Workplace Learning in the Digital Age
Dr. Donna Murdoch
Consumers are demanding a faster and cleaner experience as well. That is one of the reasons apps are being used more than mobile web browsers. And of course it also remains true on a computer screen. “As businesses demand faster user experiences, the nature of the internet is going to change.” From GigaOm
IFTTT is one of my favorite services. It is getting particularly interesting as it adds sensor devices to its service. Notice “11 Top IFTTT recipes to Activate Now”, link on the Mashable page. “IFTTT allows apps to communicate with each other through “recipes”. These recipes are simple conditional statements that can sync with your Facebook, Twitter, and more to create some fun automated actions like texting the weather in the mornings and saving your tagged photos to Dropbox.”
Fun article from TNW. I didn’t even think about it, but these could definitely all use a refresh. “What is one everyday device or gadget you’d love to see totally re-engineered by a startup and why?”
I admit, I do get mesmerized by Vines. These are Gizmodos 5 best of the year. “….even though last year’s winners were pretty incredible in their own right, this year’s take it to a whole other level. Apparently, an extra year of six-second shooting practice does a Vine good.”
Google allowed people to buy Google Glass without an invitation today, and marketed it well in advance. They’ve always been great at making people want that invitation – exclusivity works well especially in the tech community. Even Gmail was in beta and required an invitation for longer than I can remember. Google Glass was expensive though. It will be interested to see if figures are released. “So the question is, are there really that many people chomping at the bit for a Glass free-for-all? Did you buy Glass? Did anyone you know buy Glass? Let us know down below.”
Can’t imagine how many phones are stolen every day and how much information is on each one. iPhone tackled this issue years ago with Find My iPhone, but I’m not sure it’s marketed this way. Blackberry always had the feature, since corporations used it and security was always their strongest selling point. Now it looks like we will have a consortium with a standardized kill switch. “To combat phone theft, several lawmakers over the last year have put pressure on manufacturers and wireless carriers to include smarter antitheft technology on smartphones. A group of tech and phone companies on Tuesday said they were on board with the idea.”
Most people think of Dropbox as, well, Dropbox. Since the acquisition of Mailbox.com, they’ve been adding features. This app, as well as a Mac Mailbox app, look promising if as streamlined and functional as their flagship. “At an event in San Francisco, Mailbox founder Gentry Underwood showed off the service, which organizes photos and videos from your camera roll into an app for Android and iOS. A scroll wheel at the bottom of the app lets you move backward and forward in time with a swipe of the thumb. Dropbox says the app is “one place for all your memories.” All photos stored in the app are backed up to Dropbox.”
via Dropbox unveils Carousel for organizing your photos and videos | The Verge.
An ideal way for companies to hunt for talent. Hackathons show a candidate in context – how they collaborate and how they generate ideas. This article from Mashable explains in detail. “For those looking to score a job at a hot tech startup or a coveted spot with a tech behemoth like Facebook or Square, the job search scene has an up-and-coming competitor to the traditional career fair: hackathons.”
The radical prototype airline seat of the future. Looks great, but can’t quite imagine getting to here from where we are now. From Quartz.
The next generation airline seat will know everything about you – Quartz.
There is truly a gap. On one hand, we have articles that speak to the shortage of talent we will have in so many necessary industries. Aerospace and many other technological process companies all have people retiring, jobs that are needed, and skills that will be so difficult to replace. On the other hand, we are focused on filling the new tech jobs: “Now a third wave of startups is sprouting up to tackle the dearth of vocational CS training with intense, in-person training. Companies like The Flatiron School, which I recently invested in, and the Turing School, are teaching students in short-term immersion programs. They tend to attract very motivated students, many of them mid-career in non-technical professions, who spend day and night learning coding over short periods of time. After completing their programs, the students have the technical skills employers are looking for, and they are highly marketable. In fact, Flatiron boasts nearly 100 percent job placement.”
via Changing Our Education System One Programmer At A Time | TechCrunch.
Workplace Learning in the Digital Age 