Scientists tend to superspecialize – but there are ways they can change - http:/
Who?
1 min read
Was watching Brain Games with my 12-year old last night. They were showing some magic tricks, and then asked, "Who are you going to trust?" and showed a clip of Richard Nixon. I paused it and asked my son if he knew who it was or why they were showing the clip - Nope!
Information is a commodity! #netlit #coopext
1 min read
The Case for a Paradigm Shift in Extension from Information-Centric to Community-Centric Programming
Clients are more interested in the development of communities than passive dissemination of information from traditional Extension programs. Numerous studies support this idea that producers learn from other producers or users of a technology (Brashear, Hollis, & Wheeler, 2000; Gaul, Hochmuth, Israel, & Treadwell, 2009; Miller & Cox, 2006; Vergot III, Israel, & Mayo E., 2005). Additionally, as evidenced by the producer who used her smartphone to access technical information, the way people access information has changed, and Extension personnel are not the first choice if at all. An important question arises from these observations: How can the current information-centric paradigm of Extension programming shift to better meet the needs and desires of its constituents?
In this day and age, information is a commodity, not a scarce resource that Extension can build it's value upon. We need to be connectors, conveners, facilitators, and network weavers. While we do have this in our tradition (think of farm kitchen table meetings), many of us still emphasize our role in disseminating reasearch-based information. We need to shift our emphasis.
Today, I was "Talking about Slack with @rphelps" - http:/
When Gas Becomes Cheaper, Americans Buy More Expensive Gas - http:/
Tips for Hosting Awesome WebEx Webinars | Quick Bytes - http:/
Pink Flamingos, versatility, and adaptability
1 min read
Black Swans and Pink Flamingos: Five Principles for Force Design
Versatility is dependent upon adequate training resources and the time to absorb a wide array of scenarios. [...]
Adaptability is based on the capacity to adjust current competencies or generate entirely new skills in reaction to an adversary or to unanticipated circumstances.
Interesting thoughts on pink flamingos ("known knowns" which are ignored because of institutional biases) and the difference between versatility and adaptability (will we have months to allow for adaptation?)
[Applied to the climate change context by Judith Curry]
leadership is learning by @hjarche - http:/
Adam with our camp's namesake, the Whiskey Jack - https:/
My anecdote of the broken healthcare market
2 min read
At work, I've elected to use a Health Savings Account and high-deductible insurance for our family health coverage. It doesn't particularly save money, but I like the idea that it makes me more conscious of our healthcare spending, and has the potential to accumulate over time.
My wife was recently told she needed an MRI, and was scheduled to get one at an outpatient clinic - the cost: $2,592. I called Tandem Care, an independent service contracted for by the University System of NH, that will do price comparisons for outpatient procedures.
They found an imaging center, closer to our home, where the cost for the same MRI is $430! By rescheduling the procedure for there, we also are given a $300 cash cost-savings reward. In talking to the Tandem representative, I learned that the same procedure can cost as much as $4,500 at a local hospital.
Until people have a vested interest in the money they spend on healthcare, there is little hope that market forces will have a sufficient impact on healthcare costs. In this case, it's my money, not the insurance company's, that would be spent, so I cared enough to shop around for what's a standard procedure.
This was also discussed in length in a recent Planet Money episode - "Pay Patients, Save Money."
