Count De Money

In regards to all the budget woes, and where are we really with shortfalls and all that... (in diagram form.)

• CBO's description of the budget and shortfalls: revenues and spending in nice pie charts
  
• The year in 4 charts: Best judged diagrams related to our current fiscal status
• The Most Important Graphs of 2011: The Atlantic's list of best descriptors of where we are and how we got here.
  

Open/Closed Offices?

I've always been keen on the open-office layout, new study's are showing that privacy is best for creativity (with quick access to group meeting areas).

• How To Generate A Good Idea: We need private spaces to work, but easy access to group meeting areas.
• In Defense of the Open Plan Office Layout: Yea, there are lots of distractions, but they end up saving time as it increases knowledge flow.
  
• Cubicle wars: Best and worst office setups for tech workers: Review of how open office and closed are good and bad, and which parts we should keep
  
• The Ultimate Software Development Office Layout: Lists of things to think about with your designs, and links to may different other resources
  
• Open Office Layout is Bad for Brain !: Too much stress and distraction in open environments

and on the side note...

• Cloud Ceiling: Worker output boosted by illusion of open sky overhead
  

How to Salvage a Sunken Ship?

With all the news about the wrecked cruse ship Costa Concordia, and the mess it has created, comes an interesting article from the past regarding the huge car transport ship MV Tricolor, who sunk in the English channel and how they salvaged her.

Swarm Builders

IEEE Spectrum discusses how a swarm of quadcopters were able to build an 18 foot tall "tower of foam bricks". Great example of automated construction and swarm tech. Note: Robert Krulwich also writes about this.

Don't Lecture Me

Emily Hanford at American Public Media writes about how collages are rethinking teaching, specifically by coming up with other methods of teaching other then lecturing. A choice quote from Dr. Joe Redish from UM:

"With modern technology, if all there is is lectures, we don't need faculty to do it," Redish says. "Get 'em to do it once, put it on the Web, and fire the faculty."

Emily also wrote a short (7min) report on NPR titled "Physicists Seek To Lose The Lecture As Teaching Tool", and she notes

"But lecturing has never been an effective teaching technique and now that information is everywhere, some say it's a waste of time. Indeed, physicists have the data to prove it."