Best of the week

Here in Alexandria, Virginia, it's a beautiful, sunny, cool day right before Labor Day weekend. I'm leaving early today, and I'll be going to a cookout and a crab feast this weekend. I hope you all enjoy the weekend, whatever you do.

Here are the articles and resources I found most interesting this week. Although I always try to bring you articles you may not have seen in other learning publications, these articles seem more tangential than usual. Maybe all the writers have their minds on vacation. Call this the light-and-fluffy Labor Day edition.

"Children From Tidy Homes Could Grow Up More Intelligent." Chaos and mess in a home can have a negative impact on a child's intellectual development, according to this article in a Scottish newspaper. On the other hand, a home that's kept compulsively clean isn't so great either. Could problems your trainees have grasping material be due to a disorganized home in their childhood? Food for thought.

"Paper or Mouse Click? What's on Computers is Easier to Find, Study Shows." Respondents in a University of Washington study say they're much better able to manage electronic files than paper, but only 10 percent were "extremely satisfied" with their ability to manage information on their computer. Better tools are on the way, being developed in a project called Keeping Things Found. (Think Google for the desktop.) Possible knowledge management implications.

Google grants. Speaking of Google, a new program by the company everyone's talking about these days gives non-profit companies free AdWords advertising. After applying for and receiving a grant, an organization writes an ad and targeted keywords so that the ad appears only on those Websites that relate to the ad in some way.

Ehow. This Website says it provides more than 15,000 how-to solutions. The short articles are organized into categories--the finance/business and careers/education ones may provide some useful information. Each short piece is similar to a job aid and then readers can annotate them with additional tips. Judge the quality of the advice for yourself. Probably not better than real experts, but good in a pinch.