By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Periodic table of videos
Derek Wenmoth, Derek’s Blog, July 31, 2011.
This is a neat idea, but I don't think it goes beyond that. Basically (as you can see from the illustration) it's a periodic table of the elements expressed as a set of QR codes. Presumably, when you scan the code with your mobile, you view a video about that element. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Universal design for learning
KerryJ, KerryJ's Neotenous Tech, July 31, 2011.
Nice post highlighting the advantages of accessible learning (also, dig the nifty presentation pack on her about page). It should show us that we need to design for diversity generally. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. What is code? A conversation with Deleuze, Guattari and code
David M. Berry & Jo Pawlik, Kritikos, July 31, 2011.
I work and think in code a lot, and while to professional programmers I may be a dabbler, being able to write programs that do things for me allows me to see the world in a different way. But what is code. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. gRSShopper 0.3 Pre-Release Release
Stephen Downes, gRSShopper, August 1, 2011.
OK, just before I take off for a month's vacation, here's a brand-new release of gRSShopper code (I haven't even updated the site yet, and won't have a chance until I get back, so this is the only place to get it). It's the same basic gRSShopper, except the harvester is much better, picking up dozens of tags and modules not accessible by other aggregators. Also, I've written an installer. Yes, a freaking installer! Which works in testing!

So, if you want to try gRSShopper, do the following:
- get a website, note the domain, and get a MySQL database, note the database name, user and password.
- get the gRSShopper code grsshopper3.tar.gz and place it in your CGI directory on your website (the .tar file will expand into a bunch of files - put the files in your CGI directory, don't create a separate grsshopper3 subdirectory)
- edit the top section of grsshopper.cgi and enter the site URL and database information (also edit data/default.site with the same information if you want; the site will be microseconds faster)
- run cgi/admin.cgi -- the site will auto-install. Scroll to the borrom of the page, click on the link, which will take you to an 'Error - Login' screen. Login with userID Admin password Admin
- customize to taste. Actual help information when I get back. :)

p.s. the [Login] [Register] Javascript links on the admin pages are broken, ignore them or fix to taste.

[Link] [Comment]. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Innovation in Education: Where is the 21st Century University?
Unattributed, Innovation in Education, August 1, 2011.

If your missing me (I've been on vacation the last few days) try this video as an alternative. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. Massive open online course
Various Authors, Wikipedia, July 30, 2011.
This is the Wikipedia page for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). It is in need of more editing, but the authors are off to a good start. It would be relevant to add any MOOC you may know about, as well as any academic papers or magazine or journal articles you've seen. More...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. This Is Why Your Newspaper Is Dying
Scott Beale, Laughing Squid, July 31, 2011.
Dolors Reig shares this on Google+, and I've seen it making the rounds. That's probably because it's accurate - newspapers have yet to understand the web form - and because it is transferable to other domains, such as education. More...