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sexta-feira, 25 de abril de 2014

Cellphones ignite a 'reading revolution' in poor countries

At http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/23/5643058/mobile-phone-reading-illiteracy-developing-countries-unesco

A new study from UNESCO raises hopes of combatting illiteracy with mobile technology

By Amar Toor on April 23, 2014 12:00 pm

Illiteracy isn't a major issue for much of the Western world, but it remains endemic in many developing countries, where incomes are low and books are scarce. That may be changing, though, thanks to the spread of mobile technologies that have made books more accessible than ever before — something that UNESCO, in a new report, describes as a veritable "reading revolution."

The report, released today, examines the reading habits of nearly 5,000 mobile-phone users in seven countries — Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe — where the average illiteracy rate among children is 20 percent, and 34 percent among adults. (The US, by comparison, has an adult illiteracy rate of around three percent.) UNESCO describes the survey as the largest ever undertaken on mobile reading in the developing world, and its results are encouraging: people are reading more, they're reading to their children, and they're hungry for more content.

"A key conclusion from this study is that mobile devices can help people develop, sustain and enhance their literacy skills," lead author Mark West, of UNESCO, said in a statement. "This is important because literacy opens the door to life-changing opportunities and benefits."

The study was based on questionnaires and telephone interviews with people who use an app from Worldreader — a San Francisco-based nonprofit that distributes e-books in low-income countries. The organization delivers Kindles to under-equipped classrooms, while its app allows users to choose from over 6,000 (mostly free) e-books on low-end feature phones. Today, the app has more than 300,000 monthly active users in developing countries, and Worldreader says it's delivered nearly 1.7 million e-books since its launch in 2010.

"We're working in parts of the world where historically, books haven't really arrived," says Susan Moody, director of communications at Worldreader. Technology has changed all that, Moody adds, and it's already having an impact. "If you bring a library of books to places where books haven't arrived, they'll read more, they'll comprehend more, and they'll grow into a culture of reading."

There is evidence to suggest that mobile technology can improve literacy test scores, though UNESCO's study focuses on the behaviors and demographics of users in developing countries, in the hopes of better understanding how and why they read. More than 62 percent of those surveyed said they enjoy reading more after they started reading on mobile devices, and one-third said they use their phones to read to their children (an additional third said they would do so if more child-friendly books were available). The survey also shed light on important gender-based differences. Although the vast majority of mobile readers are male (77 percent), women actually devote far more time to reading: 277 minutes per month, on average, compared to just 33 minutes for men.

"Simply put, once women are exposed to mobile reading, they tend to do it a lot," the report reads, underscoring the potential benefits that digital books could yield for female literacy. Among the estimated 770 million illiterate adults in the world today, nearly two-thirds are women, and female education still carries a cultural stigma in many poor countries.

Somewhat surprisingly, 60 percent of respondents cited a desire for more diverse reading options as the primary hurdle to reading on mobile devices, while only 18 percent cited cost. This largely reflects the fact that Worldreader's app doesn't consume a lot of data; Moody says it can deliver 1,000 pages of text for about two to three cents, far cheaper than a physical book. And a surge in broadband connectivity has made them easier to access. The UN estimates that around 6 billion people have access to mobile phones today (compared to the 4.5 billion who have access to a toilet) and broadband mobile connections have seen tremendous growth in developing... ( more at http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/23/5643058/mobile-phone-reading-illiteracy-developing-countries-unesco )




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O artigo FROM MODERN CHESS TO LIQUID GAMES: AN APPROACH BASED ON THE CULTURAL STUDIES FIELD TO STUDY THE MODERN AND THE POST-MODERN EDUCATION ON PUNCTUAL ELEMENTS pode ser acessado pelo endereço:  http://periodicos.unesc.net/index.php/criaredu/article/view/1437
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sexta-feira, 28 de março de 2014

A genetic atlas of human admixture history

At http://www.admixturemap.paintmychromosomes.com/

This interactive map summarizes the results described in the paper "A genetic atlas of human admixture history", Hellenthal et al, Science (2014). This help page gives a brief summary of the content and structure of the page. (We also suggest reading the FAQ and the tutorial accessible under the 'Historical event' menu.) To begin, click on a labelled population on the map (or select one from the "Target" drop-down menu at top). You will see displayed details of past admixture events which we infer to have occurred in forming that population.

For simple admixture events (two source populations admixing at a single point in time) or in "mixing coefficients" view, coloured circles or pie charts on the map depict the inferred genetic make-up of the two (blue and orange) admixing sources involved in the event for the selected population. The real admixing sources will not usually have been sampled, but we infer details of their DNA make-up. To do this, the DNA of each of the two source populations is represented in terms of a mixture of segments of DNA shared with sampled "donor" populations displayed on the map, with the area of each circle (or slice of a pie) proportional to the mixing coefficients for that donor.

For complex admixture events (involving admixture between more than two sources, possibly at different times), in "contrasts" view squares depict the differences in inferred genetic make-up between the two sources, with the area of each square proportional to the amount by which the given "donor" population more greatly represents (shares DNA segments with) one source over the other. (These differences tend to be more stably estimated than the mixing coefficients that we present as circles in these more complex cases.)

The box on the right provides more details about the event depicted, including the estimated date of the admixture event, the total estimated proportion of admixture from the first (orange) source, and our conclusion ("no admixture", "one date", "one date, multiway", or "multiple dates"). In the box, "side 1" depicts donor populations involved in the mixture describing the orange source and "side 2" depicts donor populations involved in the mixture describing the blue source. Coancestry curves are shown for all pairs of donor populations whose tick-boxes are selected (unless "no curves" is indicated next to the donor population), with black lines the raw data and green lines the fit under the given date(s) and proportion(s) of admixture.

For some populations, we conducted multiple analyses and/or inferred multiple events in a single analysis. For such populations, our results for each analysis and each event are given, and you can toggle between these results using the drop-down menu under "Analysis". The analysis selected by default is the "full" analysis that uses all populations as potential donors.

In the "Historical event" drop-down menu, we also provide a tutorial on how to use the site, followed by a selection of historical interpretations of admixture signals we see - many of which are shared among several groups. Each event provides text describing our genetic inference and how it might relate to historically attested events, as well as allowing users to click individually on all groups related to the described... ( more at http://www.admixturemap.paintmychromosomes.com/ )




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quarta-feira, 19 de março de 2014

Best and Worst Words to Use in a Résumé

At http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?sd=3%2f13%2f2014&siteid=cbpr&sc_cmp1=cb_pr809_&id=pr809&ed=12%2f31%2f2014

Hiring Managers Rank Best and Worst Words to Use in a Résumé in New CareerBuilder Survey

CHICAGO – March 13, 2014 – One in six (17 percent) hiring managers spend 30 seconds or less, on average, reviewing résumés, according to a new CareerBuilder survey. A majority (68 percent) spend less than two minutes. With so little time to capture interest, even a candidate’s word choice can make a difference. The nationwide sample of employers identified which commonly-used résumé terms are overused or cliché and which are strong additions.

The national survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from November 6 to December 2, 2013, and included a representative sample of 2,201 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

“Hiring managers prefer strong action words that define specific experience, skills and accomplishments,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Subjective terms and clichés are seen as negative because they don’t convey real information. For instance, don’t say you are ‘results-driven’; show the employer your actual results.”

The Worst Résumé Terms

The following terms are résumé turn-offs as selected by respondents:

1. Best of breed: 38 percent

2. Go-getter: 27 percent

3. Think outside of the box: 26 percent

4. Synergy: 22 percent

5. Go-to person: 22 percent

6. Thought leadership: 16 percent

7. Value add: 16 percent

8. Results-driven: 16 percent

9. Team player: 15 percent

10. Bottom-line: 14 percent

11. Hard worker: 13 percent

12. Strategic thinker: 12 percent

13. Dynamic: 12 percent

14. Self-motivated: 12 percent

15. Detail-oriented: 11 percent

16. Proactively: 11 percent

17. Track record: 10 percent

The Best Résumé Terms

There are, however, several strong verbs and terms candidates can use to help describe their experience. The following are terms employers would like to see on a résumé:

1. Achieved: 52 percent

2. Improved: 48 percent

3. Trained/Mentored: 47 percent

4. Managed: 44 percent

5. Created: 43 percent

6. Resolved: 40 percent

7. Volunteered: 35 percent

8. Influenced: 29 percent

9. Increased/Decreased: 28 percent

10. Ideas: 27 percent

11. Negotiated: 25 percent

12. Launched: 24 percent

13. Revenue/Profits: 23 percent

14. Under budget: 16 percent

15. Won: 13 percent

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the... ( more at http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?sd=3%2f13%2f2014&siteid=cbpr&sc_cmp1=cb_pr809_&id=pr809&ed=12%2f31%2f2014 )

About CareerBuilder®

CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com®, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors and 1 million jobs. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing everything from labor market intelligence to talent management software and other recruitment solutions. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit www.careerbuilder.com.

Media Contact

Ryan Hunt

773-527-6923

Ryan.Hunt@careerbuilder.com

http://www.twitter.com/CareerBuilderPR


CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com


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quinta-feira, 6 de fevereiro de 2014

Why John Carmack quit id Software

At http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02-05-why-john-carmack-quit-id-software

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published Wednesday, 5 February 2014

1

John Carmack quit id Software because parent company ZeniMax Media wouldn't agree to let games he was working on appear on the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.

In an interview with USA Today, developer legend Carmack revealed he would have stayed at id if he had been allowed to make the likes of Wolfenstein: The New Order and Doom 4 work on the Oculus Rift.

Carmack, who last year joined Oculus VR as chief technological officer, said of the proposed deal: "It would have been a huge win.

"It seemed like a sensible plan for me."

ZeniMax declined comment when approached by USA Today.

Carmack announced in August that he had joined Oculus VR but insisted at the time he would work at both the headset maker and at id Software. Later, in November, he said he had quit id - the studio he co-founded in 1991 - to work at Oculus full-time.

But if ZeniMax had approved his proposal, Carmack would have continued to work at both id and Oculus, Carmack said.

"I would have been content probably staying there working with the people and technology that I know and the work we were doing," he said.

"But they couldn't come together on that which made me really sad. It was just unfortunate. When it became clear that I wasn't going to have the opportunity to do any work on VR while at id Software, I decided to not renew my contract."

As for id, its annual QuakeCon event is set for July this year. Will Carmack make an... ( more at http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-02-05-why-john-carmack-quit-id-software )

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sábado, 3 de agosto de 2013

When Lousy Code Strikes, Google Dispatches Its Elite ‘Gopher Team’

At http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/07/gopher/?mbid=social10246204


Brad Fitzpatrick was using the most routine bit of Google software you can imagine when the damn thing stalled. The download was 99 percent done and just stopped. Download stalls happen every day, but Fitzpatrick took it personally. He's an engineer at Google, one of the most tech-savvy companies on the planet. This simply isn't supposed to happen.

"It was embarrassing that Google couldn't serve a 1k file," Fitzpatrick said, telling the story last week at an open-source conference in Portland, Oregon. "So I bitched about it on our internal Google+ site."

He was not alone. People had been complaining for years about the unreliability of the dl.google.com system, an invaluable bit of software that handles just about everything you might download from Google, from Chrome browser install files to the Android source code to tiny shared JavaScript libraries.

The problem was the software underpinning the file server system was more than five years old. It had simply languished.

"If code doesn't receive constant love it turns to shit," Fitzpatrick said.

The original C++ code wasn't well documented, its automated tests weren't up to snuff and no one really knew how it was supposed to work. People kept making incremental changes, resulting in a patchwork programmers refer to as "spaghetti code." The unreliability was driving the server operations team crazy, but no one had time to rewrite something that technically worked. So Fitzpatrick volunteered to do it. That's the kind of thing he does at Google, where he's part of an team of about 25 engineers creating a custom programming language called Go.

"It took them a while to realize I wasn't being flippant," he said.

Fitzpatrick was only too happy to spend time re-writing something that technically worked — for another team, no less — because he needs guinea pigs. Fixing that bit of a code was a great opportunity to use Go and test it in a real-world system.

Go started as a Google-only project, but it's been branching out. It was created by computer science veterans Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike and Ken Thompson. Thompson is the co-creator of the Unix operating system and the godfather of the C programming language. Pike worked with Thompson at Bell Labs. Griesemer is known or his work on Java compilers.

Dennis Ritchie (standing) and Ken Thompson with a PDP-11, circa 1972. Photo: Bell Labs

Go sought to combine the ability to handle a massive number of concurrent users — like the quirky telco language Erlang or the trendy server side JavaScript platform Node.js — with the speed of a language like C++. A distributed file server system that handles a massive number of simultaneous downloads from all over the world is exactly the sort of thing Go should excel at.

And it does, according to Fitzpatrick.

The new dl.google.com software contains fewer lines of code, uses less memory and, most importantly, is more reliable, he says. But he also learned a lot about the language along the way, and built a new open source caching library. He also discovered a few deficiencies in the Go language.

"I'm glad I was the first person to experience certain pain points," he said in an interview after his talk at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention. The team was able to make many improvements to the way the language handles clustering and file transfers. The project was such a success that the Go team now regularly volunteers to help other teams with small projects. Even Griesemer pitches in. This "gopher team" has assisted the search team, the Chrome team and the customer survey team and others that Fitzpatrick isn't allowed to talk about.

The gophers help out wherever they can, but they're not advocating a complete takeover by the language. Some teams want to keep using the languages that they've been using. The teams are also sensitive to duplicate work.

"We try to use existing open source software whenever possible," says Chris DiBona, Google's open source manager. That means using the best software for the job, regardless of whether it's written in Java, Python or something else entirely. That's fine with Fitzpatrick.

"Our primary job with Go is make Google more efficient," he says.

The language still isn't widely used outside of Google, but it's notched a few converts.

Former VMware CTO of cloud platforms Derek Collison believes the language is the future of the cloud. "The management layers and infrastructure layers of the newer technologies that provide this cloud delivery model?" he told us earlier this year. "Within two years, a majority will be written in Go."

Couchbase, an open source database that powers applications for companies like Zynga and NTT DoCoMo, is written partially in Go. Its developers have also written parts of the system in Erlang, C and C++. But Go provides the best of both worlds, says Couchbase software architect J. Chris Anderson. "We've found that Go offers a concurrency model almost as powerful as Erlang, but with a developer friendly type system," he... ( more at http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/07/gopher/?mbid=social10246204 )
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terça-feira, 2 de julho de 2013

Hired by an algorithm: Entelo gets $3.5M to expand data-based recruiting

At http://gigaom.com/2013/06/19/hired-by-an-algorithm-entelo-gets-3-5m-to-expand-data-based-recruiting/

Jun. 19, 2013 - 4:00 AM PDT




Summary:

Professionals are generating an ever-growing pool of public data that sends signals about their skills — and their availability. A start-up has made a business of parsing that data for tech firms, and now wants to expand to academe and other professions.

Workers in fields like technology and academia are posting more information about their professional lives online, creating a pool of public data that can be machine-sifted to find job candidates.

That's the idea behind Entelo, a start-up that believes algorithms can replace much of the heavy lifting performed by recruiters and HR departments. The San Francisco-based company, whose clients include Yelp and Square, parses millions of data points to create what amounts to a "professional graph" for thousands of skilled employees.

As my colleague Derrick Harris explained, Entelo's data-aggregation software combs through sites like Github and LinkedIn to find job candidates who are likely to be not just qualified, but also available (a burst of online activity is one of the strongest signals someone is ready to move).

Entelo now has over 80 paying clients and ten full-time employees, and on Wednesday it announced a $3.5 million funding round led by Battery Ventures with the participation of Menlo Ventures. The company will use the cash to expand its engineering operations and, eventually, to push into new professional verticals beyond tech.

In a phone interview, CEO Jon Bischke explained: "The recruiting industry is broken because some people don't know companies are looking to hire them while others are being constantly being bothered by recruiters when they don't want to move."

Bischke says Entelo's value is easy to demonstrate to clients because they can simply contrast its ROI versus other forms of recruiting. As for pricing, the company rejects the "pay for success" model typically used by head-hunters; instead, it charges clients $6,000 per license to use its search engine and predictive analytics... ( more at http://gigaom.com/2013/06/19/hired-by-an-algorithm-entelo-gets-3-5m-to-expand-data-based-recruiting/ )

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domingo, 23 de junho de 2013

VIDEO: This Is Your Life in Jelly Beans

At http://mashable.com/2013/06/22/life-jelly-beans-video/

Serious introspection usually doesn't come in sugary form, but that's what makes this video so sweet. Using candy, Ze Frank has created a visual representation of the average American's lifetime. One jelly bean equals one day, 28,835 beans... ( VIDEO and more at http://mashable.com/2013/06/22/life-jelly-beans-video/ )
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