A fascinating new open access article, The Myth of Cognitive Decline: Non-Linear Dynamics of Lifelong Learning. It gets a little dense between the abstract and the conclusion, but basically finds… “… that older adults’ changing performance reflects memory search demands, which escalate as experience grows. … Our results indicate that older adults’ performance on cognitive […]
Archive for March, 2014
‘You’ll believe a nerd can fly!’
Drone with real-time streaming HD video steady-cam + a connected Oculus Rift = flying like a bird. Or, more likely, Drone Races!
Six-inch to the mile OS maps, free
25 Mar 2014 at 19:38
David Haden
Birmingham, Cool sites, Mapping, Stoke-on-Trent
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Six-inch to the mile Ordnance Survey maps, 1842-1952, now free and synced onto Google Maps.
Welcome to the Pleasuredome…
23 Mar 2014 at 19:59
David Haden
Birmingham, Creative industries, Entertainment, Gaming, Techie, Zeitgeist
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Nice to see that the social equivalent of the Oculus Rift is right here in the West Midlands (Shropshire, to be precise). Igloo Technology make HD immersive media domes from 20ft across and larger, complete with special media players and all the kit needed…
March 2014 budget digest
19 Mar 2014 at 22:02
David Haden
Creative industries, Regeneration, Stoke-on-Trent
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A quick look at today’s Budget [full video], from the point of view of the creative industries: * Basic rate tax threshold is put up to £10,500, meaning many artists and bootstrapping startup business owners will pay no income tax. It also seems that the first “£5,000 of savings income” will attract a zero tax […]
Tortoise racing in Birmingham
17 Mar 2014 at 16:33
David Haden
Birmingham, Entertainment, Gaming
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Tortoise racing in Birmingham, 1957.
Talk in Brum: High-End VFX
14 Mar 2014 at 13:54
David Haden
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27th March 2014:High-End VFX for Low-Budget Movies, BIAD, Birmingham City University. Those who can’t attend might take a look at the software HitFilm 2.
Boris bikes it for Brum
12 Mar 2014 at 11:11
David Haden
Bicycles, Birmingham, Regeneration
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There’s a nice proposal for an HS2 cycle path, though I’ve not heard about it before now. Today… “Boris Johnson has added his voice to calls for a cycle route to be built alongside the proposed HS2 high-speed train line from London to Birmingham … A feasibility study is currently under way on the viability […]
MOOC on data journalism
11 Mar 2014 at 00:01
David Haden
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A free MOOC on data journalism, starting 19th May 2014, complete with a lecturer from Birmingham City University (among others).
Loncon
I just found out that the 2014 World Science Fiction Convention is being held in August 2014 in London. The trailer video may be especially interesting to Midlanders who have always rather fancied seeing the perfidious capital attacked by giant monsters, space aliens etc…
JURN.org
To celebrate its fifth birthday my JURN.org academic search-engine has updated its front page, to reflect the fact that it has grown beyond the arts and humanities focus. JURN can now search and access full-text on most academic topics. All open access or otherwise free. Tip: searching using intitle:keyword “key phrase” works very well.
Trees, People and the Built Environment
03 Mar 2014 at 07:39
David Haden
Birmingham, Regeneration, Zeitgeist
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Trees, People and the Built Environment conference, 2nd to 3rd April 2014 in Birmingham. Plus a pre-conference symposium, on a somewhat premature-but-flattering theme, Birmingham, the UK’s First Biophilic City: what it means to the citizen, the health services and urban forestry.
Events page updated for 2014
03 Mar 2014 at 07:33
David Haden
Birmingham, Creative industries, Techie
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D’log West Midlands events listings page updated for 2014. Coming soon… 5th March:We Need To Talk About Subsidy: Television and the UK Film Industry. Birmingham Centre for Cultural & Media Research Group Seminar, Birmingham. 11th – 12th March 2014:Jisc Digital Festival, Birmingham. 20th March 2014:Digital 360, on digital brands in everyday life. Birmingham. 25th March […]
Sidebar links checked and repaired
03 Mar 2014 at 06:28
David Haden
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I’ve checked all of D’log‘s sidebar links by hand and eye, and repaired or deleted if needed.
Mind the Watford Gap
01 Mar 2014 at 18:25
David Haden
Birmingham, Mapping, Reading, Regeneration, Stoke-on-Trent, Teaching
Cameron Neylon has rustled up a useful map of the public libraries in the UK which are set to offer free access to 8,000 commercial paywalled academic ejournals… Very nice if you’re in the leafy Home Counties around London, not so useful for those in the industrial Midlands or the North. Although the use terms […]