Stephen Downes

Not a bad post drawing similarities between game design, instruction and leadership, all leading toward a concept Clark Aldrich calls 'experiential leadership' (because everyone knows new leadership theories are where the big money is). The best bit is the chart comparing aspects and timelines of the three; it's worth a critical look. Today: Total: Clark Aldrich, 2026/07/10 [Direct Link]

I've argued at length over the years in favor of network organization of, well, everything. It's important to understand what this entails. This article offers a good list (quoted): adaptability instead of control; contribution before credentials; giving first, not taking; resilience and redundancy instead of rock stardom; diversity and divergence rather than the usual suspects and forced agreement; intricacy and flow, not bottlenecks and hoarding; self-organization and emergence rather than permission and the pursuit of perfection; shift focus from core to the periphery; from working in isolation to working with others and/or out loud; from “Who’s the Leader?” to “We’re the Leaders!" I know, it's a long list, and your internal sense of value resists mightily giving up power, control and wealth. But ask - who made you value these things? How well are they serving you? Today: Total: Curtis Ogden, Network Weaver, 2026/07/10 [Direct Link]

Almost the only resource LinkedIn is showing me these days (as, I think, it tries to make mobile web browsing useless) is some or another claim that your AI model needs structured data (such as semantic graphs or ontologies) in order to work. This article isn't one of the LinkedIn articles (it's an email subscription) but it carries similar advice. I disagree. Yes, you should provide your AI with a lot of context. But the context doesn't need to be structured like computer code. Today: Total: Amar Dhaliwal, valueIQ's Newsletter, valueIQ, 2026/07/10 [Direct Link]

It should always be understood that indicators such as this don't actually measure, they instead promote a specific agenda and then rank accordingly. Such is the case with the Economist's Most Livable Cities index, which includes access to private health care and access to private education as among its desirable features. This link is too the actual report, not the magazine's (paywalled) summary or some other overview. Today: Total: Economist, 2026/07/09 [Direct Link]

Good article (and not excessively wordy, which is a treat in the current environment) outlining challenges and trends in research infrastructure procurement. The core challenge isn't technology, it's confidence - how can you make major decisions in such a rapidly changing environment? The trend is toward hybrid infrastructure, allowing partners to opt for capability according to their own current needs. Good link near the end to a resource on mapping federation journeys. Today: Total: Sara Moverley, JISC, 2026/07/09 [Direct Link]

"Who retains the capacity for independent thought, and who controls the conditions under which others get to. The capacity to think clearly is stratifying by nation, by literacy, by wealth." So writes Ian O'Byrne. He's not wrong, but we need to understand that the answer isn't to go backwards - that takes us to a time when disparities were even worse. Still, the question of who gets to have agency, and ergo the education that makes it possible, is a fundamental social justice question. Today: Total: Ian O'Byrne, Digitally Literate, 2026/07/09 [Direct Link]