I'm sure everyone knows by now what a fan I am (see my pictures from his last San Francisco show here). Interesting on his next steps, with a record producer and a real band, at about the 30min mark.
Health issues are, almost by definition, a private matter. However, most people with a serious health issue are anxious to find out as much as they can about the treatment options, side effects, and the issue itself. Although websites such as WebMD appeared early on the web, the appetite for health-related information has only increased. This has led to more and more people reaching out to others on the Internet with similar health issues, and even posting much of their personal experiences on public sites.
Social networking sites like Facebook and Ning exist to connect people with similar experiences and interests, so it was a natural fit that groups would quickly be created and joined by people with specific health issues. Just doing a quick web search for "Facebook" or "Ning" and terms like "spinal" or "paralyzed" turns up dozens of groups, with thousands of members. (See attached screenshots, Health Social Sites.)
Here are some reasons for connecting with other people with similar health issues, even if they are remote and you never meet them face-to-face:
Many common features of social networking sites are the ability to share photos & videos, post items on the discussion board (like a bulletin board), create a shared calendar, publish blogs, and some even have games to add a little in-group competition.
Of course, it's not expected that everyone with similar health issues will have similar other interests. But that's the beauty of these social networking sites; you can easily join multiple groups to cover all of your interests!
Each generation spends more time on-line, and becomes more transparent to others, so groups like these are just the beginning. Ensuring everyone, especially those with a new or newly diagnosed health issue, gets connected to others as quickly as possible should help spread information, prevent isolation, and assist with training. And, most people find spending time on social networking sites fun!
“We hope when they see it, they’ll look at it more like a piece of athletic equipment than sort of medical device,” he says, the latter which can have a negative connotation. In fact, he says some seniors refuse to use mobility aids because they’re ugly, even if they need them.
When you’re applying for a new job, your resume is often used as a fast way to assess whether you look like a good candidate for a position — at least on paper. That’s just as true if you’re looking for a position that allows you to telecommute as it is if you’re looking to work in an office.
But the skills and characteristics that a hiring manager is looking for on a telecommuter’s resume aren’t always the same as when you’re looking for other jobs. Among other things, employers are looking for the following:
- Prior experience. While it’s not always possible for an employer to find an applicant that has already telecommuted, having prior experience can move your resume to the top of the stack. There’s a learning curve that goes along with becoming a telecommuter, and every employer would prefer to hire someone who’s already figured out the nuts and bolts of telecommuting.
Here's all seven listed:
1. Prior experience (at telecommuting)
2. Self-direction
3. Great communication
4. Technical skills
5. Professional objectives
6. Access to (adequate) hardware
7. Your reasons for telecommuting
I haven't interviewed for a job that was starting out telecommuting, but these are all good points. Much of it is just good business sense, anyway.
Disaster recovery: Lessons learned from a volcano
- Date: May 5th, 2010
- Author: Patrick Gray
- Category: General
- Tags: Disaster Planning, Ash, Europe, Disaster, Disaster Recovery, Data Management, Toni Bowers
Like thousands of other travelers, I spent several unplanned days in Europe recently due to the ash cloud spewing from the unpronounceable volcano in Iceland. I joked with friends and colleagues that despite several hundred thousand miles of business travel under my belt, if you asked me to write 50 reasons I would be stuck somewhere for several days, I most likely would not even remotely considered including a volcano on that list.
During the 14-hour drive from the shuttered Paris airport to clearer skies over Madrid in one of the last rental cars in Paris, I contemplated what lessons there were for IT and general disaster planning and recovery to be learned from this incident. There were three broad lessons I learned plotting my escape from the ash cloud that have broad applicability to corporate disaster planning...
read the rest of the post at blogs.techrepublic.com.com
These are good guidelines that your disaster recovery plans probably don't already have defined:
Lesson 1: Focus on outcomes not scenarios
Lesson 2: Provide empowerment
Lesson 3: Have a price tag
Lesson 4: Figure out who to talk to
All good news, we should all play more games!
"What happens with gamers is that something inexplicable happens," Gackenbach explained. "They don't run away, they turn and fight back."
Gackenbach hopes to use the information she's gleaned from studying gamers' reactions to nightmares to see if she can apply it to victims of post-traumatic stress disorder, a symptom of which is usually terrifying dreams. Could video games help control PTSD? That's what she aims to find out.
Our whole world will be a series of games
by John Moe // Posted: 05/19/10 01:29 PM
We’re talking to Jesse Schell on tomorrow’s show. Here’s a video of a speech he gave not that long ago. It’s about what he thinks your future will be. Lots of games but it doesn’t sound all that … fun. You should probably watch this.
I agree it does sound a little… not fun, but I think his thoughts at the end are probably pretty accurate. I think his scenarios are also pretty likely to occur!
brief examples of three different syncing methods: Google Docs, DropBox, and Evernote. I use all three, depending on whether I want to share with others, and the level of collaboration I want to do with others. Note that Evernote is also very easy to use from your smartphone (iPhone), so I think it's the best solution for the scenario of sharing information and document between your computer and phone.
The ash cloud caused by the eruption of a volcano beneath the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier in Iceland has caused travel chaos across much of northern Europe, and the disruption is now stretching into a second week. Airports are closed, flights are grounded, passengers are stranded — and many meetings are being missed.
While in some cases a face-to-face meeting is an absolute necessity, sometimes you can get by using technology. If you’re grounded this week, give these apps a try — they’re all available for very low cost (and some of them are free).
- Skype – For a quick teleconference with a few participants, VoIP service Skype is great. You can use a webcam for video calling, and the latest versions of the software enable screen sharing. The basic Skype service is free, and the client software is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and many mobile devices.
- Dimdim — For larger meetings, you’ll need a more robust web conferencing tool than Skype. My personal favorite is Dimdim, as it’s got a great feature set for a good price. Other tools available include WebEx and GoToMeeting.
- SocialText — Corporate social networking tools are useful for communicating with colleagues and keeping them up-to-date with what you’re working on. SocialText is very full-featured (it’s kind of like Facebook for businesses), but there are other, simpler tools, such as Yammer and present.ly.
- 5pm — A good project management tool can go a long way toward keeping stakeholders informed about the progress of a project, reducing the need for update meetings. I like 5pm as it’s well-designed, but other good options include Basecamp and Wrike.
- OffiSync — The latest version of OffiSync (a nifty little program that allows you to sync Office documents using a Google Docs account) allows for document co-authoring — which means that two or more people can work simultaneously on the same document. While it’s never going to be as good as being in the same room with your co-workers, if you need to collaborate on a document remotely, it’s worth trying. Free.
- Tungle — Need to reschedule your meeting? Free app Tungle will help you find a time that’s convenient for everyone.
Are you affected by the ash cloud? What are you doing about it?
Photo courtesy Flickr user thorvaldurkarl, licensed under CC
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I can also recommend Vyew and Google Wave, as well as Google Docs, with all of their new collaborative features (like incorporating EtherPad!).
Dear visitors from Google. This site is not Facebook. This is a website called ReadWriteWeb that reports on news about Facebook and other Internet services. You can however click here and become a Fan of ReadWriteWeb on Facebook, to receive our updates and learn more about the Internet. To access Facebook right now, click here. For future reference, type "facebook.com" into your browser address bar or enter "facebook" into Google and click on the first result. We recommend that you then save Facebook as a bookmark in your browser.
okay, this is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. Apparently, this article in ReadWriteWeb is being found via Google by people looking for Facebook's login. They had to post the above paragraph to redirect them. The comments are adorable, and a little frightening, as you realize many of these folks seem to think Facebook is "the Internet".
Maybe "our Internet" is safer this way?…
I like this article, and love the (doctored) picture! But what connections would I give up? It could only work if I could just specify exactly what I need (and will need).
Still, a great picture, and good points. I just picked one out a couple of months ago, and after spec'ing out the inputs I wanted, speaker support, and the upconvert technology, then it was narrowed down pretty well already. Well, and price...
"According to the Federation of Small Businesses, transportation difficulties kept an estimated 10 percent of the workforce home on January 5 and 6, and thousands of schools were closed. Forecasters warned that frigid temperatures could linger for up to a week. Eurostar was operating at a reduced capacity and airports remained open although passengers could expect delays."
Very cool pictures, but I wonder what all of these affected businesses are doing?
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