The Blame Game

into-the-woodsOne of my favorite Broadway musicals is Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Near the end of this retelling of fairy tales—when many things have gone wrong and people have died—the remaining characters gather around and have a conversation (in song, of course) about whose fault it is. One by one, Jack (of beanstalk fame), the Baker, the Witch, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood defend themselves and refuse to take the blame fostered on them by the rest of the group. The song ends with all of them singing to each other:

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Motivating through Gameplay

winnerI think most people who are responsible for gathering and capturing data will tell you it is a pain to do.  And costly.  Therefore, it is generally recognized that the job is easier if you can make the work into a game or competition that motivates people to help out, sort of how Tom Sawyer motivated others to paint his fence.

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