The messaging kettle: Prototyping connection over a distance between adult children and older parents

A prototype "messaging kettle" is described. The connected kettle aims to foster communication and engagement with an older friend or relative who lives remotely, during the routine of boiling the kettle. We describe preliminary encounters and findings from demonstrating a working prototype in morning tea gatherings of people in their 50s-late 70s and from introducing it into the homes of two people in their 80s who live on another continent. Key findings are that: The concept of keeping in touch around a "habituated object" such as a kettle was well received; Simple and varied interaction modalities that allow asymmetric forms of communication are needed; Designing for use across different time zones requires attention; And, that even when augmenting a habituated object, the process of introduction, appropriation and habituation still needs significant attention and investigation.

The Messaging Kettle: It’s IoTea time

We demonstrate a working prototype of a Messaging Kettle designed to facilitate asynchronous communication and enable a sense of presence between adult children and their older parents living abroad. Our goal is to offer a human centred critique of the Internet of Things, which has largely been conceived without consideration of the people who will use the things, and rather has traditionally moved from a technology oriented perspective. In the case of smart homes this approach has produced a wide array of projects focused on monitoring the habits of the elderly, recognizing anomalies and alerting the caregivers. In contrast we propose to focus on engagement and reciprocity, building on the rituals associated to habitually used and cherished objects. We conclude revisiting the technology oriented framework for the Internet of Things to include our observations on people’s perspective on smart communicating objects.

Canning preserving, and jelly making made easy by using a "Wear-Ever" Aluminum Roaster and a "Wear-Ever" Preserving Kettle.

Promotional literature for "'Wear-Ever' Aluminum Utensils."

Report of the Royal commission investigating the fruit industry (and interrelated conditions) of the districts territorially known as the Okanagan, Kootenay, and Kettle river of the Province of British Columbia,

Mode of access: Internet.

Organizational, direct support, and general support maintenance repair parts and special tools list : kettle, heating, bituminous, gasoline driven, trailer mounted, 165 gal, less military standard engine NSN 3895-00-542-3260, Aeroil model 7ZPSA9 and NSN 3895-00-832-6231, Aeroil model 7ZPSA9-67.

Includes indexes.

Organizational, direct support, and general support maintenance repair parts and special tools list : kettle, heating, bituminous, gasoline engine, wheel mounted, 2 pneumatic tires, 165 gallon capacity, NSN 3895-00-442-9741, White MFG model F3M-1.

Includes indexes.

Operator, organizational, direct support and general support maintenance manual : kettle, heating, bituminous, GED, trailer mounted, 165 gallon capacity (General Steel Tank model 1901), FSN 3895-351-2354.

"November 1972."

Organizational, direct support, and general support maintenance repair parts and special tools list ... : kettle, heating, bituminous, GED, trailer mounted, 165 gallon capacity (General Steel Tank model 1901), FSN 3895-351-2354.

"October 1972."

Adventures of Captain Kettle.

Mode of access: Internet.

A different kettle of fish : mental health strategies for Australian fishers, and farmers

Despite being typically represented and managed under the same policy umbrella, fishers face different challenges than do their farming counterparts. This paper unpacks the findings of research depicting poor levels of mental health and well-being among Australian commercial wild-catch fishers. The research is considered in the context of widespread acceptance that farmers tend to exhibit worse than average mental health outcomes due, at least in part, to the environmental uncertainties of climate change. In particular it is stressed that the insecurity of fishing concessions (quota and licenses), is a key driver of chronic livelihood insecurity, resulting in reports of stress, depression and suicide. A call is made for the separation of health research in the fishing and farming industries. Importantly, the role that tenure insecurity plays in the perpetuation of poor mental health among fishers should be acknowledged and addressed so that the fishing industry can maximize the strength of its human capital.

Teaching grammar: rethinking the approach

Margaret Kettle examines grammar, its image problem and some new developments aimed at improving its teaching and learning in the TESOL classroom.

Talking the talk : oracy demands in first year university assessment tasks

With more constructivist approaches to learning in higher education and more value on teamwork skills, students’ oracy (speaking and listening) features more prominently in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. The paper reports on a study of two first-year Australian university courses in disciplines with explicit industry orientations and high proportions of international students. Drawing on classroom observations and interviews with the lecturers, this paper investigates their pedagogical designs on oracy and the oracy demands of their assessment tasks. The study found that talk-based assessment tasks (a group project and a group oral presentation) featured in both courses but the two courses treated students’ oracy differently: as product or process. The contrast between the two assessment designs explicates issues around EAL student needs, authentic links to industry, the provenance of criteria used to assess performance, perceptions about the relevance of talk and the ‘hidden assessment’ of oracy.