Author: cococatani

“I need to improve my computer skills. Where do I start?”

Posted on by cococatani

As a Learning & Development Coordinator, one of the most challenging questions is get asked is about computer skills. “Coco,” my colleagues will say, “I’m no good with computers. I want to improve.“ Or: “I’ve just completed a one to one with one of my staff members, and they would like some support to develop their IT skills. Can you help?”

Of course. I can always help. But this type of request is among the most complex ones I receive (and therefore, in my opinion, one of the most interesting ones). Read on to find out why!

100 Days of Coding: What I’ve Learned

Posted on by cococatani

I don’t believe in saving new year’s resolutions for the new year, so a few months ago I embarked on a little experiment. At the time I’d been learning how to code on and off for a while, but I felt I needed a bit of a push to take my learning to the next level. I decided on a simple approach: to practice coding every day for 100 days. I didn’t set myself any time limits, so one some days I only practised for five minutes, while on others I spent well over an hour and a half getting to grips with various programming languages. I’ve now met my goal (yay!) and while I still consider myself a beginner, my skills have improved significantly. Here’s a brief overview of what I’ve learned.

Renfield: A Vampire Film (sort of)

Posted on by cococatani

So many film adaptations of Bram’s Stoker’s Dracula have appeared over the years, surely there’s no original angle left? Renfield, which focuses on the famous vampire’s assistant rather than the big man himself, makes a brave effort to prove critics wrong.

Air: A Short and Sweet Film about Shoes

Posted on by cococatani

“It’s a film about shoes,” said Mark Kermode in his review of Air. I can’t see how this could possibly be bad thing (after all, Tetris is getting it’s own TV series too). And yes, on a basic level Air is about shoes, more specifically the development of Nike’s Air Jordan range. But it’s also a very American story about how an underdog company (Nike) managed to sign one of the greatest athletes to ever walk the earth (Michael Jordan). And they all lived happily ever after.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On: A Review

Posted on by cococatani

Here’s a pitch for you. How about we go and see a stop-motion animation film about a shell called Marcel who lives in an AirBnB with his grandma and enlists a struggling documentary film maker called Dean to help him find his family. You’d think I was demented, right? I admit, the synopsis of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On doesn’t sound like much. But the reality of this little film is so, so different. I’m glad I managed to catch it in my local cinema this week and have been thinking about it ever since.

Reading Pride: A Book Review

Posted on by cococatani

One great way to celebrate Pride month if you’re an introvert is by reading a book. I initially picked The Intoxicating Mr Lavelle by Neil Blackmore for purely aesthetic reasons. Its racy pink cover seemed appropriate for the time of year. I don’t normally like historical fiction very much – I don’t know why, it’s just one of my blind spots – but this seemed like a good time to leave my usual comfort zone.