Teraknor

By Andrew Smith , The Open University Linux , the most widely used open source operating system in the world, has scored a major publicity coup in the revelation that it is used on 94% of the world’s top 500 supercomputers . Every operating system has technical issues and Linux has not been faultless. But some key technological milestones have been passed in recent years that have made it possible for Linux to quietly assert dominance in the fight for popularity and custom. Apart from the fact that it is free and has been since its creation in 1991 by Linus Torvalds , Linux has many technological advantages that mean other operating systems just can’t beat it. Millions of people all over the world use Microsoft operating systems but how many describe themselves as enthusiasts? Linux users are often really passionate about the open source cause and this is boosting uptake. They argue that it is more secure than main rivals Apple and Microsoft, with technical features that win ...

This is a holding page for Shady Parlour until a full page is commissioned

First lob an intellectual grenade and step back to see how the debris field forms. On Thursday, killing some time as we were waiting for the competitors to finish. I put in a pitch for an article on the pervasiveness of Linux. Penning, on acceptance, before 'end of play' ... this article was ready for release on Friday morning. By early PM, (GMT) ... the article was republished here and here . As you can see from both sites, the debate is raging. With the help of the world skills competitors and my friend Kevin Large. Collectively in less than an hour we created a grenade that has encouraged considerable debate. The irony is that it was the 'Microsoft' day of the competition, where I was writing the article on a Google cloud service (Linux supported), while using a Mac ... go shiny. I am sure the debate will rage for a considerable time, with detractors and fans on both sides. The reality is, as Swift debated the war over the end of an egg in Gulliver. Geek...

Today I had the privilege of sharing and discussing via the medium of Webex my work surrounding 'teaching by twitter and mLearning on various social media platforms. If you would like to see the entire presentation, I would advise that you put aside 75 minutes. There is a little preamble, but it gets going within 90 seconds. I have created an easy shortcut, so you can find the entire Webex session at ...  http://bit.ly/BothoTED The slides are now copied to SlideShare, an embedded copy can be seen below.

Working with the @worldskills crowd is always a good thing and surprisingly something that is often missed by the mass media. Focussed on painting a dim view of our youth. Sometimes relegating these international events to the bottom of the hour slot or as local news, good news item. We have seen some of these souls, show us all that they are the best at what they do and proud (very proud) to represent their country. If your sixteen year old, needs a little motivation, encourage them to go for gold. Medals are out there for carpentry, network engineering and hairdressing, amongst many (many) others. The shame is, that unless our youth get into trouble. The chances are it will not make news. I do feel a sense of pity that my generation and older see fit to treat them this way. So if you see or know a young person working hard at college, give them a pat on the back. 

A well defended diary is a great and wondrous thing and at the moment, it seems that it is taking some considerable effort to fend off the last minute notions of various individuals. So to save confusion, may I offer this helpful guide: Last minute means you are the one with too much time on your hands, because you don't have many demands on your time does not mean that this isn't the case for others. My schedule often fills up six or more weeks in advance. So tomorrow may be free for you, it does not mean that its the same for me. Don't try and give me appointments without checking my availability. If you are the sensitive type and unable to cope with rejection, this will not be a great experience. Online/remote does work, just ask, but try and become familiar with the technology. I will not be your help desk. Yes, it may be urgent, is this because you or someone else has left it too late. Don't doodle then wait ages before announcing the date. It may surpris...

There have been many times when we have needed to explain simplex, half duplex and full duplex. So, using appropriate engineering terminology, we will explore these concepts in terms of 'taking the piss'.* Simplex ... someone who has the piss taken out of them and is unable to reply. Piss taking operates in a single direction broadcast mode. Half Duplex ... someone who will reply, only when you take the piss. Two way piss taking occurs. But only one piss take can be sent at any time from either direction. Full Duplex ... the ultimate in piss taking. Now both parties can simultaneously take the piss without needing to wait for the other side to stop. Education is something that is best shared, please do give this description to a friend today. * If you do not know what taking the piss means, ask your best friend, you may discover that they know and will try this skill out on you.