Week 3: Introverts and the Internet

I would like you to read/watch and comment on/discuss the presentation – Introverts and the Internet. You will find it at

 http://konwersatorium3.blogspot.com/2013/10/introvertsand-internet-haveyou-ever.html

  Comment on  it here please. 

Week 3: What Makes a Data Visualization Memorable?

For this week, I found an interesting article about the visual representation of data. It turns out, the way data is presented has a big impact on how memorable it is, and the effect is often counter-intuitive:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131016145649.htm

Questions:

1. Do you prefer attending lectures with presentations, which include lots of pictures and charts, or lectures where the lecturer tells a story without referring to distracting slides? Which do you find more memorable?

2. Should charts be first and foremost accurate representations of data, or easily readable at the cost of accuracy?

3. Is it a good idea to give up design consistency in the types of charts used for example in scientific magazines or publications, in favor of custom and unusual types of charts, which seem to be more memorable, as the articles suggests?

4. Have you got any tips on how to present data in an appealing form?

Week 2: Women in IT

I would like you to read/watch and comment on/discuss the presentation – Women in IT.  

You will find it at

http://konwersatorium3.blogspot.com/2013/10/week-3-women-in-it-why-do-we-have-so.html

Discuss it here. 

Week 2: How to live with stress?

I've chosen this subject at the end of tiring week for me - probably too tiring. I would like to discuss with yours about stress.
I know that stress is a term defined in psychology: it is a feeling of strain and pressure. But I think that it is also such common thing that we can exchange some information about dealing with it without scientific knowledge.

At first please watch the following video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend.html

When I was watching it I understood why people talk under a pressure :-).

Next let's try to discuss following topics:
1. What are the most typical stress factors (which may be described on our public blog) in your life?
2. What do you prefer: fighting with stress or avoiding stressful situations and why?
3. What do you do during and after stressful situations? Would you like to change some of these behaviors?
4. What do you do for relaxing yourself after a stressful day?
5. Referring to the video: what do you think about reaching out to others as a mechanism for stress reduction?
6. What do you think about Kelly's advice (given at the end of video) that it's better for your health to choose something meaningful than only to try an avoidance of discomfort? Please, describe us a situation when you  choose more stressful way than simpler one and explain us what caused your choice?

Week 1: Data-mining our dreams

Hello guys,

I'am sorry for posting this with a delay  caused by technical problems with the Internet. :)
I hope you will find the subject very interesting.

Here it is :

http://www.kurzweilai.net/data-mining-our-dreams?utm_source=KurzweilAI+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=9bfb5df872-UA-946742-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6de721fb33-9bfb5df872-281896945

It looks like we are on the brink of being  able to record our dreams :)

 What do you think about this fascinating possibility? Is it dangerous?

Does it open a new road to mind reading and possibility to cure many psychological disorders ?

Week 1: PhD endeavour

There are many people who decide to  continue their education to get a  PhD degree. 

Give us a few tips how to accomplish this goal.   What do you do to reach your goal? Do you have any strategy? Do you share literature with your group mates?  Where do you look for it? What about time-management? 

Winter Term 2013/14

Dear Students,
The course will start on 21 October 2013.
1. Each week  there will be presented texts/films and presentations, which I would like you to read/watch and comment on.

2.  You should also present a scientific article with your comments and questions for the group to discuss: you do not write it, you just find something of your interest online, present it and moderate the discussion of it.  Put your name on the list of blog moderators next to the date when you would like to do it.

1.   21-27.10 Kinga M.
2.   28.10-3.11 Grzegorz G.
3.   04-10.11 Wiktor
4.   11- 17.11 Grzegorz K.
5.   18-24.11 Jacek
6.   25.11-1.12 Artur, Waldemar K.
7.   2-8.12 klec, Kamil Drabek
8.   16-22.12 Sławek H. Kamil Pawlak,  Sławomir Janiak
9.   6-12.01.14 Krzysztof S. , Mati, Piotr M.