Wise Owl Training - Miscellaneous blogs (page 2 of 7)

The changing nature of our clients

Posted by Andy Brown on 25 February 2022

A look at how the nature of our clients has changed over the twenty or so years for which we've been recording data.

A history of Wise Owl told through our websites

Posted by Andy Brown on 25 February 2022

Our archived websites only go back to 1998, sadly, but this still offers a fascinating (well, for us anyway) peek back into the past.

March 2022 Newsletter Competition - Words in Pictures

Posted by Andy Brown on 25 February 2022

One of your special agents has sent you an Excel worksheet containing a picture - your task is to decipher the message it represents!

Winner and answers for Feb 2022 newsletter competition

Posted by Andy Brown on 25 February 2022

See where the 46 musicals were hiding in last month's word search, and see if yours was the name drawn out of the hat!

More alternatives to Wordle!

Posted by Andy Brown on 25 February 2022

Last month we introduced you to Wordle written in Python, Power BI and Excel; here are a clutch of other alternatives to this popular word game.

Join us as we celebrate 30 years in business

Posted by Andy Brown on 23 February 2022

2022 marks the 30th anniversary of Wise Owl Training. Much has happened since we started work in a basement in South Manchester!

Wise Owl versions of Wordle in Power BI, Python and Excel

Posted by Andy Brown on 28 January 2022

The Wordle bandwagon is rolling fast downhill, but we managed to board it. This blog shows one Wise Owl's current stats, and links to our Power BI, Python and Excel VBA versions of this web-based word game.

February 2022 newsletter competition - a word search

Posted by Andy Brown on 24 January 2022

For this month's competition we invite you to find the 46 missing related items in a letter grid; the unused letters will then spell out a thematic phrase. The first correct answer drawn out of our randomised sorting hat at the end of February will win a fifty-pound Amazon voucher.

Analysis of results from our Christmas Quiz, and the winner!

Posted by Andy Brown on 21 January 2022

This quiz was much harder than it was meant to be! Out of guilt, Andy (the quiz master) has written this blog fleshing out the answer to each question. The blog also gives details of this month's mysterious competition winner.

Introducing a raft of new skills assessment test services

Posted by Andy Brown on 20 January 2022

We are proud - and relieved - to finally announce that you can now assign tests to candidates and create your own custom tests through our website!

Answers to (and winner of) our November 2021 logic puzzle

Posted by Andy Brown on 29 November 2021

This month's puzzle was won by Joanne Rushton of Durham County Council - you can see the answer to the logic puzzle set in this short blog.

The great British beard-off - how Wise Owls lose weight

Posted by Andy Brown on 29 October 2021

Sam and Shaun want to lose weight, and have pledged to cut off their prized beards if they don't meet their targets. You can see the beards, the terms of the contest and updates on their progress (and even join in if you like!) at this blog.

November 2021 competition: a logic puzzle

Posted by Andy Brown on 29 October 2021

Five space entrepreneurs have missions to different planets scheduled for consecutive years - given the few clues, see if you can work out who is going where, and when!

October 2021 newsletter competition: answers and winner

Posted by Andy Brown on 28 October 2021

Last month's competition wsa to shade in a picture of a dinosaur using the numbers provided. Congratulations to Denzil Foakes for winning this month's fifty-pound Amazon voucher (out of the 13 entries submitted, Denzil's was the one picked out of the electronic random hat). You can see the answers here, together with a guide to how to solve this sort of puzzle.

Need a short diversion? Here our 5 random sites to amuse, plus one bonus one

Posted by Andy Brown on 29 September 2021

Some of the sites on this page will make you laugh, and some make you shake your head, but they should all entertain you for a moment or two!

Looking back on the occasion of our 50th newsletter

Posted by Andy Brown on 29 September 2021

As we reach our 50th newsletter, here's a look back over the different versions of our websites, starting with the first oh-so-basic FrontPage version in 1998 and finishing with our prospective new site (early days yet, though, so your opinions on it would be welcome! Oh, and we celebrate our 30th anniversary on 1st May next year: any ideas for how to commemorate this welcome!

October 2021 Newsletter Competition - Colour by Numbers

Posted by Andy Brown on 28 September 2021

This month we're asking you to colour the squares in a picture black or white by following the numerical instructions.

Winner of (and stats for) the September 2021 newsletter quiz

Posted by Andy Brown on 28 September 2021

Congratulations to Susan Howard of Underscore Training for winning this month's competition (hers was the answer drawn by our calibrated, randomised Excel sorting hat). You can see some statistics on the quiz - and details of the calibration involved - at this blog.

What to do with your IKEA bags?

Posted by Andy Brown on 31 August 2021

The IKEA blue Frakta shopping bag is iconic, and everywhere. Here are 5 suggestions (not always totally serious) for how you can recycle your IKEA bags!

Review of a book on the Stuxnet worm

Posted by Andy Brown on 31 August 2021

The Stuxnet worm was one of the most sophisticated bits of software ever written. Find out exactly how the US and Israel used it to target Iranian uranium centrifuges, and see the implications this has for us all.