Philosophy from Fiction: Opinions

Now on my third re-reading of this worthy and highly underrated tome:

All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated, and well-supported in logic and argument than others.

The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time. Douglas Adams. ISBN 0-330-41843-2, p. 98


My next quest will be to try to locate a copy of The Experts Speak (Christopher Cerf and Victor Navasky) as recommended by the sadly missed Douglas.

Professional Development: A missed opportunity

"School" goes back tomorrow, but only for staff in NSW government schools; the kids go back the next day. This is to allow teachers and other school staff to be professionally developed in a "student-free" environment.

At my place of employment they are having a whole day lecture for the local learning community (the high school plus the surrounding primary schools) on Brain Based Learning. Colour me surprised! Just shows how little I know - I thought *all* learning occurred in the brain.

So anyway, in the hope that I would not be professionally disadvantaged in comparison with my classroom colleagues, I did a little research and reading from the 'net. I found the following recent article particularly enlightening:

Brain-(not) Based Education: Dangers of Misunderstanding and Misapplication of Neuroscience Research : " ... Oversimplification or inappropriate interpretation of complex neuroscience research is widespread among curricula claiming that brain-based approaches are effective for improved learning and retention ..."

Wordle Fun

Click on image for enlargement.

http://www.wordle.net/

Inspiring Websites

Check out http://www.limeandtonic.com/sydney/en/index.php for excellence in website design. If I was giving out prizes, this one would be a "first place" for innovation, use of coding, originality, etc etc etc. Purists shouldn't pay too much attention to the content (I didn't, but then I was looking for something else) - just the website design.

Imagine that level of digital excellence and creativity transferred to a library/book/author website. Or maybe just the capacity to purchase the necessary software and the intestinal fortitude to run with something so far removed from the "industry standard".

(Actually, JK Rowlings' site fulfils the above criteria - and look how brilliant that site is. By golly, don't you wonder how many books she might have sold if it were not for that website? Yeah, OK ... stretching it a little bit there.)

Not so smart - Google Maps

It's brilliant in so many ways; not to mention plug-ins like Google Earth. But it does seem to be a little flawed. If you ask for driving directions from Sydney Australia to New York, NY, you'll get the usual highly detailed street directions .... try it for yourself.

You'll get told that it is a 56 day drive, but instruction 123 on my test was "kayak across the Pacific" (from Tokyo to Hawaii) . I want to know why I would have to kayak, when there's perfectly good luxury liners offering passage. Is it something to do with carbon footprints, or an economy option?

Film adaptation of Challenged Book

Here in Australia, there was much concern in certain areas about "We need to talk about Kevin"; the film adaptation has been shortlisted for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, according to the Orange folk's Facebook page.

Just remember, you read it here second, or maybe third :-0

Fair Game and a script-writing opportunity

Watched the movie Fair Game last night; what made it really really scary is the fact that it was based on a true story. Seems like there will always be a huge price to pay for being honest in a 'democracy' - but at least the perjurers and the protocol-fiends were brought to book ... eventually.

Which is sort of interesting from the perspective of a Teacher Librarian of my acquaintance, who sought advice on their employer's expectation in the case where a manager's instruction was contrary to the Code of Conduct. Having taken the query to the organisation's CEO, and been passed back down the line to the very same person that "caused" the enquiry [the causal agent], most bizarrely the matter became a disciplinary one - for the person seeking clarification.

Gained through Freedom of Information procedures is the hand-written notation (pictured) to "deal with" the Teacher Librarian; significantly not one of addressing the conflict between an instruction and the Code of Conduct.

This extract, and indeed the whole document, are available under FOI procedures (now called GIPA in NSW), so this isn't a "wikileak" style disclosure. Just to be clear on this. I have removed or obscured all names other than my own.

"Ring [causal agent ] re Credaro - discuss issue of dealing with her" refers to the query re conflicting instructions. "Deal with complaint as complaint" refers to the causal agent's complaint regarding the query.

Perhaps more interesting is the fact that although a thirty dollar application fee is mandated for GIPA/FOI queries, the government department now wants another five hundred ($500) to provide copies of other related documents, based on the vast volume of paperwork involved. Which is what that unit was set up to do in the first place. Figuring that one out is beyond me. Referred to the Ombudsman, who has in turn referred it to the Office of the Information Commissioner. Is it starting to sound a little "big brother"ish?

Sure, the vilification of a Teacher Librarian doesn't rate up there with the deliberate exposure of a covert CIA operative, but this continuing saga does present an opportunity for an aspiring script writer.

Book Budget Defence Resource

Something to show the bean-counters and the techno-twits who consider that your book budget money is better spent on gizmos and do-dads ... and then wonder why literacy rates and attention spans are plummeting. Or perhaps in those places where the technology budget doesn't quite extend as far as The Library ...

Disaster Recovery Plans

Are you that special "one in three hundred"?

Never thought much about it before, but so many of my exceptionally talented colleagues are goal-orientated, intolerant of policies and practices that are illogical and counter-productive, have an exceptional eye for detail, are highly intelligent, often viewed by workmates as "a bit odd" (and sometimes downright weird), achieve "the impossible"; creative, original thinkers ... is there a common factor?



Just something to think about. You know how to find more information.

TV Serialization of Tim Winton's Cloudstreet

Watch for the world premier, starting 22nd May 2011 ... view the trailer: http://showtime.com.au/cloudstreet/

The only other news is that today I found out - via the minutes of a meeting - that my substantive position is to be filled by a casual teacher "for the foreseeable future". That's a new one on me - I thought I was on sick leave, not dead. I appreciate the "heads-up" guys. Nice one.

A brand new era?

See and See also: http://warriorlibrarian.com/LIBRARY/advocacy.html

The state elections are over, a new government will sit at Macquarie Street, complete with documented promises of what will be and won't be happening during their administration. The state's media are full of news from the last 24 hours, and promises unwrapped overnight like the Christmases of our childhoods. But there's particularly pertinent correspondence dated 23rd October 2007.

I wonder if our new premier is still reading his Facebook Blog?

Disharmony on Harmony Day

March 21 was Harmony Day. The display (pictured here, in an unfinished state) was well underway, "show bag" fillers were ready for packing (bookmark, HDay balloon, candies and more), The Library Competition was going to be Pin the Leader (eg Nelson Mandela, Churchill, Gandhi, Lincoln ... and more) onto the map of the world.

So what happened? As always, the back story is a long but interesting one - and starts with "Other Duties as Directed".


To cut to the chase, I had a half-day sick leave weeks ago, related to the School Imperative for "all teachers" to take sport. As an aside "all teachers" have a limit on the number of students they supervise, and the number of hours "on duty" - which strangely apparently doesn't apply to Teacher Librarians.

I know I'm going to take another "hit" for that disclosure, so please remember that I'm speaking on behalf of myself only, and not as a spokes librarian for my employer. Nor am I the voice of my profession. There are apparently (again) others who do not find any incongruity, anomaly nor injustice in this situation. Or maybe just too intimidated to speak out about it?

Anyways, I went back to work the next day after that half-day (actually 3 hours) sick leave, and the day after that. The third day following, "news" arrived via three different contacts - two phone calls plus a letter via regular mail. Not to go back to work until after a Return to Work plan had been devised, and a meeting held. That's The Way We Do It. The Process. The Protocol.

When nothing much happened after a week, apart from a lot of paper shuffling, I ventured in on Harmony Day ... there was still time to set up the show bags; the competition was a write-off. Well, it would seem that I was wrong. What a surprise. Not. Sent home with harsh words, as The Plan hadn't been done, and The Meeting hadn't been scheduled. Yet another week on, and still nothing.

Harmony Day? Pffft.

Well, I'm off to cast my vote in the State Election. Hopefully the Incumbent Party will be able to have a close look at these particular Protocols and Procedures. As for Justice, probably best to check closed stacks or more likely archives ...

"I'll fight you for the library"

This says it all ....

Alone and friendless?

I didn't have anything to do with this, except stumbling across it .... the NSW Department of Education [sic] has a FaceBook page! Well gee and golly, who doesn't these days? The remarkable thing about it is the fact that not a single person has 'liked' it.

I don't know how many 'entities' have FB pages at the moment, but I've never seen one with a "zero" in the Like Counter. But just remember, I had nothing to do with this, nor others like this Telegraph one ...

Book of Lost Things

It's now old news, but still congrats to Australian Author Shaun Tan for the Academy Award for his animated film of his book The Lost Thing. A search for suitable clips produced only very short trailers, so here instead is:



Note for Jay and mates: No, I didn't get paid anything by Shaun Tan, the Academy Awards, The Motion Film industry, You Tube, The Internet, or anyone associated with any of the preceding. Or indeed anyone else.

Looming Elections

Knowing that the minions of my employer are now regular readers of this blog, it behoves me to point out that I am not responsible for the following video - I merely draw attention to it in the interests of information dissemination.

Whilst the media and anyone on the planet will tell you, incumbent government looks set for defeat, and the likely election winners - not that there's any choice - are if nothing else introducing a little humour into the campaign.

This is good for the average Joe and Jane Citizen (or Bruce and Sheila, to put it into the Aussie Context); if we have to sit through a campaign with a forgone conclusion, let's at least enjoy it. After all, it's all done with tax-payer money that could have been much more wisely spent on say hospitals, transport infrastructure, school libraries ...



In the interests of "fairness", international or interstate blog readers, or those who may have just emerged from decade in a coma, may wish to view the video of the actual premier making an actual apology. It's current available at You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXUy9qr9nXs although it may be removed after the elections on 26th March 2011.

Disclaimer: No, I didn't get paid for anything, or by anybody, for any reason, related to this video.

Monty Python Bookshop Sketch

Librarian Recruitment: Not an exciting campaign

Note: The company advertising (above) is not endorsed by this website or its creator.

Printer Error? (Language Warning)

Found this while on "hold" ... too good not to share!