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Apr 3, 2009

April Fool’s Roundup — 2009

Posted by Kent Anderson under Experimentation, Reading, Social Role, Uncategorized | Tags: , , |
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April Fools day 2008
Image by juque via Flickr

Given the huge interest in our April Fool’s post about the publishing conglomerate SPEW, our Friday Fun this week will be a rundown of some of the best mischief achieved that day around the Web (apparently, there was plenty to go around):

Overall, it was a fun day, a reminder that creativity, mischief, and humor are plentiful, even in tough times.

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Oct 17, 2008

A Debate for the Ages

Posted by Kent Anderson under Historical, Sociology, Uncategorized
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It’s time for a little Friday Fun! (And please take the quick poll at the bottom of this post to let me know how you like these frivolous, sometimes random posts.)

In case you missed any of the recent US Presidential debates, here is a video that captures it all pretty well, in a surprisingly stylish and relevant manner. Apparently, this was truly a debate for the ages!

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May 25, 2008

Nail That Presentation!

Posted by Kent Anderson under Authors, Education, Research, Uncategorized
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As the SSP’s Annual Meeting approaches, many people will be gearing up to make an important presentation, and audiences will enter hoping to be inspired, informed, and impressed.

Scott Hanselman has a great post on how to give a great presentation. Since he mostly gives technical presentations, some of this points are heavily flavored with these types of tips, but most are right on the money for nearly anybody preparing to speak.

You might also enter the World’s Best Presentation Contest.

And you might draw inspiration from the deceptively phlegmatic presentation by Dick Hardt about Identity 2.0.

Good luck, presenters! See you in Boston!

 

Mar 19, 2008

Reinventing the CDC via Mashups?

Posted by Kent Anderson under Social Media, Tools, World of Tomorrow | Tags: |
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US (the CDC) has always been a network. It’s role is important and impressive. But can disease surveillance be accomplished in new ways?

An interesting site is http://www.whoissick.org, where people stricken by illnesses major or minor can register their conditions. Not every individual report is reliable, of course, and a commune of hypochondriacs could really distort the data, but it’s a pretty interesting mash-up.

A more robust map mash-up (HealthMap) from the Children’s Hospital Informatics Program in Boston follows the news, so the reports are more legitimate and well-described.

If widely adopted and used, these types of sites – both automated and social networked – could change how epidemiology occurs, and what we look at before we plan a trip (i.e., nervous about going to Fluville?).

 

Mar 18, 2008

Charlie Rose – A Tech Die-Hard (Almost!)

Posted by Kent Anderson under Technology, Tools, Uncategorized
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According to TechCrunch, Charlie Rose, the unflappable interviewer, apparently chose a face-plant over risking damage to his newly purchased MacBook Air. Walking down a street in New York City and tripping, he ended up looking like this, and his computer survived unscathed, except for some bloodstains. Rose is apparently quite a technophile, and loves gadgets. QED, Mr. Rose.

I’d rather fight than drop my MacBook Air