How do you improve on Moodle?

Try something different. Perhaps.

Now comes ATutor.

"ATutor is an Open Source Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS) designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind. Administrators can install or update ATutor in minutes, and create themes to give ATutor a custom look and feel. Educators can quickly assemble, package, and redistribute Web-based instructional materials, easily retrieve and import prepackaged content, and conduct their courses online. Students learn in an adaptive learning environment."

Devil is in the details.

Now what is your desire line?

Desire lines are a "poetic wonderful name" representing "impromptu, unofficial, renegade paths". Wordspy calls them "those well-worn ribbons of dirt that you see cutting across a patch of grass, often with nearby sidewalks ignored—particularly those that offer a less direct route." They are what the "long tail" leaves behind in its wake to shape the world around us.

Patti of 37days offers yet fresher insights here.

Where are you on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Pyramid?

Could you be at the bottom and the top at the same time? Patti's 37days blog offers some interesting insights. Reminds me to find and scale my personal Mt. Everest. Here's more.

Have I mentioned that I 'd been using diig.com?

"The name 'Diigo' is an abbreviation for 'Digest of Internet Information, Groups and Other stuff.' "

"Diigo (dee'go) is about 'Social Annotation'. By combining social bookmarking, clippings, in situ annotation, tagging, full-text search, easy sharing and interactions, Diigo offers a powerful personal tool and a rich social platform for knowledge users, and in the process, turns the entire web into a writable, participatory and interactive media."

"The social annotation service introduced by Diigo allows users to add highlights and sticky notes, in situ, on any web page they read. Imagine a giant transparency overlaying on top of all the web pages. Users can write on the transparency as they wish, as private notes or public comments. And they can read public comments on the transparency left by other readers of the same page, and hear their 'two cents' and interact with them."

Enough said. I am giving away invites. 18 invites to go. Send me a message if you want one. Please indicate your email addy.

Here's a quick update of FIFA World Cup 2006 team standing.

Click to enlarge:

Source: fifaworldcup.yahoo.com

Just when I thought Google was only about drab searches...

I found a book "55 Ways to have fun with Google" by Philipp Lenssen. It is "a cabinet of search engine curiosities, riddles, games, and a little bit of usefulness."

Got it via diigo.com, a social annotation and bookmarking website.

The Asian "Backdorm Boys" have just graduated.

Internet superstars* 后舍男生 graduated, i.e. academically, from the Guangzhou Arts Academy sculpture program last week. Here is their final project:

*who needs Pinoy big brother?

Here's something of a "clonable" poll that generates tagclouds.

Asks you to enter the name of someone whom you think is a trapo. And here's an article to help the reader understand what a trapo is.

Suddenly I felt the urge to follow through discussions

... in boingboing.net about civet cat coffee poop.

BBC excerpts: "Civet coffee is one of the world's most expensive. In the Philippines, only 500 kg are produced a year and the roasted beans sell for more than $115 a kilogram. Antonio Reyes of the Philippine coffee certifying board, said civet coffee was one of the Philippines' best-kept secrets. It goes through some kind of natural processing which you can see from the roasted beans. It's more oily, there's more aroma and it's such a good taste that you can get value for money even if the cost is so high. Droppings are placed in two containers - for the old ones, which resemble chalky beans, and for the fresh ones, which look like yellow beans in gravy." Beans are rinsed in forest streams and dried under the heat of the sun.

Civet coffee poop is also called "Kopi Luwak" in Indonesia. "Kapeng Alamid" in the Philippines.

Incidentally, that cat goes by the name Musang in Amadeo, Cavite . I remember feeding bananas to 3 pet civet cats I had back in grade school.

I just left a comment laying the blame (for the decline of Big Music Business)

... at the doorstep of karaoke bars. Here is the article that provoked my comment.

I promised to also write about Economics.

Here's one item (I do not have to reinvent the wheel). Let me call it the economics of P2P sharing. Warning : has some Maths in it. Not to worry coz it's nothing you can't hack. Just a little scenario analysis. Here's the link. Thanks to Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine.

Forget the shoot 'em flash games for a moment ...

... and play with this "calm" one. Here's the link.

How to Use flickr fotos for "show-and-tell"

openPage
Originally uploaded by joelogs.

1. Grab a foto.
2. Upload to flickr.com
3. Add notes to the foto.
4. For 2 or more fotos, create groups of fotos.
5. Blog the fotos

Serves: Millions
Implication: No need to download MS Powerpoint.

Just a quick note.

Brought to you by the idea behind Wridea.

Disclosure: I am in no way connected as a stockholder of Wridea.

Stephen Hawking is planning to co-write a book with his daughter.

What else but outer space? More on the story here.

Want to watch FIFA World Cup LIVE on your PC?

Do not expect a one-click solution though coz you have to go through a few steps. Here's the link to the tutorial.

This guy is creative.


In the Philippines, he'd get the label "walang magawa" which roughly translates to "idle". Creativity = idleness? I wonder why. Here's the link to the NES 3200 project. I am beginning to like craphound.

The Internet is dead.

So stop Web 2.0! For some, it may even be "Argh! Stop Web 2.0, I want to get off!"

To follow and participate in the discussion, click here.

Beach sandals with bottle opener?


Why not. But keep them away from dog crap. Here's the link. Via boingboing.net

How do you make a $60 linksys router perform like a $600 one?

Replace its firmware. Here's part of the story. Thanks to Cory Doctorow.

Some "kids" really know how to have fun.

Did you know that you can play Dance Dance Revolution on your PC? Check out this link. When you need to release stress. Work hard, play hard. And don't forget to submit your scores. Top scores are shown below.

Is this cool or not?

More here.

Now we need an extra caddy for THE water bottle.

Now they are talking about GNU radio.

Boingboing.net offers a preview of possibilities. Guess it's time to start looking at "local" radio shows differently. Talk about globalisation.

Just a quick plug for a new Web 2.0 tool.

Diigo brings social bookmarking to the next level: social annotation. Imagine browsing websites with the ability to post virtual sticky notes. Enough said. Check it out here. Still by invitation though. Not to worry, they give away invites generously. All you need is ask.

Now if only DonorsChoose.org would choose to replicate their Web 2.0 tool in the region of the Digital Have-nots.

DonorsChoose "is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. " Works only in some areas in the US. Would be nice to see the model working in other countries too. We need more digital dividends than digital deficits.

Now what does it take to start podcasting?

Janette Toral offers some tips.

This guy made a bold prediction that blogs, wikis, and other social software types won't survive.

Mark Harrison predicts that by 2012 the term e-learning won't even exist. Read more here. Tell me what you think.