OLDaily

The Epistemology of Maps
Quill R. Kukla, PhilArchive, 2021/08/04

This paper (23 page docx) explores "three distinctive kinds of epistemic risks in map-making that generate special versions of the demarcation problem... aesthetic risk, categorization risk, and simplification risk." The discussion of the sorts of things that can go right and go wrong in map-making is fascinating in its own right, but also, can (and should) be applied to our understanding of representation in general. This is important because to teach is essentially to represent a discipline, to (if you will) provide learners with a map of a certain domain of study. And just like map-making in general, there's no one best way to do it, and no one best map of any given domain.

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Uncover emerging trends and practices
InfoQ, 2021/08/04

This is just a conference ad, so you should ignore most of the content, and focus in on the diagram illustrated (large version here) on emerging software trends and innovations. I cover most of these topics in OLDaily; it's easier to say which ones I don't cover (specifically: anything to do with Java (just not interested), Rust (because I haven't learned it yet), WASM (ditto), eBPF and Kafka). That is not to say I am claiming to be an expert in the rest, or even to have any sort of detailed knowlege. No, it's just to say I'm interested in them and think that there's something in there worth watching. Pro tip: if you don't recognize something in the chart, take a couple minutes and google it.

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From Oslo pram guy to the teenage vacuum expert: inside the obsessive world of niche online reviewers
Amelia Tait, The Guardian, 2021/08/04

This topic may appear at first glance to stretch the concept of 'online learning' a bit too far, but I think that it points to some important trends I think educators should note. These product reviewers are building a sustainability model already proven by publications such as Consumer Reports - they are independent, not supported by advertisers, and rely on reader subscriptions. However, these subscriptions are voluntary, which means the entire community benefits from the content. This wide readership also acts as a guarantor that the reviews are trustworthy. This model, though, depends on a viewership informed enough to be able to discern the markers of reliable reviews, as opposed to advertising, product placement, and reviewer bias or skew. (Note: sometimes the Guardian demands you login to view an article; it didn't make this demand of me for this item, but as we've seen here before publishers are now using AI to decide whether or not to employ paywalls or spamwalls).

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