3,382 search results

Mass surveillance will never be able to stop all known terrorists
Society, Politics & Law

Mass surveillance will never be able to stop all known terrorists

...out in force too, uncomfortably linking arms. A shame that this display of support for the notion that we will not walk in fear was marred by such dreadful hypocrisy. My own response to the wind-bagging on the Charlie Hebdo attacks and other murders was less than charitable, but it still must be said: the opportunism on display from the political leaders who called for...
London housing protests echo Glasgow rent strikes of 100 years ago
Society, Politics & Law

London housing protests echo Glasgow rent strikes of 100 years ago

...out due to huge increases in private rent costs and a lack of social housing, which made headlines for targeting the hipster Cereal Killer Cafe in Brick Lane. This is an era of severe shortages in social housing, aggravated by Tory plans to extend the right to buy scheme to housing associations. We have seen staggering increases in the costs of private renting, dwindling...
Why do call centre staff use your name all the time, Chris?
Money & Business

Why do call centre staff use your name all the time, Chris?

...out of bounds for researchers because of data protection acts and commercial sensitivities. A statistical analysis found that despite agents being trained in and encouraged to use a range of different linguistic strategies to create rapport with the customer, one particular way was clearly preferred over others: using the customer’s name. In one call, an agent used the...
The colour of stars
Science, Maths & Technology

The colour of stars

...out about The Open University's Science courses and qualifications [Orion's nebula] Orion's nebula On a clear evening, look up at the night sky. With luck, from a really dark site, you might see a few thousand stars. With dark-adapted vision you should begin to notice that some stars display distinct colours – some will appear slightly redder and others slightly bluer,...
Strange job: being Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest reigning monarch
Society, Politics & Law

Strange job: being Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest reigning monarch

...out of all recognition from the Britain of 1952, when she rose to the throne. It is more multi-ethnic and multicultural; its empire has been disbanded, although the Commonwealth remains as a bastion of the Anglo-sphere; it is a member of the European Union, which means that it is no longer, exactly a sovereign state; its trade union movement has collapsed, making the...
How do we learn language?
Education & Development

How do we learn language?

...out more about The Open University's Education and Early Years courses and qualifications. Human nature [A group of children sitting on the floor looking up]Humans are not the strongest, fastest, or fiercest of creatures. And yet, put a group of us together and we have been able to inhabit every continent; develop science, law, art and medicine. The rise to our current...
Learning How To Learn: Words from the Wise
Education & Development

Learning How To Learn: Words from the Wise

...out on a distance learning course, it is very helpful to know something about the nature of learning itself. With this aim in mind, this short article looks back over time to some words from the wise about the learning process and, through those words, points you to some of the approaches you could usefully take to make the most of your studies. The first quotation comes...
Is the blue plaque scheme still relevant?
History & The Arts

Is the blue plaque scheme still relevant?

...out a research and public engagement project examining how individuals, groups and artists have been engaging with the legacy and framework of the blue plaques scheme, along with other forms of public commemoration, to broaden and challenge traditional ideas of British heritage and make public space more representative of the diverse history of the people who’ve shaped...