Cyberpsyche

Things have changed a not over the last few years. Once the net, was the preserve of the few. Talking about servers, hosts and site, let alone html or mail, was unusual. It looks like we are entering a new generation of technology, that isn't lost on the technologists. Some like Thomas W Malone or MIT believe that the current communications revolution is going to change the world as much as mass literacy. His research predicts the future of work is one where more business is done Peer-to-Peer.
What is interesting about his view is he likens it to what has happened in government, as communication has improved less social stratification is needed.

I've known about the Asterisk PBX for some time, but never really thought what it could do for me. This demonstration video shows the basics of how it might be used at home, it briefly includes:

• Call handling: processing calls recieved in different ways.
  

Of all the practices of eXtreme Programming perhaps the most contentious is pair programming. Partly because not everyone likes pair programming, but also to some managers it is counter-intuitive: how can doubling up resources on a task be more efficient?

There is evidence to suggest that not only pair programming more
productive , but the system has more longevity. Through collaborative learning the design improves. My experience with pair programming is that although it is harder work it is more rewarding.

Sometimes, not matter how good the people are in a team, they don't seem to be effective. One reason for this is communication. In software information is needed to get systems working, and rarely is a specification good enough. In the last few years in Agile practices more has been made about forming Communities of Practice. This is the growing tread of recognising the in-formal communication that occurs in effective organisations. Recognising Communities or creating communities within organisation not only promotes good knowledge transfer, but encourages inter-departmental cooperation/colaboration. This improves the working environment. One sign of of a dysfunctional organistaions is inter-departmental feuds.

Old christian church Originally uploaded by andygavin.

If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses. --- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Sternberg in his book argues that the traditional notion of intelligence should be redefined to include successes. He lists some of the reasons why people who are generally thought of as intelligent fail:

Just heard two brilliant guitarists: Rodrigo y Gabriela. On Myspace they list their influences as: Metallica, Megadeth, Slipnot, Shadows Fall, Mastodon. They also consider themselves indie. This might be so, but it sounds very different: the blend of indie and traditional Mexican playing has produced something entirely different. They are undeniably talented, and I'd think have much larger appeal than their influences: which may be an irony to some. It looks like a live show not to be missed.