomber jacket that make this photo desirable. Its appeal also lies in its spirituality"... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
“Capitalism is nothing but a false religion, with Mammon as its god and Adam Smith as its high priest.” How true is this claim?... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Art has always needed patrons, as Jonathan Le Cocq explains. But taxpayer patronage means the arts are no longer being paid for by their direct audience... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
"I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life." A rather carnivorous metaphor for the vegetarian Henry David Thoreau... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
"Children are unconsciously the most rational beings on earth, brilliantly drawing accurate conclusions from data and doing clever experiments"... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
The dot-com bubble burst by 2000. Then it was housing, which triggered the credit meltdown, followed by stocks. Will higher education be the next bubble to burst?... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Humans are genetically close to chimps and bonobos, sharing with them nearly 99% of our DNA. Yet we became master tool users and cooperators... more

How To Use WolframAlpha to Help Solve Crossword Puzzles via ResourceShelf
Does today's crossword have you puzzled? You could continue to fret, and fight the urge to check the full solution, or you could consult WolframAlpha, which has the tools you need to solve the sneakiest constructions. WolframAlpha can find words matching a pattern, words with specific beginnings and endings, and provide word definitions.
Whether you are a fan of the mind-bending New York Times Crossword Puzzle, or you enjoy a more leisurely crossword, the example we have provided can work for all crossword puzzles. We took a break with WolframAlpha today to solve one of many free online crossword puzzles. You can play along.
Access the Full Post for Examples
Source: WA

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
No more scribbles. What we need is a "slow writing" movement that extols the virtues of neat, expressive penmanship... more

via Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
American firms outsource work they used to do themselves. Why can't American college students outsource their essays or dissertations?... more

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Measuring effectiveness of graph visualizations: ...

A cognitive load perspective

an article by Weidong Huang (National and International Surveys Program, Australian Council for Educational Research) and Peter Eades and Seok-Hee Hong (School of Information Technologies, The University of Sydney)

Abstract
Graph visualisations are typically evaluated by comparing their differences in effectiveness, measured by task performance such as response time and accuracy. Such performance-based measures have proved to be useful in their own right. There are some situations, however, where the performance measures alone may not be sensitive enough to detect differences. This limitation can be seen from the fact that the graph viewer may achieve the same level of performance by devoting different amounts of cognitive effort. In addition, it is not often that individual performance measures are consistently in favour of a particular visualisation. This makes design and evaluation difficult in choosing one visualisation over another. In an attempt to overcome the above-mentioned limitations, we measure the effectiveness of graph visualisations from a cognitive load perspective. Human memory as an information processing system and recent results from cognitive load research are reviewed first. The construct of cognitive load in the context of graph visualisation is proposed and discussed. A model of user task performance, mental effort and cognitive load is proposed thereafter to further reveal the interacting relations between these three concepts. A cognitive load measure called mental effort is introduced and this measure is further combined with traditional performance measures into a single multi-dimensional measure called visualisation efficiency. The proposed model and measurements are tested in a user study for validity. Implications of the cognitive load considerations in graph visualisation are discussed.

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Widening participation: what can we learn from young people?

an article by Harriet Dismore (University of Plymouth) published in the online edition of Widening Participation & Lifelong Learning Volume 11 Number 1

Abstract

The national Aimhigher initiative was introduced by the UK government to widen participation in higher education by raising the aspirations and developing the abilities of young people from low socio-economic groups. This study sought to obtain an insight into the impact that the Aimhigher interventions have had upon young people within the Kent and Medway region. It draws upon data provided by 27 young people during paired and group interviews, particularly in relation to their level of awareness of higher education, the key influences in the decision making process and the additional sources of information that inform their understanding. The findings revealed that pupils were particularly benefiting from the support of Aimhigher learning mentors and were often influenced by their parents. Many of the pupils in this study indicated that obtaining a clearer idea of what universities were like and the work that would be expected of them was paramount to alleviating their fears and anxieties. However, the expectations that some pupils expressed, that gaining a higher qualification would undoubtedly lead to a better job and more income, might prove unrealistic. Furthermore, during discussions a number of pupils demonstrated a particular view of education and learning not in keeping with the notion of lifelong learning.

Full article (pdf document)

Hazel’s comment:
Apologies for the delay in getting this interesting article to you. I had it on our journals’ list as an alert but it’s a fetch!

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