fresh thoughts

ilovecharts: What The Internet Knows About You And How To...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:10:51 +0200

What The Internet Knows About You And How To Protect Yourself

This is one of my favorite Q&A’s I’ve ever done for Forbes. This morning, I exchanged emails with Sarah Downey, the author of the FTC complaint against people search website, BeenVerified.com, regarding Internet privacy, people search sites, background checks, Facebook and how to protect your online identity. There is A LOT to learn in there!

Worth your time to check this out.

quickmeme: Rasta Science Teacher This is funny..

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:18:31 +0200

quickmeme:

Rasta Science Teacher

This is funny..

UCT IS Textbooks wanted

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:12:44 +0200

Hello!

I am continuing my studies at UCT this year with a post-grad diploma in Information Systems. A typical student, I need to try save money everywhere I can, so I am hoping to either borrow or buy from you or someone you know.

The books:

Object-oriented Systems Analysis and Design Using UML by Bennett, Simon; McRobb, Steve & Farmer, Ray.

Images of Projects by Mark Winter and Tony Szczepanek.

Strategic Information Systems Management by Grant, Hackney and Edgar.

Please let me know if you have these books or see them floating around. Much appreciated!

Image by Yunhee Cha (location: http://cwvantage.com/?p=753)

Incredible time-lapse video through a snow globe.

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:57:15 +0200

Incredible time-lapse video through a snow globe.

futuramb: The Graph That Proves Economic Forecasters Are Almost...

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:29:49 +0200

futuramb:

The Graph That Proves Economic Forecasters Are Almost Always Wrong - Derek Thompson - Business - The Atlantic

There are a few lessons to glean from the Surprise Index, which I was only made aware of this week. First, predictions are often reported as news. They’re not. They’re predictions, and they’re almost always wrong. Full disclosure: I’ve been as guilty as anyone for breathlessly passing along predictions without the qualifying them as conjecture. Second, to be fair to the analysts, sometimes the first draft of the economic figures aren’t any better than the predictions. A great example: We initially estimated GDP falling 3.8% in the last three months of 2008. Instead, it fell nearly 9%. That’s a horrible miscalculation that had a real impact on decisions made by Congress and the Federal Reserve to fix the economy. I wonder what the Economic Surprise Index would say about first readings of GDP and unemployment numbers.

mirfaan: My favourite piece of tech of all time - Twine :...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:14:23 +0200

mirfaan:

My favourite piece of tech of all time - Twine : Listen to your world, talk to the Internet (by Supermechanical)

This is not only awesome, it is a taste of the things to come in the tech industry.

world-shaker: Where’s the “Learn This” Button? Learning needs...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:48:05 +0200

world-shaker:

Where’s the “Learn This” Button?

Learning needs to be more personalized. We all know this. But rarely does anyone describe a practical way actually to accomplish that goal. This presentation will delineate not only how we can (and will) do it, but will up the stakes, arguing that learning could be measured (gasp!) outside of educational institutions, with learners free to gobble up knowledge as they roam the Internet following their changing interests.

Maria Andersen (by ACU)

Personalized learning on the web. Definitely a new and exciting market I believe! So much potential with the current trends we are seeing (re: openness, lecture casting, etc).

"Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem. For example, if a pirate offers..."

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:46:06 +0200

“Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem. For example, if a pirate offers a product anywhere in the world, 24/7, purchasable from the convenience of your personal computer, and the legal provider says the product is region-locked, will come to your country three months after the U.S. release and can only be purchased at a brick and mortar store, then the pirate’s service is more valuable.

Most DRM solutions diminish the value of the product by either directly restricting a customer’s use or by creating uncertainty.

Our goal is to create greater service value than pirates, and this has been successful enough for us that piracy is basically a non-issue for our company. For example, prior to entering the Russian market, we were told that Russia was a waste of time because everyone would pirate our products. Russia is now about to become our largest market in Europe.”

- Gabe Newell, CEO of Valve, a game and entertainment company (think: Half-Life and Portal), via an interview with the Cambridge Student. (via futurejournalismproject)
Pirate? Or simply looking for convenience?

world-shaker: Apologies if I’ve shared this already. (via...

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:44:57 +0200

world-shaker:

Apologies if I’ve shared this already.

(via Flipped Classroom Infographic #flippedclassroom #blendedlearning #edtech)

Excellent infographic on the flipped classroom. Something I would love to see at UCT.

Rethink Everything

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:08:05 +0200

Rethink Everything

"Worldly riches are like nuts; many a tooth is broke in cracking them, but never is the stomach..."

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:10:41 +0200

“Worldly riches are like nuts; many a tooth is broke in cracking them, but never is the stomach filled with eating them.”

- R. Venning

laughingsquid: If First World Problems Could Kill Too true

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:12:56 +0200

laughingsquid:

If First World Problems Could Kill

Too true

“never stop learning” - probably one of my guiding...

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:39:28 +0200

“never stop learning” - probably one of my guiding principles in life.

laughingsquid: The Insanely Great History of Apple Awesome...

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:05:06 +0200

laughingsquid:

The Insanely Great History of Apple

Awesome illustration of Apple’s product history.

adventuresinlearning: 51 Ways to Spark a Commons Revolution by...

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:06:38 +0200

adventuresinlearning:

51 Ways to Spark a Commons Revolution by Yes! Magazine

Here is 10 of them

Money and the Economy

Buy from local, independent businesses whenever possible.

Before buying something at a chain store or online from a distant vendor, see if you can find it or order it from a local merchant. That way, some of your money stays in the community.

Investigate how many things you now pay for could be acquired in more cooperative ways — checking out DVDs at the library, quitting the health club and forming a morning jogging club, etc.

Form a neighborhood exchange to share everything from lawn mowers to childcare to vehicles.

Barter. Trade your skill in baking pies with someone who will fix your computer.

Look into creating a Time Dollars system or locally-based currency.

Organize a Common Security Club. You are not on your own when it comes to economic woes.

Watch where your money goes. How do the stores, companies and financial institutions you use harm or help the commons?

Purchase fair trade, organic and locally made goods from small producers as much as you can.

Some interesting thoughts on growing your local community, mostly through your lifestyle and finances.

quickmeme: Philosoraptor

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 08:53:17 +0200

quickmeme:

Philosoraptor

curiositycounts: After The Story of Stuff and The Story of Cap...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:24:57 +0200

curiositycounts:

After The Story of Stuff and The Story of Cap and Trade, cultural myth-buster Annie Leonard goes after the brokenness of America’s “dinosaur economy” with The Story of Broke

laughingsquid: I Saw It on the Internet First

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:18:15 +0200

laughingsquid:

I Saw It on the Internet First

world-shaker: lhuddles: “All you need are four chords to write...

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 08:46:55 +0200

world-shaker:

lhuddles:

“All you need are four chords to write the greatest song ever written.”

Ladies and gents, the most common chord progression in music.

This…this is…just watch.

Haha..this is actually quite interesting.

Just bought the Steve Jobs biography. Good quote from the book...

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:20:43 +0200

Just bought the Steve Jobs biography. Good quote from the book so far: “The best way to create value is to connect creativity with technology”.