In this paper we reflect on the meaning and evolution of the microworld idea. We point out a crucial distinction between user manipulation and modification at three distinct but mutually dependent levels — the interface, superstructural and platform levels. We exploit a case study of two 8-year-old girls playing and rebuilding a simple video game, to argue for the importance of ease of interpla...

In this paper, a simplified version of the International Data Encryption Algorithm (IDEA) is described. This simplified version, like simplified versions of DES [8] [12] and AES [6] [7] that have appeared in print, is intended to help students understand the algorithm by providing a version that permits examples to be worked by hand. IDEA is useful teaching tool to help students bridge the gap ...

Organisations acknowledge the fact that competitive advantage depends heavily on their ability to capitalise on their employees’ ideas as well as to support and maintain creativity within their working environments. Thus, the importance of creativity has long been recognised in management. This chapter reviews the current literature on creativity and discusses various views, which provide a the...

Have you ever wondered if a family physician can actually influence patients to adopt lifestyle changes? To find this out, we conducted a small project based in our family practice in Edmonton, Alta. The results might surprise you. In 2010, Dr Klein was preparing for a year’s sabbatical. Some of his patients expressed concern about his upcoming departure and asked if he would be returning. He r...

Understanding the distinction between impressions and ideas that Hume draws in the opening paragraphs of his A Treatise on Human Nature is essential for understanding much of Hume’s philosophy. This, however, is a task that has been the cause of a good deal of controversy in the literature on Hume. I here argue that the significant philosophical and exegetical issues previous treatments of this...

Through first-responder access to sensitive information for which they have not been pre-vetted, lives and property can be saved. We describe enhancements to a trusted emergency information management (EIM) system that securely allows for extraordinary access to sensitive information during a crisis. A major component of the architecture is the end-user device, the security of which is enhanced...

Einstein’s early calculations of gravitational lensing, contained in a scratch notebook and dated to the spring of 1912, are reexamined. A hitherto unknown letter by Einstein suggests that he entertained the idea of explaining the phenomenon of new stars by gravitational lensing in the fall of 1915 much more seriously than was previously assumed. A reexamination of the relevant calculations by ...

AEL systemic school reform (Mirel, 2001). In the spring of 2001, the fiveyear districtwide initiative requiring all schools to adopt whole-school reform models was discontinued; no Memphis school would be permitted to implement its model in the coming year. What happened in association with the initiative, and what lessons can be learned from the Memphis experience that might benefit all school...

The recognition of the correct solution to a problem after a period when one is not actively searching for an answer is well documented. However, previous research has focused on problems an individual has not yet resolved. We presented a scenario in which 125 participants believed that they had completed a task and so had no reason to seek further solutions. To their surprise, after a period o...