Ableism (able + ism) is apparent in many interactions between people. While driving on a road having a posted limit of 60 KPH, I was traveling slower since I expected a red light to soon appear ahead of me. The driver behind me - at that point stopped due to the red light - hollered that no car should be driving less than the posted limit. I explained, "60 is the maximum speed. You shouldn't do more than the…

When discussing the use of algorithms, the issue of durability or portability has to be considered. For example, a stock trading algorithm might be used in a missile guidance system. The algorithm would have to operate on an abstract kinetic level rather than for a specific application. I have written in the past about using the same algorithm to study stocks, earthquakes, hurricanes, electro-cardiograms, and attempts at evasion - using my mouse in a game environment. Wouldn't an abstraction…

There are a number of movies that I consider much more suitable for television than theatre: Alien Versus Predator; Doom; Snakes on a Plane; The Cave; The Colony. The stories of these movies play out in environmentally-limited sometimes enclosed settings. In the theatre, I considered Alien Versus Predator the worst movie I ever had to sit through in my entire life, second perhaps only to the original Tron. But at home on a 36-inch display, it has become one of my all-time favourites. On the…

I created this blog to further discuss the issue of mass data assignments, a methodology that allows qualitative data events to be incorporated into metrics such as performance indicators. These assignments are routine for me now after having developed a prototype. However, I am unaware of the prevalence of this or similar techniques in the broader community. So I periodically work the topic into my blogs to help stimulate discussion. When quantitative data exists, it means that we had…

Thermometers and scales to measure weight appeared in retail outlets long ago. Blood pressure monitors perhaps came later. Pedometers and heart-rate monitors seem more recent - possibly closer to my time. I saw several devices while doing this blog intended to electronically record among other things hours of sleep; these are designed to be worn on the body all the time. A couple of weeks ago, I bought something to give the heart rate and blood oxygen saturation level. I consider it a real…

In this blog, I will explain how an approach to handle small amounts data can be reconstructed to handle much larger amounts. This reconstruction is the product of an anomalous perspective or mutation relating to the attribution of performance.

Fig. 1 - 6-fingered handprint spotted near my truck

Many businesses share certain common features.…

Somebody once mentioned to me that there is a need for a standard method of performance evaluation that can be applied to all employees regardless of their exact duties: e.g. to compare a janitor to an accountant. In my jurisdiction, there is a regulatory requirement for "equal pay for work of equal value" that can affect companies with government contracts. I consider the concept of "equal value" complicated due to its subjective nature. Certainly two people handling exactly the same work…

I have always had a great interest in how businesses organize in order to get things done.  Here I raise some discussion points intended to stimulate debate.

Principle of Systemic Domains 

Not that long ago, I was completing a graduate degree in “critical” disability studies.  The critical part deserves to be in quotations since it is probably subject to interpretation and all sorts of misinterpretation.  I am going to suggest that in critical…

The commodification of labour coincides with technological advancements in production: it is perhaps most noticeable in relation to factories.  Factory processes replaced the labour once done by skilled tradespeople. It might not be obvious how this trend has continued to this day and is now affecting professionals in complex fields including those in the data sectors. I am talking about the "made to order" and "off the shelf" acquisition of labour commodities. What I describe as commodities…