The cult of TED

Once a select forum of the great and good, the Technology Entertainment and Design (TED) conference now has millions of avid online fans. How did an elite ideas-sharing gathering go mainstream?

Falling animals, misbehaving toddlers and footage of Justin Bieber may populate the bulk of any YouTube most-viewed list.

But amid the viral clips and pop music promos is a series of videos that seems to go against all received wisdom about what online audiences like to consume.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18511696

The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLF6sAAMb4s&feature=youtube_gdata_player

How to successfully teach young and older workers new tricks

Since the economy, regrettably, has given older workers cause to defer retirement, workplaces are suddenly finding themselves accommodating a wide range of ages. This has ramifications for companies that are looking at offering technology training – but not because, as conventional wisdom might have it, Boomers are technologically averse. Successful training across generations is a matter of picking the right approach, and recognizing how changing demographics will affect your workplace.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-digital/web-strategy/how-to-successfully-teach-young-and-older-workers-new-tricks/article4310647/

Slow down. Savour your work

The slow food movement has caught people’s attention, with the lure of healthier eating. What about slow work, for a healthier, more balanced life?

Peter Bacevice, a senior consultant at workplace consulting firm DEGW in New York and an aficionado of slow food, thinks that concept translates well to the workplace. “If we let people work at a pace consistent with their own cognitive capacity, we’ll have a healthier and more productive work force,” he says in an interview.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/life-at-work/slow-down-savour-your-work/article4262792/

How I learned to shut up and listen to constructive criticism

My knee-jerk reaction to receiving negative feedback has always been the immediate and aggressive pursuit of personal vindication. Like a rabid defence lawyer in the court of Me, I deflect, make excuses, question the aptitude of my accuser – anything to avoid taking responsibility for my actions. At least, this is what my dollar-store psychology degree tells me is going on. Before embarking on my quest to openly accept and learn from constructive criticism, I opted to get some advice from the experts.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/how-i-learned-to-shut-up-and-listen-to-constructive-criticism/article4271422/

Microsoft 'to launch tablet to compete with iPad'

Event invitation to journalists leads to speculation that Microsoft plans to take on Apple's dominance with own-brand tablet

Microsoft is to launch an own-brand tablet running a new version of Windows in a bit to compete with Apple's iPad, according to rumours swirling in the technology industry.

An invitation to an event in Los Angeles on Monday evening sent out by the software giant at the last minute on Thursday to a broad range of journalists – but lacking even venue details – has led to widespread expectation that Steve Ballmer's company is now ready to take on Apple's dominance in the tablet market.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jun/17/microsoft-tablet-compete-ipad-apple?CMP=twt_fd

No thanks, boss, I brought my own laptop

Employees not only want to use their preferred smartphone on the job, they are starting to use their computer of choice, a trend called bring-your-own-device to work, which often favours Apple devices.

Company-issued PCs and mobile phones are being challenged by some employees who argue they work more efficiently on their own devices, say experts.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/life-at-work/no-thanks-boss-i-brought-my-own-laptop/article4235824/