Map of the Internet 1.0
The9988, Deviant Art, January 31, 2014

A nice detailed map of the internet. It's worth exploring in some depth because of the wealth of detail. Don't forget to look at the ocean currents. "This poster includes one full map of the internet, 4 minimaps showcasing NSA surveillance, most used social networks, most used internet browser, and worldwide internet penetration, list of Alexa Top 500 websites, quick timeline of the Internet History, top software companies and much more!P.S. if you are asking, misspelling of "bussiness ocean" is actually intended. One of the many inside jokes on the map."

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4 Lessons We Can Learn from the "Failure" of MOOCs
Andrew Miller, Edutopia, January 31, 2014

"Let's be clear," writes Andrew Miller, "that MOOCs are just one part of the so-called online learning revolution." But even the so-called failure of MOOCs can teach us some lessons, he says. Like what? Retain the human element, foster collaboration, and provide ongoing feedback, for starters. Finally, he argues, "blended is best." This all sounds reasonable - but wait. Aren't all of these just things MOOCs aren't? Has he actually tracked the failure of MOOCs to these causes? No - it's more like he's saying "well the new way didn't work, so that shows we need to go back to the old way." But, first, it's not clear that MOOCs have failed, and second, it's not at all clear that personal hand-holding and the traditional classroom will rescue them. Sometimes jumping out of the fire lands you right back into the frying pan.

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Matthew Hancock speech on education technology at BETT show
Matthew Hancock, Gov.UK, January 31, 2014

So I actually think this is a pretty good speech (is this because Joe Wilson said it was good? Would I have had a different view if I went into reading it having been told it was bad? - these are questions we all have to ask). He refers to FELTAG, the Further Education Learning Technology Action Group, created "to to encourage a public conversation on the draft ideas that emerged during the FELTAG discussions to help inform the response to these recommendations." Anyhow, some highlights fom the speech:

• Scientists in Australia resurrected a frog species that had been extinct for 20 years - that gives birth through its mouth.
• A Japanese inventor designed a light that fits inside your nose - and lights up, every time you breathe.
• Researchers in the USA managed to give a mouse false memories - making it react to an electric shock it didn’t receive.

Be sure to read Wilson's summary as well - lots of links and good overview discussion.

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Perl based open source products
Gabor Szabo, Perl Maven, January 31, 2014

Sometime people wonder why I use Perl when there are so many new languages available. Part of it is habit, of course, but part of it is that Perl is an excellent language for building web-based applications. The proof is in the progeny. This is a page listing a large number of Perl-based applications (I will eventually ask them to add gRSShopper, but it's still too difficult to install). You'll recognize many old favorites in there, new and old - Bugzilla, LiveJournal, Twiki, Majordomo, AWstats, Spamassassin, ePrints, Social Text.

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