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Extended Book Review – “Sid Meier’s Memoir! A Life in Computer Games”, written with Jennifer Lee Noonan

Reading books and playing computer games are two of my favourite sitting-down pastimes. So a book about computer games sounded like an obvious choice – especially since it focuses on particular computer games, designed by a particular person. As it turns out, “Sid Meier’s Memoir!” is a great read for anyone – not just for game fanatics. What’s so good about it?

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Groove, then break: 5 bite-sized albums I play to get work done

If you want to make sure that productivity plummets in our household, simply play a song which has lyrics. We both work with words and code – sometimes, in close proximity to each other. We need music to focus and to filter out the outside world. Today’s post is about this kind of music. What are some good albums to listen to? Here are my five picks. I’m not including links – feel free to find these on any music website you like!

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Extended Book Review – “The Practice: Shipping Creative Work” by Seth Godin

Illustrated quote by Elizabeth King: "Process saves us from the poverty of our intentions."

I’m beginning to think I was wrong about this book. I was ready to write this review, and I knew what I was going to say in it – right until the moment I started typing the title. Maybe, just maybe, Seth Godin’s latest book is exactly what you and I need. So, “The Practice” – is it any good?

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Brief and you shall receive: 10 tricks for briefing freelancers better

Some of what you’re about to read was learned the hard way.

No matter who you’re briefing – or who you’re briefed by – there is almost always space for improvement. A brief won’t solve all your problems, because work is messy, and creative work can be even messier. But getting a good brief means that you can get to the messy and creative stages quicker – and with less hassle.

Here, in no particular order, are 10 tricks for making your briefing documents work for you. Use all of them, or none of them, or vary them and tweak until they’re yours.

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A series of interesting decisions: from game design to project-based learning

What can great video games teach you about great teaching?

This week, I want to write about a book that’s been on my mind, and a recent job which involves project-based learning. The more I thought about these two areas, the more similarities I noticed. Any teacher, learner, or instructional designer could do worse than look to great games for inspiration. This is especially true in task-based and project-based learning contexts. How exactly can games help?

Punk Learning