For those of you following along with some of my recent blogs, you’ve probably noticed that trust in automated systems is a huge factor in the performance of the team. It’s been a dominant focus of my research largely because of just how much a single variable can affect the outcome of the team as […]
Food policy is rarely exciting enough to be included in a political platform or election campaign. Indeed, in the last Nova Scotia election, the Progressive Conservatives made an offhand commitment to “develop a provincial food strategy and support consumption of local food”. As election promises go, this one would likely not be top of mind […]
In this post, I’ll share terrible stories of how old and poor Nova Scotians were treated in the past. I implore you to reflect on the treatment of this same population during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more details, please see the published article in the Canadian Geriatrics Journal, and feel free to contact me for […]
Nowadays, retreating sea ice has been widely acknowledged as a driving factor for increasing marine traffic in the Arctic. In fact, Arctic commercial shipping has a very long history, encompassing a 500-year period. This blog will provide a brief overview of key historical events that led to shipping in the Canadian Arctic. In the 1490s, […]
Take a look at the two shapes below. One of these shapes is named ‘Maluma’ and one is named ‘Takete’. Can you guess which is which? If you said that the sharp, angular shape was ‘Takete’ and the smooth and round shape was ‘Maluma’, then you just experienced one of the crossmodal correspondences first found […]
This article was originally published on The Conversation Canada on June 22, 2022. As we pass the one-month milestone of the current monkeypox outbreak, reports are emerging that the World Health Organization (WHO) intends to change the name of the monkeypox virus to avoid stigma and discrimination. While this is an important step, more than a […]
Would you allow a stranger into your house without verifying who they were? Would you give a stranger the keys to your bedroom just because they asked? Most of us would say, ‘No’, but everyday, we unknowingly allow strangers to into our bedrooms just because they asked. Let me introduce you to mobile app permissions. […]
In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) removed their blog on zombie preparedness. Originally launched in 2011, “Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse” covered such topics as how to stock an emergency kit and how to prepare an emergency plan. The CDC, of course, was merely drawing on the zombie as a metaphor for […]
New science needs new words. When we don’t have new words, we tend to borrow old ones that help us to understand the key parts of new science or technology. This appears in the name of the telephone – the telephone is a telegraph (tele) with sound (phonetics). It’s also used in how we describe […]
The late aughts brought forth a new type of gastronomic tourism. Burger Week became an attractive incentive to appeal to casual and upscale diners alike. It’s not a coincidence that hamburgers have a theme week all to themselves. Versatile, easy to prepare, adaptable and, most importantly, delicious, the burger is staple of North American cuisine. […]