MYO wearable gesture control

Rather than talk about Google Glass, as a presenter I'd much rather talk about MYO. MYO is a wearable pointing/computer navigation device that removes the camera from the equation (Kinect = camera).

 

I see many practical uses for this device, especially if it can be used with the Internet of Things (examples from the McKinsey & Company Insights) or they should have some discussions/swap API with these guys that are using cloudy water to make a display.

 

I guess we will be seeing MYO in the shower videos.

50 useful Firefox extensions for job seekers

JobProfiles has provided a list of 50 useful Firefox extensions for job seekers. Not all of them are specifically for job seeking, like BugMeNot, but some of these tools could be pretty handy for speeding up searching and purposeful surfing.

Spotted on CareerHub Blog

Moving up dates for job offers

Though librarians are not specifically mentioned in this article, there are some librarians who will be interviewing for tenure track positions and this may be a trend that will affect the whole: moving up the dates for offers (as early as the end of January).

Other trends that will affect interviews:

• More telephone and VOIP interviews to deal with the rising cost of paying to fly in candidates.
• Need a teaching demonstration? You may be asked to create one and submit it to YouTube. Another way to keep travel costs down.
• More interviews at conferences, to do double-duty of networking and recruiting, or a decrease in conference attendance, since money may have to be allocated for increased travel costs. In the latter case, expect more online conferences and less in-person conferences.
  

Can you think of something else that will, or already has, affected interviews and job offers?

The new IT girl

When I entered library school, I knew how to use a computer; when I left library school, I loved and adored them. I immediately sprang into a second program that I could use to learn how to teach with technology, combining two loves, that I was so glad I could meet with in librarianship.

If you love the tech, there are plenty of careers for a librarian; there are also plenty of regular "books 'n' bricks" library jobs that need the ability to jiggle the cord. IT World Canada has an article on tech careers that you never dreamed of, and though "librarian" isn't a job title, many of these jobs are jobs that techy librarians can and will do, especially if they perceive themselves on a management track.

Looking for workers Web 3.0 style

WSJ Careers released an article on recruiting Web 3.0 style. Libraries may be using these methods to recruit librarians--though we seem to be happy with the e-mailed resume, how 2001 of us!--and some of these tools, like the video interview are just an updated version of the telephone interview, a staple in libraries since the eighties. At least, for me, 1/2 of my interviews included a telephone screening interview.

The article did make me think of something (which sprang from my love/hate relationship with my own web camera): but can a technological interview gone right give you a "tech halo"? You might have heard of the halo effect. Halo effect in action: you look like the person who was in the position, who was stellar, and because you evoke fond, apple-pie-in-the-oven feelings, the interviewer just decides to hire you, regardless of how well you shake your schtick. Conversely, you can also have a "horns effect", where the interviewer prefers meringue to your apple. But what happens if you have mighty tech mojo but the next candidate has felt the evil eye of Logitech? The person suffering under the evil eye may be a better candidate than you but because the their camera wobbles and fades, you get the job and they get "better luck next time".

Could the quality of transmission be unfairly influencing our interviews?