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The Future is Now

Welcome to the future. There’s a lot of talk about “change” these days—isn’t there? But this time—this wave of change—is like never before. It’s a time when all of the domains of civilization are changing at the same time, from technology to politics to economics.

It's a turbo-charged period of change we call “compressional acceleration”—a pace of technological change that makes the last 10 years feel like the equivalent of the previous 100. Thus, it makes a single lifetime feel like an 800 year journey through time.

Imagine. 

We’d get to meet King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette plus witness the inventions of the year 2,500—all before we find our mortal shells six feet under. 

CC andrew abogado

What to do?

We can think more about how we think. Ironically, it's not about technology. Rather, it's about what technology has done to and is doing to us, and how we cope with and leverage it.

It's about our mindset. Industrial era operational mindsets no longer cut it. It’s a time to be smarter, more flexible and mobile. It’s a time for creativity, ideas, creation and innovation.

It's a good time to be... well, a bit of a Screwball.

• Screwballs are good
• The screwball pitch changed the game of baseball
• Screwball comedies in the 1930′s effectively addressed social issues, and helped us navigate the emotions of the Great Depression
• Screwballs are eccentric, eclectic and multi-talented
• Screwballism should be spread
• The world needs Screwball-ness

Who are some of the thinkers thinking about thinking different about the future?

Here are a few:

Umair Haque on Eudaimonia—"Is a Well-Lived Life Worth Anything"?

"What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets"—by Michael Sandel

"Your Brain on Facebook" [is it a good thing?] by David Rock

And...

On NEOtropolis @ 9:00 PM, Tuesday, May 22, 2012, Sue and Craig James talk about their view of the future, including:

SmartSimpleMobile—A new way of being

ScrewBall Universe City—A virtual place to do it

Join us.

Craig Arthur James

Sue "Sea" James

2012

 

Thinking in Ways That Create Things Out of Thin Air

We can’t see air—right? It’s invisible.

But we see it all the time. We see it by way of what it can do—such as when it moves leaves on a tree. 

We also "see" air when we feel it—like when the wind blows sand in our eyes and blurs our vision. 

If all we saw was air being the stuff we breathe, Columbus would have never sailed his ship to the New World, we wouldn't build wind farms to produce energy—and we wouldn’t be able to burn fossil fuels (ironic, isn’t it?)

To continue to innovate, we need to be willing to see, think and feel differently—which takes work. In his fascinating HBR article, Tony McCaffrey refers to a concept called functional fixedness, where we often fixate on the common use of an object to the point where we miss innovation opportunities—ones right in front of our eyes.

To this point, Tony sites the story of the Titanic—coupled with some interesting facts from historic record:

1. The Titanic was maneuverable for a reasonable amount of time after striking the iceberg
2. The iceberg was 50 to 100 feet tall and had a surface area of 200 to 400 feet
3. The tragedy: Everyone saw the iceberg as a big huge thing that sinks ships. Nobody saw it as a lifeboat 
4. Here's what could have happened: The Titanic could have maneuvered a “lean” into the iceberg and passengers could have climbed or jumped to the flat surfaces of the iceberg to wait for help to arrive

We all experience the "Titanic effect" without realizing it. For example, my partner (Sue) and I experienced a power outage one day early this spring. After a day without repair, we decided to drive to the store to purchase ice—so we could protect the food in the fridge. As we began driving down the driveway and venturing into the dark, we carefully maneuvered around the last few remnants of winter (the weather was warm, but a few snow piles remained).

Now wait a second:

• Option 1:
  • Burn fuel
  • Drive in the dark
  • Risk our lives
  • Spend time getting to a store
  • Remove hard earned money from our pocket
  • Purchase water that has been frozen by someone else
  • Add more plastic to the recycling challenge
  • Or:
• Option 2: 
  • Walk outside with a container
  • Scoop-up some of the water frozen by God
  • Protect our food

We had a good laugh, got out of the car—and proceeded to execute Option 2.

Thinking better, together:

I found this object next to my golf ball on a golf course recently:

                    front                                             back
The mandarin symbols were intriguing to me and I slipped the thing into my pocket (I then proceeded to expertly miss my putt).

The next day, I asked Sue what she thought the object might be. I said, “I wonder if it’s part of an exotic cigarette or cigar container of some sort?” I figured that was a possibility since a golf course is such a great place for guys to practice their bad habits—such as telling dirty jokes, liberally uttering expletives—and of course, smoking cigars.

While we pondered, I typed “amurai” into Google on my iPhone (I was the lazy one). Instantly there were a number of hits for “Samurai”. Within moments, Sue said, “I got it!—It’s a piece of matchbook from the restaurant called Samurai ”. We rubbed our fingers on the paper and confirmed, “Yep, it’s a cardboard-like material consistent with a matchbook”. I Googled again—and sure enough—the logo and typeface matched that of Samurai restaurants.

By thinking together (and by tapping multiple senses and sources) we arrived at the conclusion within moments—versus me pondering the thing for a day. Why do I think we were able to arrive at a conclusion more effectively?

1. Two heads are always better than one
   
2. My reference to smoking might have helped Sue surface the notion of “matchbook” (Or, for all I know, maybe I originally and subconsciously "knew" the thing was a matchbook and therefore thought of smoking)
3. We collaborated with a computer (Google) which is the equivalent of consulting millions of humans (sort of)
4. We were better at “seeing” the object when we looked at it and touched it
5. Sue is smarter than me

So:

• Sometimes things appear—and we can’t see them
• Sometimes we see something—but it's not really there
• Sometimes we see something—but it's different than what it appears to be
• Sometimes we see just one single thing—and don't realize how many things it can be

How can we see "more"? Tony explains one approach in his article.

Conclusion:

We’re in an era like never before–a time during which we can overcome our collective challenges and realize our greatest dreams—if we work (and think) better together. 

Toward this end, you’ll be seeing more from us on the topics of cognitive science, creative thinking and global collaboration. There will be writings, webinars, resources and ultimately some technologies—all geared toward helping us think better about thinking, together.

Stay tuned!

Craig Arthur James 2012 

 

What Smartphones Tell Us About the Meaning of Money

Sue and I have had the same wireless carrier for a zillion years (Okay, maybe not a zillion years—but a long time). Through the years, we’ve had all kinds of voice and data plans. Overall, we’ve been satisfied. However, there’s a thorn in our side recently; It’s something we like to call the “limited unlimited” data plan.

[Photo:Abdulla Al Muhairi - CC]

You see, the carrier no longer offers unlimited data plans for smartphones—but the unlimited plan we currently possess is grandfathered—and we like having it.

Here’s the rub: In recent months, we've been receiving warning notices informing us that if we continue at our current usage rate, performance will degrade (and it does). At first, these wrist-slapping messages occurred at 5GB. Now we receive them at 3GB. Obviously they’d like us to move to a plan that makes more sense for them.

Scarcity:

One can understand how this happens. If data and data networks were limitless and free everywhere—we wouldn’t be having this discussion. But they’re not free and limitless resources. And, after all, it’s this kind of supply-demand continuum that makes the world go ‘round—right? It keeps the economy humming. It allows wireless companies to be in business. The wireless companies provide people with jobs. Jobs allow people to pay for the things they want (such as data services on their smartphones) etc.

But is it possible that at times this dynamic causes an unnatural exchange of “value” between humans? Is it possible that the aforementioned value-trading dynamic is a function of scarcity—or at least a scarce mindset in our society?

Perhaps.

Consider a favorite restaurant—a place where you dine frequently. Imagine that when your patronage increases, food and service quality automatically decreases proportional to the rate of your increased patronage. Would that make sense?

Money:

Money has been around for thousands of years, so it's hard to imagine a world without it.

[Photo: 401K's Photostream - CC]

But a world without money did exist. In fact, modern humans have been around for about 50,000 years—much longer than money. So, as hard as it is to imagine, it’s safe to say that money has been not-around more than it has been around. Further, there are non-money systems in existence today, such as food-sharing systems within certain hunter-gatherer societies, there are “gift societies” and there is a reemergence of various barter systems.

But of course, all systems of any kind have their pros and cons. For example, Wikipedia will tell you, "Bartering has several problems; most notably that it requires a "coincidence of wants'". However, our amazing hyper-connectivity these days makes coincidences-of-wants more coincidental & connected than ever before—witness Collaborative Consumption.

It’s provocative to imagine for a moment that maybe these certain funny shaped tokens, paper with symbols, or sequences of bits on a computer screen (i.e., money) might represent an out-moded arcane mechanism that’s been necessary for several thousand years simply because we had no other practical alternative.

But maybe now we do.

Abundance: 

Again consider the basics of our current system:

Some human (or humans) control one thing and keep that thing from others human(s) until said other human(s) pay for that thing. In turn, said other human(s) who just paid for the thing happen to control some other thing and keep that other thing from other other human(s)—until the other other human(s) cough up some hard cash for the other thing that the other human(s) control—and so on.

Scarcity.

Ironic. Popular language these days includes terms like “collaboration”, “community”, and “teamwork”. What meeting do you attend where you don’t hear those (or similar) words? Yet, just about everything we do in society comes down to keeping something from someone else until they pay for it, usually with money.

What would happen if things were more abundant (Or if we thought more abundantly)?

For example, the Sun is rather abundant, and generally speaking, humans don’t trade shares of sunbathing-units as a commodity traded on a stock exchange. Nor do we pay anyone for the experience of feeling the Sun on our face when we walk outdoors.

If food, data, or energy were limitless, maybe we wouldn't have our wrists slapped at 3GB. Maybe we wouldn’t have to pay for such things at all.

I know—unrealistic and idealistic—right?

Or is it?

Nikola Tesla

Consider this:

• Over 100 years ago, Nikola Tesla had a viable strategy for producing perpetually available energy for everyone everywhere
• Physics tells us that energy never “goes away”
• The Sun showers the Earth with 5,000 times the energy we need every single day

Tesla couldn't fully bring his vision to fruition in large part because others wanted to make boat loads of money.

Regardless: Perhaps there are more alternatives available to us than we think. Or at least, perhaps, we need to start thinking a bit differently about how we think about these things.

Craig Arthur James 2012

In part, this article was inspired by the book, Abundance - The Future Is Better Than You Think  

What My iPad Teaches Me About Me–What it Can Teach You About You (and Me)—and Vice Versa

This article includes a couple hints about iPad/iOS usage—but more so, it offers a hint or two about our own consciousness and awareness—of ourselves and of others.

I use both my iPhone and iPad a lot, and I think I'm rather proficient. However, one morning I learned a couple new tricks. When I share them with you, you might say to yourself, "Duh, I knew that". Likewise, there are probably a few new things you'll learn about the use of your iPad (or iPhone, Android, power drill, milk truck, whatever) and you'll say to yourself, "Wow! That's really cool—look what I discovered". But upon sharing your new brilliant discovery with someone else, they may say (or think) "Duh, I knew that".

What's the point?

1 - Sometimes We Can't See What's Right in Front of our Face. i.e., the good old forest-for-the-trees effect. What to do about it? We shouldn't be afraid to tinker outside of our comfort zones. We might just be surprised how easy it is to discover or invent something new. It's healthy to find some quiet time to experiment, play and be "un-perfect".

2 - They Might See What You Can't See: Ever meet someone and say to yourself, "Gosh, that guy should be a teacher" or "She should be on stage (or whatever)—It's so obvious!". I don't think we should chart certain directions in life because someone else thinks we should. Heck, we live for only ~650,000 hours—if we're lucky—so each of us should do exactly what we want to do in life. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't listen to others. Quite often they can see what's obvious whilst we're blinded by our biases, filters and tapes. So when people see something in you—give it a listen—they just might be right.

3 - Competence: Clay Shirky in Cognitive Surplus points out that the feeling of competence is often best engaged when working right at the the edge of one's abilities. The experience of "I conquered this thing and I figured it out" feels better than it feels to hire someone to do something "perfectly" for you. I'm not saying we shouldn't delegate or outsource in certain situations—but I am saying that it's important to push ourselves to our edge. It just might feel better than we think.

Lastly: It wouldn't be very nice of me if I didn't share the iOS tricks I learned:

The iCal Page-Turn: For the year I've owned an iPad, I've liked iCal, yet loathed iCal page-turning. It's cool and cute to swipe the corner of the page and witness it turn to the next just like "real" paper. But I found the gesture to be somewhat unreliable (at least for me). Sometimes it takes me 2 or 3 tries until the page actually advances. But I just discovered: Simply touch the corner of the page for a moment or so—and let go. The page turns without fail. Duh!

The in-Box Call-Up:  When I'm viewing a single email in full-screen portrait mode, I find it a bit of a hassle to reach to the top/left to click the in-Box button each time I want to go back to my in-Box. Then, one day (by accident) I bumped/swiped the left side of the screen within the body of the displayed message. Voilà, my in-Box swoops-in instantly from the left. Duh!

Point 4:  Sometimes we should point when we think we should swipe—and sometimes we should swipe when we think we should point.

Craig Arthur James 2012

 

Are you a NEOpreneur?

Employment. Work. Job. Play. Prosperity. Progress. GDP.

The 21st Century is changing what these words mean. It's also changing the word "Entrepreneur".

Wikipedia says that an "Entrepreneur" is a person who makes money through taking risks and accepting full responsibility for outcomes. Okay, that accurately describes many entrepreneurs. But there is a new breed of "free agent" Entrepreneurs coming onto the scene whom I like to call "NEOpreneurs". They aren't just interested in money - and they take on more than financial risk. They risk their reputation - and former definitions of success. They work for what they believe - and not just for business achievement. As Jon Stein, founder of the firm Betterment states, "There’s a noticeable shift in what people value most in their careers. The New York Times studied key words in a sample of commencement speeches last year. The words 'world' and 'love' showed up far more often than 'money' and 'success'."

These observations are a byproduct of other shifts in our society

In the 20th Century, GDP was invented to measure output, growth, production and "more-ness". FDR and his administration invented it as a way to measure the economy after the Great Depression. But what made perfect sense 70 years ago doesn't necessarily make sense today.

GDP is being questioned by many. Most recently, the United Nations joined the conversation with a panel calling for “new ways to measure progress” in advance of the Rio+20 Global Transition 2012 Summit

"Work" - What is it?

I consider a round of golf "play". For Annika Sörenstam, it's serious business - and serious work. Today, more and more workers are redefining what "work" is. They are "black collar" workers (according to Philip Auerswald). They're hyper-connected and on the go - They think differently than workers of the past - They don't accept the historic roles of management and labor - They're innovative and independent - They work whenever and wherever they happen to be - And their office is their smartphone.

There's a whole new lot of them coming on-stream. Soon, three billion people who were formerly excluded from the advances and progress of the last five centuries now have a seat at the information-connected table. Auerswald asserts, "Prosperity in the 21st century won't be about life-long "employment" and ever increasing "consumption" as in the 20th century. Instead, it will be about connecting, creating, contributing, and collaborating in a rapidly evolving world. Intense localization will interact with all-pervasive globalization".

NEOpreneurs aren't only independent free agents - they can work for companies too, such as at Betterment, where Jon Stein has instituted a No-Hour Workweek policy.

Stein recognizes that money and certain "rules" can motivate - to a point - but only to a point. He chooses to give his employees the freedom they desire to get the work done... when and where they want to get it done. Stein states, "In designing a working environment that would bring out the best qualities in our team, we had to come up with a model to satisfy the demands of a startup while balancing the needs of individuals. The No-Hour Workweek means our team is constantly in contact. Two-thirds of our team takes customer calls on weekends, and our development team frequently works into the wee hours of the morning. We monitor social media, catch up on emails, and work on projects at night and over the weekends, and we’re constantly attending industry and networking events. The No-Hour Workweek also means that our team members can come in at 8, 12, or not at all if they’d prefer to work remotely. It means they can work at the times they’re most productive, make family gatherings, attend to personal commitments, leave early for travel or yoga or drinks with friends."

We knew the 21st century would bring us change. Here it is.

Are you NEOpreneur?

Join NEOtropolis and "What's the Big Idea?" on April 3, 2012 to learn more.

Craig Arthur James 2012

Food: Up or Out?

The answer is up - way up... and certainly not "out". 

Vertical farming is the idea -- and it can change the landscape of how we produce and consume food.

Regarding the photos, below... both depict Akron, Ohio.  Urban is rural.  Rural is urban.  We can feed those in our respective communities, and we can do so across the world.

There's lots to think about.  It takes 2500 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef and it takes 120 gallons of water to produce a single egg.  Imagine. 

There are all kinds of inefficiencies associated with what we do and how we do it, with respect to food.

But it doesn't have to be that way.  There are better ways.  The ideal idea is to grow food where people live (versus shipping it to them) and do so without wasting other precious resources.  We can seed and feed to the sky - and grow plants without soil or water.

We can do these things.  If we decide to do them - together.

image complements of ralph solonitz

__________________________________________________________________

Pre-show post:

NEOtropolis returns from its Spring Break and kicks-off its season "back nine" on March 27th.  The show, titled "Taste and Place", explores the forces of technology affecting our production and consumption of food.

The "What's the Big Idea?" segment smacks you with some sobering facts:  A billion people are still hungry... 40,000 kids die of starvation each and every day... and 50% of the food we produce is thrown out.

But once again... there is good news if we leverage technology, apply a collective will, and implement visionary ideas.  Join NEOtropolis and "What's the Big Idea?" on Tuesday for one of those technology solutions.

Quiz:  Which photo depicts Akron, Ohio?

Craig Arthur James 2012

The above are not necessarily the views of NEOtropolis Western Reserve PBS.  Rather, the above article is the view of this author related to topics he may discuss as a contributor on NEOtropolis.

 

Consume, Conform or Create

Sue and I are in "create-mode" right now.  Writing, maturing certain concepts, and experimenting with technologies that we think can help change the world.

It's "so easy" these days to create and syndicate - through words, sounds, images and applications... and share those ideas and initiatives with the world.  Even better, it's now possible to work and collaborate with the world on doing something great.  Crowd-sourcing, Crowd-funding, Crowd-creating.

image by lorraine santana, creative commons 

150 years ago - Not so easy.  For example, it took 17 days for Lincoln's words to be transmitted across just few states (via Pony Express).  It was a miraculous feat, and no one thought it was possible.  Today: You-to-millions and millions-to-you... in an instant.

Yet, it's still difficult - i.e., to do the work - the work one is meant to do.  Our society bombards us with an array of inputs and action-items that constantly grab our attention.  Further, the Industrial Revolution set-up manufacturing and human systems that keep us on a treadmill of do-->produce-->consume--repeat.  We're not even conscious of it. 

Creative work (and create-ing) can at times feel like "cheating" or being selfish.  However, the interesting thing is that when we dive into the purposeful work we love, we're more likely to have a positive impact on others in the process.

So be selfish - give yourself permission - be powered.  Create something great.

craig arthur james 2012

Post-Show Updates: The Power of Energy

The "What's the Big Idea?" (WTBI) segment raised awareness of the importance of energy in tackling other large issues that face the planet Earth.  We also suggested that if we can be successful in creating and harnessing additional, and cleaner, energy - we will be able to solve many of the world's greatest challenges via a beautiful and elaborate 'domino cascade' of events.  

Some of the Stats from the WTBI segment...

• The sun showers on us 5000x the amount of energy we need - everyday
• Currently only 1% of Earth's water is usable by humans
• Water desalination is energy intensive
• 70% of current freshwater use is for agriculture
• Additional clean water = more food
• More Food = Less Famine, Poverty, Disease
• Less Famine, Poverty, Disease = Less Conflict and War
  
• All of this means... More time, energy & applied brain power
• ... This means we can apply those brilliant minds to other challenges ... 
• Cure cancer, Go to Mars, and stuff we can't imagine right now ... 

Key = The Collective Will to Begin this Beautiful & Elaborate Domino Cascade

Ralphy's Take: "Energy's a Grind"

Ralph Solonitz 

Referenced:

The Northeast Ohio Clean Cities Coalition, is a program of the Earth Day Coalition.  Clean Cities is an initiative of the US Department of Energy promoting efficient vehicles, advanced vehicle technologies, alternative fuels, and alternative fuel vehicles.  The goal of the program is to promote better air quality through improving transportation emissions. 

For more information check-out:

Northeast Ohio Clean Cities and Earth Day Coalition 

The amazing book that is intriguing us: "Abundance - The Book"

If you're interested in a 'coffee chat' about the powerful content of Abundance - let us know, Craig and Sue  

 

The Original Post... 

How often do you use the term "energy"?  You probably use it in a "traditional" fashion, referring to the energy moving your car, keeping you warm or powering your computer.

You probably also think of "energy" when you encounter people too - right? i.e., "He has great (or bad) energy".  You know what you feel - but how do you "know"?

As I write this in a coffee shop, I gaze off to think.  Then, lo and behold, I see this:

At that moment, I realize that "energy" involves everything - everyone - always - everywhere.

On Tuesday, February 28th on NEOtropolis we talk about energy and more: Turning junk into art, waste into fuel, up-cycle, recycle - The works.

During the "What's the Big Idea?" segment, we touch on the big-picture of energy and it's amazing impact on everything we know. 

There's lots to think about: Numerous studies indicate that in the coming decades (if we stay on the current track) there simply won't be much of the stuff (energy, that is) left for us to use.

But it doesn't have to be doomsday.  There are tremendous possibilities if we tap our collective brain-power and explore new aggressive solutions.  For example, the Sun showers the Earth with 5,000 times the energy we need each and every day.

So join us for an energetic Big Idea on February 28, 2012 on WesternReserve PBS NEOtropolis.org @ 9:00 PM.

PS:  What's informing some of the "What's the Big Idea?" thinking for the Episode?  It's an Amazing book (and movement) about the tremendous possible future in front of all of us - if we change our thinking: "Abundance - The Book".

craig arthur james 2012

The above are not necessarily the views of NEOtropolis or Western Reserve PBS.  Rather, the above article is the view of this author related to topics he may discuss as a contributor on NEOtropolis. 

What's New(s)? - The Convergence of Information - Part 2

[This article relates to Craig's (who?) appearance on the "What's the Big Idea?" segment of Western Reserve PBS's NEOtropolis, Tuesday 1-24-12 @ NEOtropolis.org]

On January 24, 2012 the "So What's the Big Idea?" segment of NEOtropolis dipped into the pool of information & news - to explore the Convergence of Information.

Just as technology has converged (you remember the Convergence of Technology - right?)... It looked something like:

The totally new game, globally

This post is a copy of an email sent on January 22, 2012 to friends and colleagues thoughtful about the future:

Remember the last time I did this to you?  [i.e., clog your in-box with a similar message] It was Dec 20, 2011 - just over one month ago.

One month is 8X the amount of time it took one supplier in Asia to tool & ramp-up their operation to produce 10,000 iPhones per day for Apple. 

ralph solonitz

This NYT article (link embedded within the/my emailed tweet, below and found HERE) is a breathtaking wake-up call on a sunny Sunday morning re: jobs, the U.S., the completely new game - and our future.  

Will likely refer further thought (and encourage comments) via our SmartSimpleMobile blog starting with the replication of this very message, there.  In the meantime, I am once again compelled to clog your email in-box.  

Separately, but related - a reminder of Umair Haque's HBR/blog.  He begs similar questions. 

Tweet:  Craig Arthur James (@CjamesCatStrat) 1/22/12 8:41 AM:

U.S. jobs not "protectable". Must read:

Breathtaking article re: iPhone story

Totally new game for America(ns).

Craig Arthur James 2012

Making Sense of it All: Tuesday 1/10/12 @ 9:00 PM

Okay, it's probably unrealistic to suggest that we can make sense of it all - all in one shot.  But, we can at least begin to try.

The all-new NEOtropolis kicked-off it's Season-3 by airing live on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 via Northeast Ohio's Western Reserve PBS.  View the video archive of the show HERE.  NEOtropolis is a half-hour series that helps Northeast Ohioans make sense of the forces of change surrounding them. 

The new host for the show is Luke Frazier.

I'm your "What's the Big Idea?" contributor.

In the "What's the Big Idea?" segment, we tease your curiosity with mind-blowing concepts related to the show's overall theme of "Exploring how the forces of technology, globalization and diversity are shaping the ways Northeast Ohioans work, learn, live and play".

Reference materials and links regarding each episode's Big Idea segment are found via the "What's the Big Idea?" Blog.

Cheers,

craig arthur james 2012

Is Our Hyper-Connection Effective?

A Facebook friend shared an old video with me recently.  It was an archive of a local nightly news broadcast from a Cleveland television station circa ~ 1977.

The newsmen (yes, they were all men) were covering a snow storm.  There were a couple guys in the studio, and one was on the scene:  

"So, it's really snowing out there isn't it, Fred?  Oh yeah, you got that right, it sure is, Jim... lots and lots of snow everywhere.  Wow, so lots of snow then?  Yeah, snow.  Tons of snow.  It's really something, the snow is - isn't it..."

The same basic exchange was repeated over and over for about 15 minutes.  Did we really need those guys to tell us (over and over) that it was snowing while we were searching for our cars buried under a huge snow drift somewhere? (Not that I remember this point in history, of course ;-)

Our current 24-hour news cycle still seems to perpetuate this habit at times (but faster).  My point is, those guys in '77 might have been so mesmerized by the medium (and impressed with themselves) that maybe they missed the whole story. 

Fast forward:  2012 and the social web.  Might we be so seduced by the mechanisms available to us that we don't quite know why or how to use them?  Are we "talking snow" all over the place?  We send a video here, tag a photo of a person eating dinner (in the snow) over there, or tweet random/redundant content everywhere.  Why?

The amount of stuff that used to take 10,000 years to bounce 'round the world now is exchanged every single day. 

ralph solonitz

Intuitively I think it's all a good thing.  But imagine if we took more of this sometimes-random sometimes-redundant hyper-exchanged information, and targeted and tailored it just a wee bit better.  For example, there are schools in Nepal that only have a few books (literally).  The books are secured under lock and key because they are so scarce and valued.  Thus ironically, the resources the kids desperately need aren't necessarily available to them.

I have a friend who's thinking through strategies for the electronic targeting and delivery of certain educational material to those very kids.  Sure, there are numerous challenges beginning with the fact that many of the locations don't currently have computers and/or Internet access.  But the concepts are relatively simple:

• Who needs the info?
• What exactly is the info they need?
• How can we get them the info? and/or...
  
• How can they find said info without "us"?

The technology we currently have (at most of our fingertips) is truly amazing.  But, I think we can do even amazing-er things in this world if we're just a little less intrigued and/or limited by the medium itself, and a bit better at delivering the right content, to the right people, at the right time. 

Sure, at times it feels as though we've "cracked the code" on using these technologies effectively - but I think we've only just begun.

craig arthur james 2012

How to Catch Great Ideas

Picture a meeting at your company/institution/school.  Meetings are for getting things done:  Solve a problem - Create something new - Make a decision.  But often, meetings turn into arguments, power-plays, endless debate or inauthentic "discussion" for the purpose of getting the meeting "over with".

If the ideas served in meetings were beach balls, it may seem as though people are trying to shoot the ball with a gun... whack it down so nobody can play... or grab it and run home so the ball is just for them.

Recently, however, I've been reminded it doesn't have to be that way.

Curating ideas and developing solutions (in meetings or otherwise) isn't about ball-combat, but rather, it's about playing a game of catch. 

You have to let go of the ball (idea) in order to throw it.  You have to concentrate on the ball (idea) in order to catch it.  Each toss to and fro is about:

• Knowing where you are
• Knowing where your playing partners are
• Understanding their position
• Throwing the ball back with the genuine intention of a reciprocal catch

It takes being open, fluid, mobile and participative.  And yes, as trite as it might sound, it also takes chilling-out and having a little fun for cry'n out loud.

I continue to play serendipitous "intell-i-catch" with Ralph Solonitz.  We haven't planned a thing.  We don't even talk except for an occasional email.  He thinks with images and art.  I think with words.  It's been a blast, and I owe it to him for starting the game.

This week I tossed out a ball regarding social media and etiquette.  Ralph once again caught the ball and tossed it back.  Heck, I didn't even realize that I wasn't talking about social media and etiquette.

illustration:  ralph solonitz 12-29-11

intell-i-catch concept credit: sea james

...Now the ball's in my court.  Or is it?

craig arthur james 2011

How to Escalate a Constructive Conversation

This Blog entry is the continuation of a conversation originated in email. 

You're invited to join it. 

Net-net, it's a discussion about America, the World and the Future... Trivial stuff like that. 

Have we become complacent?  Have we lost our way?  What does the future hold?

SCENARIO:

1. Read the early portions of the book That Used To Be Us, by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum
2. The opening tells a story of Escalat(ors) in the U.S. and Construct(tion) in China.  We've fallen behind.
3. Sent an email to certain folks explaining how the story hit me
4. Numerous responses ensued via email
5. Migrated the conversation to this Blog
6. Responses, to-date, will become blog-post-comments within, if/as commenter(s) approve
7. Please add comments and share your thoughts

Between meetings and reading email responses, I had a few interesting serendipitous experiences.  One of them is briefly described below.  After that, you'll find the original message that started this whole thing.  Below that, one finds articles by Umair Haque you might find interesting.

AN AMERICAN COFFEE SHOP - AN EXPERIENCE - CLEVELAND, OHIO:

After a couple days of productive and enjoyable meeting(s) with colleagues, I find myself alone (literally alone, as the only customer) in a pretty darn big and rather nice coffee shop, not far from downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  It was the peak-peak of the (traditional) work-week (10:00 AM, Wednesday morning). 

I'm not saying this represents every coffee shop in America - or even Cleveland.  But it made me pause - and think.

I ordered a green tea and asked the young gent behind the register for a receipt.  The register's printer wasn't functioning.  The young gent asked the manager what to do.  She instructed him to create a hand-written receipt.  He searched for, and found, a receipt-pad... but discovered there were no receipt forms remaining within.  He inquired with the manager, yet again.

...At this point, I said, "Don't worry about it".

I proceeded to settle in for some wireless.

The wireless was down. 

Our gent from the register said, "Oh, yeah, I was supposed to bring in my laptop today to figure that out - but I forgot".

Meanwhile, the manager shuffles back and forth a couple times to pop outside for a smoke in a little alcove in front of the coffee shop.  She gazes upon a boarded-up crumbling theater across the street.

Plumes of smoke ascended from her as if they originated from her pony-tail (an attempt at creative writing).  By this time, another customer walks in, a middle-age woman.  She sits by herself and begins work on a crossword puzzle.  Shortly thereafter, four other people arrive.  It's three older gents and a young woman.  As they assemble together, the guys begin to berate the young woman for not having a job, and they expertly highlight her inability to secure one.

What's happening?

ORIGINAL EMAIL MESSAGE 12-19-11:

I'm reading Tom Friedman's & Michael Mandelbaum's "That Used To Be Us".  In the first few pages, they share this:  Meijiang Convention & Exposition Centre in Tianjin, China.  Built from the ground-up in 32 weeks:


In Washington, the Washington Metro system had two (2) broken escalators (21 steps each).  It took 24 weeks to repair those 42 steps --- i.e., about the same amount of time it took to build the entire Meijiang Convention Center Complex including countless huge escalators.

Meanwhile, back in DC, an outfit was paid $225K to study/assess the state of the Washington Metro system. (I'd do it for $224K: "Broke" ;-)

The Washington Post reported, "...people are getting used to it" (the condition of the system).

Wow.

Needless to say, this one gets a full read. 

As we all have our own version(s) of day-to-day do's that need to "get done" I do wonder what the future holds, in a macro sense... and what we (still) can do about it.

...Just thought I'd help start your day with a headache :-)

Thanks for letting me indulge. 

 

OTHER READING YOU MIGHT FIND RELATED / INTERESTING: 

Umair Haque - America: Excelling at Mediocrity

Umair Haque - Is a Well-Lived Life Worth Anything?

 

craig arthur james 2011

 

Maybe Your Big Ideas are Too Big to be BIG

Recently, SmartSimple discussed Nikola Tesla and his amazing inventions. Inventions that changed the world. He was spooky-smart, worked day & night, and dreamt-up HUGE complex inventions that people couldn't comprehend (at the time).

Wouldn't it be something if all of us were Tesla?

Maybe.

But then again, maybe not.  And maybe we shouldn't try to be.

Perhaps the biggest ideas are the painfully small simple ones - sitting there - right before our eyes.

 

The Tesla article may have partially inspired this cartoon by Ralph Solonitz. Well, his cartoon most certainly inspired this article.

Somewhere along the line, a zillion bajillion years ago (this article may not be historically accurate) someone said, "I know this sounds nuts, but maybe we should turn the spinning-block catapult plow dirt-moving thingie into, you know, a "spinning-wheel" with a round part? Call me crazy, but I think it might be better. Besides, I need one of those sharp edge pieces-parts to hunt for tonight's dinner."

World: Changed.

More recently:

Health-care Innovation: A hospital's development team worked day & night on a capital campaign to build a new $120M state-of-the-art cancer center. Meanwhile, one of the team members asked patients what they wanted. What was learned? People diagnosed with cancer wanted an appointment, fast. They didn't care about buildings. Solution: Revamp the appointment scheduling system for a fraction of $120M.

Paint Industry Reinvention. Scenario: "We've GOT to figure out how to make paint less messy. Let's hire a 1,000 top chemists, work day & night, and change the entire chemical composition of our paint... to make it the best paint ever everer." Potential better small big solution: Revisit how paint is poured.

Things you may be dealing with daily:

Problem: "Our company morale sucks. Everyone is fighting all the time. Let's either fire everyone, or get a team of expensive consultants in here, stat, to fix things." Potential smaller solution with bigger impact: New guidelines stating that if internal emails are conflict-oriented, the author should spend at least 2X time on that message (i.e., Sleep on it. Regroup. Then Send.) Better yet: At least one half of those email messages should be replaced by an honest, face-to-face conversation.

Wish: "I just wish my sales team and I were super-fantastic hyper-connected networkers. That's the key. It's time to invest big bucks in the magic sales-person-connection-CRM-networking killer app." Potential smaller idea with bigger impact: Show up at relevant events. Say, "Hi, my name is____, what do you need?" Follow-up. 

Wish: "I wish I could start losing weight. I guess I should try the new sure-fire diet program and its accompanying 16 DVD set". Potential smaller/better idea: Skip the cola.

So: What small little (big) things are right in front of your eyes?

craig arthur james 2011

Three Indications You May Be Insanely Inventive

100-ish years ago, "Edison", "Westinghouse" & "Einstein" were the "Gates", "Jobs" and "Sagan" of their time. Those names still roll off our tongues, and big companies still bear their names.

Even though we depend on AC power, wireless communications and clean energy, we don't often think of Nikola Tesla. If it wasn't for him, the iPhone would be the "iHand-write-it, mail-it, and-wait".

Nikola Tesla

Tesla understood and basically invented those technologies in the 19th century. But people thought he was a bit "insane". Not because he had a few personality quirks (today we might call it OCD) but because his ideas, experiments and inventions were so extreme. "Wireless communication?" "Clean energy?" "Impossible!". "The guy is absolutely out of his gourd." Buggy whips were the smarter, safer, practical investment.

But he changed the world.

How do you know if you're onto something so BIG that it might help change the world too?

1. You make no sense. Your friends and colleagues think you're wacky, unrealistic and "out there".  They may even work hard to stop or block you. J.P. Morgan helped slow Tesla's advancing dream of "clean energy, everywhere, for everyone - for free". The Commodore would have none of that.  Otherwise, how could there be a "monopoly"? How could the energy business be controlled by a small group of companies, including General Electric (which Morgan helped create through his merger magic). No Nikola, no! We'll have none of that.
2. You can't help yourself. Tesla was known to work for three days straight without sleep. He was so focused on doing his work that he tore-up a contract that he had with George Westinghouse. That contract would have made him (Tesla) one of the first billionaires on the planet. But he didn't care (about money). He cared about the work. He cared about changing the world.
3. Intuitive insight. Brain science tells us that the brain is imperfect - but efficient. Our brains have been "filling in the blanks" (inaccurately) for survival reasons, for thousands of years. If you bumped into a prehistoric guy at Starbucks and asked him, "Hey, prehistoric alive-guy, when I saw you running yesterday, was it a) a lion or b) a tiger that almost ate you?" He'd likely answer incorrectly. He may not remember "lion" or "tiger" but his brain knew that he had to run like hell, regardless. Our brains still "know" what to do in a sub-second. However, in our modern society, we've become a bit too prone to stop, plan and analyze. It's as if we stopped, opened our laptop and reviewed the strategic don't-get-eaten plan while a liontiger runs toward us. Chances are your first thoughts are the right ones: Go with it. Trust it. Run like hell!

Today, amazingly, the notion of "clean energy for all, everywhere - for free" is actually here for us. But the "energy" is the energy of ideas, knowledge, culture and information that we can now seek (or share) for almost-free - from anywhere - anytime.

What an opportunity.

Thanks Nikola.

craig arthur james 2011

 

"I Invented the World Wide Web"

Could you imagine saying "I invented the World Wide Web".

Well, this guy can - because he did:

        Tim Berners-Lee

A guy who's only 55 already having such an amazing impact on the history of humanity.  Imagine.

Ever wonder if you could come up with something as meaningful?  His story begins with being frustrated ~ 20 years ago.  Frustrated with having to go to different computers - having to use different software - and having to work in different data formats... to accomplish his work. 

"Why not use the Internet?", he mused... "There's this huge un-locked potential out there"... "What if we could all share data and information all across the world?

But his idea didn't just stay an idea.  First, Tim wrote a memo about it. 

Eighteen months later, he received permission from his employer to work on the idea "off to the side as a play project".   His imaginative play project resulted in an innovation now used by just about everyone in the world - impacting our lives in every possible way.  He made it happen.

In his TED Talk, Tim suggests that the real impact of the Web has only just begun.

What could you do?  What might be your WWW?  Tim has a simple challenge for us, for starters.

   

 craig arthur james

.smart .simple .mobile 2011

Your role in the (new) American Dream?

Bumped into a colleague at a coffee shop.  Haven't seen her for a month or two.  She asked what I was up to.

Being the occasional smart alec (OK, not just occasional) I said, "Fixing the World, you know... the usual".  I further explained that I've been busy and haven't had the chance to type-up the plan and send it off to Obama - yet.  We chuckled, did the small-talk thing... and went our separate ways.  I continued my work & then checked email.  This Time Magazine article was in my in-box:

    How to Restore the American Dream

I realized that my joke might not have been far off.  I realized that we all have the challenge, the opportunity - and perhaps the responsibility to help reinvent our country - and the World.

Fareed Zakaria always has a way of getting one thinking in global terms, indeed.  And with this most recent article, he hits you in the nose with provocative observations and imperatives:

• Investment Vs. consumption
• Investment in innovation 
• Investment in people
• In the 50's, the U.S. was the only research lab in the World. No longer.
• Protectionist economics?  Not possible.  People & companies will jump on the Net and conduct commerce wherever and with whomever they want.
• "America needs radical change - but we have an 18th century system determined to check and balance the absolute power of a monarchy.  It is designed for gridlock at a moment when quick and large-scale action is our only hope".

After you read his article, my guess is you'll have different answers to small-talk questions in a coffee shop.  Then again, you may have the same answers - but I bet they'll have a different meaning.                                                                                                                                                       

  craig a. james

.smart .simple. mobile 2010