My postings may be a bit scattered over the next 5 weeks. I have an intense travel schedule that will take me from Houston to New York to St. Louis, back to Houston, then home to visit my family in New Mexico, and then back to Houston for a couple of weeks before returning home to Amsterdam.
My focus is to create some working partnerships for our newly formed Institute for Collaboration, Creativity & Culture. We need a few solid research contracts to get us off the ground. Just the year-long journey to get here has been an adventure of discovery. We are living proof of emerging networks in action.
Because of our unique methodologies using social media and documenting research through video dialogues that capture the buzz, I have a feeling that this trip will open up dynamic partnerships for the Institute that are in complete alignment with our core. The timing is right.
So, wish me luck. I'll keep you posted.
21 June 2005
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town
Cory Doctorow's new book - Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town - is available for download.
It's a science fiction tale of of archetypal characters playing out their roles in a weird cyber-world, which is at the same time funny and hip and full of street smarts. The hero sense of idealism leads him into adventures that Cory has crafted into intriguing scenarios. Could there be a film script coming?
Published under a Creative Commons license, Cory is offering people who live in developing countries the opportunity to download, print and sell his book.
You may recognize Cory from his blogging contributions to Boing Boing. He is also the European Affairs coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
It's a science fiction tale of of archetypal characters playing out their roles in a weird cyber-world, which is at the same time funny and hip and full of street smarts. The hero sense of idealism leads him into adventures that Cory has crafted into intriguing scenarios. Could there be a film script coming?
Published under a Creative Commons license, Cory is offering people who live in developing countries the opportunity to download, print and sell his book.
You may recognize Cory from his blogging contributions to Boing Boing. He is also the European Affairs coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
The Truth About Hillary
Edward Klein has written a rather scathing book about Hillary Clinton - The Truth About Hillary : What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll Go to Become President.
The conservative political movement in the USA are using this recently released book as a device to discredit Hillary Cinton. American conservatives in the Republican party are known for acting out their fears through protectionism. This time they may find that their strategy to debase Hillary may backfire. Contrary to the anti-Hillary campaign they expect to generate, they may actually galvanize a public sentiment into "better the devil we know than the one we don't". If they think that this book informs the public about "everything", then she may become the perfect candidate for the next Presidential election because she will have nothing left to hide.
I never would have expected this kind of mud-slinging from Edward Klein. He was the former editor in chief of the New York Times Magazine and former foreign editor of Newsweek magazine. He has also been a frequent contributor to Vanity Fair - and Vanity Fair plans to run an excerpt from the book.
This smacks of gonzo politics and "fear and loathing on the campaign trail". Perhaps it's time to get back to the issues and look for real statesmanship in a candidate.
If you read it, please let me know what you think.
The conservative political movement in the USA are using this recently released book as a device to discredit Hillary Cinton. American conservatives in the Republican party are known for acting out their fears through protectionism. This time they may find that their strategy to debase Hillary may backfire. Contrary to the anti-Hillary campaign they expect to generate, they may actually galvanize a public sentiment into "better the devil we know than the one we don't". If they think that this book informs the public about "everything", then she may become the perfect candidate for the next Presidential election because she will have nothing left to hide.
I never would have expected this kind of mud-slinging from Edward Klein. He was the former editor in chief of the New York Times Magazine and former foreign editor of Newsweek magazine. He has also been a frequent contributor to Vanity Fair - and Vanity Fair plans to run an excerpt from the book.
This smacks of gonzo politics and "fear and loathing on the campaign trail". Perhaps it's time to get back to the issues and look for real statesmanship in a candidate.
If you read it, please let me know what you think.
Why people are struggling with the EU constitution
The problems surrounding people's relationship with the EU Constitution have more to do with presentation than its content. The recent EU communication campaign (which must have cost millions) is proof that copywriters and old-fashioned ad campaigns are no longer appropriate. They gloss over the surface in their pamphlets, earn a pretty penny for their highly profiled campaign, and leave the public even more baffled about the content of the constitution and what it could mean for people.
People are in their roles as citizens here, not consumers. People need a comprehensive explanation of the constitution and it's role for people and their countries put into a structure that makes it easy to follow and understand the value it can create. This requires good journalism, not copywriting.
Social media and in-depth dialogue about social issues has changed people's expectations. They no longer accept this ad campaign glossing over the issues with sound bites and short headlines.
Citizens in each European country are struggling to understand the meaning of their citizenship in a new union context that's growing annually - and there is no common language, let alone a sense of common cause. They are distracted from the core of the constitution - and how it will be put into practice - by the conflicts between their country and ideology cultures.
What we need now more than ever are those gifted writers from decades ago who crafted detailed "how-to" manuals that even the most simple minds could follow. Any volunteers?
I did find a rather informative explanation in English from the BBC.
People are in their roles as citizens here, not consumers. People need a comprehensive explanation of the constitution and it's role for people and their countries put into a structure that makes it easy to follow and understand the value it can create. This requires good journalism, not copywriting.
Social media and in-depth dialogue about social issues has changed people's expectations. They no longer accept this ad campaign glossing over the issues with sound bites and short headlines.
Citizens in each European country are struggling to understand the meaning of their citizenship in a new union context that's growing annually - and there is no common language, let alone a sense of common cause. They are distracted from the core of the constitution - and how it will be put into practice - by the conflicts between their country and ideology cultures.
What we need now more than ever are those gifted writers from decades ago who crafted detailed "how-to" manuals that even the most simple minds could follow. Any volunteers?
I did find a rather informative explanation in English from the BBC.
18 June 2005
Make Tibet a Global State of Mind
Ottmar Liebert proposes that we "Make the world Tibetan".
He posted a blog on IntegralNaked and suggested that the exiled Tibetan government sell Tibetan passports to anyone who wanted to become a symbolic Tibetan. This way, they could raise money and have millions of symbolic Tibetans roaming the globe.
This would bring the spirit of Tibet alive in a way that would create the culture as a state of mind. With all these symbolic Tibetans raoming around, it may persuade China to change its mind.
Wouldn't you also want to become a symbolic Tibetan? We could all be spiritual children of Tibet by carrying a Tibetan passport as support for their fight to return home.
He posted a blog on IntegralNaked and suggested that the exiled Tibetan government sell Tibetan passports to anyone who wanted to become a symbolic Tibetan. This way, they could raise money and have millions of symbolic Tibetans roaming the globe.
This would bring the spirit of Tibet alive in a way that would create the culture as a state of mind. With all these symbolic Tibetans raoming around, it may persuade China to change its mind.
Wouldn't you also want to become a symbolic Tibetan? We could all be spiritual children of Tibet by carrying a Tibetan passport as support for their fight to return home.
17 June 2005
The Physics of Measuring Relationship Assets in a Network Society
What are the physics of measuring our relationship assets in a networked society?
Just like in physics, the things are not the only things that are important. The relationships between things and other things play such an important role in life. These relationships enslave things into concepts.
As we begin to work more and more with dynamic networks - people, things, channels, messages and media - we need new measurement systems to account for the value of these relationships.
Since the new economic models are evolving from only counting transactions, we need tools to measure the value of our relationships with others. Where do we start?
I've been exploring and experimenting with how to define the paramenters for identifying and organizing the value criteria for networked relationships. I started with what I would lose if certain relationships were no longer in place. (Since I recently lost a working partner, the evidence of this loss was very clear to me on all 4 levels of capital: human, social, creative and financial.) It became clear to me that several factors play a role in determining the value of particular relationships between people, things, channels, formats, timing, and communication. For instance, there is an attraction factor. And, just like in physics, each factor has its own set of behavior principles, like the enslavement principle for concepts.
I've also been playing with the notion that our relationships with the people controlling the flow of capital are sometimes more important than the capital itself. What would that factor be?
I want to build a working formula and play with the factors to see what shows up. If I can really work this out, I could build an algorithm to track value as relationships evolves, which would lead to a dynamic accounting model that could capture value on all 4 capital levels.
If you have any ideas to contribute here, please share!
Just like in physics, the things are not the only things that are important. The relationships between things and other things play such an important role in life. These relationships enslave things into concepts.
As we begin to work more and more with dynamic networks - people, things, channels, messages and media - we need new measurement systems to account for the value of these relationships.
Since the new economic models are evolving from only counting transactions, we need tools to measure the value of our relationships with others. Where do we start?
I've been exploring and experimenting with how to define the paramenters for identifying and organizing the value criteria for networked relationships. I started with what I would lose if certain relationships were no longer in place. (Since I recently lost a working partner, the evidence of this loss was very clear to me on all 4 levels of capital: human, social, creative and financial.) It became clear to me that several factors play a role in determining the value of particular relationships between people, things, channels, formats, timing, and communication. For instance, there is an attraction factor. And, just like in physics, each factor has its own set of behavior principles, like the enslavement principle for concepts.
I've also been playing with the notion that our relationships with the people controlling the flow of capital are sometimes more important than the capital itself. What would that factor be?
I want to build a working formula and play with the factors to see what shows up. If I can really work this out, I could build an algorithm to track value as relationships evolves, which would lead to a dynamic accounting model that could capture value on all 4 capital levels.
If you have any ideas to contribute here, please share!
Legal Guide for Bloggers from EFF
The Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF has produced a Legal Guide for Bloggers. Of course, this is not The Law. It is presented as a guide, and it addresses the issues that bloggers may face and what recourse they may have if they run into problems.
If you read through all the FAQ's, you'll find a very comprehensive overview about guidelines and how to avoid stepping into legal puddles.
Have any of you had to face any legal battles with statements you've made in your blogs so far?
If you read through all the FAQ's, you'll find a very comprehensive overview about guidelines and how to avoid stepping into legal puddles.
Have any of you had to face any legal battles with statements you've made in your blogs so far?
13 June 2005
The European Blogosphere
Loic LeMeur from SixApart has set up a SocialtextWiki - The European Blogosphere to capture the activity of blogging in Europe.
You can also find the blogosphere of your country - The Dutch Blogosphere for instance.
If you are blogging, please visit this Loic's wiki and add your blog and any other information pertinent to blogging.
You can also find the blogosphere of your country - The Dutch Blogosphere for instance.
If you are blogging, please visit this Loic's wiki and add your blog and any other information pertinent to blogging.
10 June 2005
The New, Improved Technorati
Check it out! Technorati has a new Beta version portal into the world of blogs.
According to Dave Sifry, this is a beta because they want active feedback. Just start clicking and see it in action.
Here are some of the highlights Dave points out:
-- We've improved the user experience, making Technorati accessible to more people and, specifically, people who are new to blogging. We've tried to make it very simple to understand what Technorati is all about, and make it easy to understand how we're different from other search engines.
-- We've learned from the incredible success of tags, and brought some of the those same features into search, as well as expanding tag functionality. Now, if your search matches a tag, we bring in photos and links from flickr, furl, delicious, and now buzznet as well.
-- We now have more powerful advanced search features. You can now click the "Options" link beside any search box for power searching options.
-- We've added more personalization. Sign in, and you'll see your current set of watchlists, claimed blogs, and profile info, right on the homepage, giving you quick access to the stuff you want as quickly as possible.
-- New Watchlist capabilities have been added. For example, you no longer need a RSS reader to watch your favorite searches. Now you can view all of your favorite searches on one page. Of course, you can still get your watchlists via RSS, and it is even easier to create new watchlists. You can also get RSS feeds for tagged posts, just check the bottom of each page of tag results!
Your old password works here, so just sign in and go to you acount. In one overview, you have the big picture on your blogs, their links, pinging and profiles. Fun!
According to Dave Sifry, this is a beta because they want active feedback. Just start clicking and see it in action.
Here are some of the highlights Dave points out:
-- We've improved the user experience, making Technorati accessible to more people and, specifically, people who are new to blogging. We've tried to make it very simple to understand what Technorati is all about, and make it easy to understand how we're different from other search engines.
-- We've learned from the incredible success of tags, and brought some of the those same features into search, as well as expanding tag functionality. Now, if your search matches a tag, we bring in photos and links from flickr, furl, delicious, and now buzznet as well.
-- We now have more powerful advanced search features. You can now click the "Options" link beside any search box for power searching options.
-- We've added more personalization. Sign in, and you'll see your current set of watchlists, claimed blogs, and profile info, right on the homepage, giving you quick access to the stuff you want as quickly as possible.
-- New Watchlist capabilities have been added. For example, you no longer need a RSS reader to watch your favorite searches. Now you can view all of your favorite searches on one page. Of course, you can still get your watchlists via RSS, and it is even easier to create new watchlists. You can also get RSS feeds for tagged posts, just check the bottom of each page of tag results!
Your old password works here, so just sign in and go to you acount. In one overview, you have the big picture on your blogs, their links, pinging and profiles. Fun!
The Physics of Tsunamis and Earthquakes
Even if you are mathematically challenged, you still might enjoy David Stephenson's June 2005 article from Physics Today - Tsunamis and Earthquakes: What Physics is Interesting?
He explains the dynamics involved in earthquakes and tsunamis. He also explains why the tsunami is better understood than the earthquake itself.
It's great to read an physics article so clearly written that I can share it with my friends who lack a scientific knowledge. People want to learn more right now about these natural events and what causes them.
He explains the dynamics involved in earthquakes and tsunamis. He also explains why the tsunami is better understood than the earthquake itself.
It's great to read an physics article so clearly written that I can share it with my friends who lack a scientific knowledge. People want to learn more right now about these natural events and what causes them.
Quick Guide to Human Capital Management Ratings
Denis Barnard sent me an article to read about Human Capital Management. This immediately caught my eye - "The ‘Newbury Index Rating’ (NIR) for human capital value, which is based on a similar system to Standard & Poor’s credit ratings, is the first universal framework for measuring the value of staff, according to its developers."
It wasn't until I read Denis' email again that I realized this was his team who had established a standard for measuring human capital. Working in collaboration, Denis Barnard, Paul Kearns and Tracy Cartland-Ward have put together a rating system that indicates how well an organization is capitalizing on the value of its people.
In their A Quick Guide to Human Capital Management Ratings, you will find a clear explanation of The Newbury Index Ratings (NIR’s). You will also find its distinguishing strategic value in the comparison between HCM and traditional HRM (Human Resource Management).
Now I would like to follow the companies that adopt this rating system and see how they use it to strategic advantage. Again, we face the BIG questions inside organizations "Are we building markets or communities?" and "Is our organizational performance tied more to capturing the value of unique personal performance than product performance?"
It wasn't until I read Denis' email again that I realized this was his team who had established a standard for measuring human capital. Working in collaboration, Denis Barnard, Paul Kearns and Tracy Cartland-Ward have put together a rating system that indicates how well an organization is capitalizing on the value of its people.
In their A Quick Guide to Human Capital Management Ratings, you will find a clear explanation of The Newbury Index Ratings (NIR’s). You will also find its distinguishing strategic value in the comparison between HCM and traditional HRM (Human Resource Management).
Now I would like to follow the companies that adopt this rating system and see how they use it to strategic advantage. Again, we face the BIG questions inside organizations "Are we building markets or communities?" and "Is our organizational performance tied more to capturing the value of unique personal performance than product performance?"
9 June 2005
Brand Wikification
Nick Wreden has opened up a pertinent discussion with his blog on FusionBrand: How To Wikify Your Brand.
In his blog, he reflects on the changing midset of the NewBoardRoom mentality. For decades, the focus has been on growing market share through product positioning, a practice that leveraged mass markets and mass media. Now, the internet paradigm is fragmenting those mass markets into masses of small communities. This is throwning the balance of power back into the hands of the customers. Brands are now defined by their customers, and those customers want to participate in how they want to experience the brand.
Wikification - taking its name from wikis - according to Nick "represents good news and even better news for marketers. The good news is that it incorporates two elements that no boardroom can ignore – measurement and knowledge of what customers value. The even better news is that wikification forces everyone in marketing to value metrics more than “mind share,” “creativity” or any other eye-of-the-beholder concept. It also leads to greater marketing involvement in databases and operational issues that deliver customer value."
It will be interesting to track where these perspectives begin to show up at Board Room altitude. Wikis, blogs, and all this dynamic network behavior is certaining shaping our relationships with brands. Whether the corporate organizations managing them can evolve their business models quickly enough to capture the value of this new behavior is something we're all watching and waiting to see.
Anyway, I really like this term he has coined -
wikification. Keep your eyes open and please share anything you notice along these lines.
In his blog, he reflects on the changing midset of the NewBoardRoom mentality. For decades, the focus has been on growing market share through product positioning, a practice that leveraged mass markets and mass media. Now, the internet paradigm is fragmenting those mass markets into masses of small communities. This is throwning the balance of power back into the hands of the customers. Brands are now defined by their customers, and those customers want to participate in how they want to experience the brand.
Wikification - taking its name from wikis - according to Nick "represents good news and even better news for marketers. The good news is that it incorporates two elements that no boardroom can ignore – measurement and knowledge of what customers value. The even better news is that wikification forces everyone in marketing to value metrics more than “mind share,” “creativity” or any other eye-of-the-beholder concept. It also leads to greater marketing involvement in databases and operational issues that deliver customer value."
It will be interesting to track where these perspectives begin to show up at Board Room altitude. Wikis, blogs, and all this dynamic network behavior is certaining shaping our relationships with brands. Whether the corporate organizations managing them can evolve their business models quickly enough to capture the value of this new behavior is something we're all watching and waiting to see.
Anyway, I really like this term he has coined -
wikification. Keep your eyes open and please share anything you notice along these lines.
Reboot 7.0 in Copenhagen this weekend
Just spoke with Ton Zijlstra. He and Elmine Wijnia are driving up to Reboot 7.0 in Copenhagen this weekend.
They'll join the other bloggeratti in exploring the impact of social media and its tools on our many worlds. We're looking forward to hearing about their adventure next week.
Among the cast - Jonnie Moore, Doc Searls, Robert Scoble, Jimbo Wales Cory Doctorow, David Weinberger, Loic Le Meur, Dina Mehta
They'll join the other bloggeratti in exploring the impact of social media and its tools on our many worlds. We're looking forward to hearing about their adventure next week.
Among the cast - Jonnie Moore, Doc Searls, Robert Scoble, Jimbo Wales Cory Doctorow, David Weinberger, Loic Le Meur, Dina Mehta
Information Overload & Strategies for This
We're living in a time when we are inundated by media throughout most of our waking hours. We grapple with getting our minds to regular points of rest and focus.
Then we sit in front of our computers and stare at the files and think "Now, where did I file that great quote?", or "Which files have that info about this subject?"
What we need to do is develop personal information management strategies - PIMS. We each need a strategy that guides how we organize and file and store information so that we can access it and assemble it in our own way of thinking and working. This needs to be based on how we think, how we want to use that information, how we apply information, - and ultimately how we package that information into knowledge concepts. It's important to address issues like no online access when you spend hours on trains or planes.
Ton Zilstra uses a wiki offline that he can sync online. Great way to package your thoughts and a way to capture the bits of info that fall into those threads of thinking that you just haven't built into anything yet. A constructive path. I'm going to explore this with him because he seems to be a whiz at this.
Then we sit in front of our computers and stare at the files and think "Now, where did I file that great quote?", or "Which files have that info about this subject?"
What we need to do is develop personal information management strategies - PIMS. We each need a strategy that guides how we organize and file and store information so that we can access it and assemble it in our own way of thinking and working. This needs to be based on how we think, how we want to use that information, how we apply information, - and ultimately how we package that information into knowledge concepts. It's important to address issues like no online access when you spend hours on trains or planes.
Ton Zilstra uses a wiki offline that he can sync online. Great way to package your thoughts and a way to capture the bits of info that fall into those threads of thinking that you just haven't built into anything yet. A constructive path. I'm going to explore this with him because he seems to be a whiz at this.
7 June 2005
Societies Shaped by their Media
Marshall McLuhan (1911 - 1980) claimed that societies were shaped by their media. The book was the organizing factor in one era. And, let's not forget the impact of the TV.
Today, the IDEA - or brand concept - is an organizing principle. Media today is about sharing ideas. Sharing ideas is shaping our world and evolving the economic business model.
Thomas Samuel Kahn (1922 - 1996) claimed that intellectual revolutions bring on paradigm shifts, replacing entire conceptual networks through which we view the world.
What happens when we look at social media as the organizing principle for a paradigm shift? What do you see then as the distinctive signs of this new culture?
Could INTERNET be the definitive paradigm for shaping our current culture and that of the future?
Today, the IDEA - or brand concept - is an organizing principle. Media today is about sharing ideas. Sharing ideas is shaping our world and evolving the economic business model.
Thomas Samuel Kahn (1922 - 1996) claimed that intellectual revolutions bring on paradigm shifts, replacing entire conceptual networks through which we view the world.
What happens when we look at social media as the organizing principle for a paradigm shift? What do you see then as the distinctive signs of this new culture?
Could INTERNET be the definitive paradigm for shaping our current culture and that of the future?
4 June 2005
Vanenburg Forum on Collaboration & Learning
This past Wednesday, I attended a forum on collaboration and learning at the newly opened Kasteel de Vanenburg in Putten in The Netherlands. This effort was effectively put together by Crossing Signals and The Global Learning Group - and was graciously hosted by Cordys.
We were there to share knowledge and insights about the issues we face in finding the right platforms that address learning, managing and sharing knowledge, and interactive communication. This was the first in a series of forums to discover the right keys to support an integrated platform that would wholely support social connectivity, learning, project management, and co-creative collaboration. Understanding how people engage and finding the right interface complete with built-in tools will be key. Tall order…we’ll see what transpires in the months ahead.
The pictures tell the story of that day much better than I can. The discussion is now activated and we’re looking forward to the feedback, which should find its place on a new blog that will be forthcoming and hosted by Rudy Hoeboer from Crossing Signals.
We were there to share knowledge and insights about the issues we face in finding the right platforms that address learning, managing and sharing knowledge, and interactive communication. This was the first in a series of forums to discover the right keys to support an integrated platform that would wholely support social connectivity, learning, project management, and co-creative collaboration. Understanding how people engage and finding the right interface complete with built-in tools will be key. Tall order…we’ll see what transpires in the months ahead.
The pictures tell the story of that day much better than I can. The discussion is now activated and we’re looking forward to the feedback, which should find its place on a new blog that will be forthcoming and hosted by Rudy Hoeboer from Crossing Signals.
31 May 2005
Metcalfe's Law overshoots the mark
Early in March, the New York Times published an article - Researchers: Metcalfe's Law overshoots the mark - about a paper written by 2 researchers refuting Metcalfe's Law, which is quoted as the rule of thumb for computing the value of communication networks. I recently read their academic paper again because of some work I am preparing for a client and a conference.
Andrew Odlyzko and Benjamin Tilly - researchers from the Digital Technology Center at the University of Minnesota - posit several arguments to substantiate that this rule is a "significant overestimate". Their paper - "A refutation of Metcalfe's Law and a better estimate for the value of networks and network interconnections" - explains why network growth rate is much slower than Metcalfe thought. And...why the dot-com and telecom boom failed.
They reviewed several quantitative models of networks...some dating back to 1974...and compared them to each other. Metcalfe's Law seemed to have an intuitive appeal, and people used it generously to project growth calculations for networks and to demonstrate "a linear relationship between the perceived size and value of a network".
I always wonder why business people grab onto "rules" like this without understanding their foundation, and without understanding the consequences of adopting it into practice. The sheer number of consultants and sales people using a "rule" like this and quoting it can turn it into a standard of practice, which is exactly what happened. This is what I call a borrowed strategy.
Perhaps it time to rethink our business models and make them unique to our businesses...and not borrow them from somewhere else.
Andrew Odlyzko and Benjamin Tilly - researchers from the Digital Technology Center at the University of Minnesota - posit several arguments to substantiate that this rule is a "significant overestimate". Their paper - "A refutation of Metcalfe's Law and a better estimate for the value of networks and network interconnections" - explains why network growth rate is much slower than Metcalfe thought. And...why the dot-com and telecom boom failed.
They reviewed several quantitative models of networks...some dating back to 1974...and compared them to each other. Metcalfe's Law seemed to have an intuitive appeal, and people used it generously to project growth calculations for networks and to demonstrate "a linear relationship between the perceived size and value of a network".
I always wonder why business people grab onto "rules" like this without understanding their foundation, and without understanding the consequences of adopting it into practice. The sheer number of consultants and sales people using a "rule" like this and quoting it can turn it into a standard of practice, which is exactly what happened. This is what I call a borrowed strategy.
Perhaps it time to rethink our business models and make them unique to our businesses...and not borrow them from somewhere else.
30 May 2005
Portugal to get world's first commercial wave farm
This news article from Reuters caught my attention because I used to live in Portugal, and the name of my company years ago was Waves. As I read further, I realized this is quite an innovative solution, making use of nature's water power.
The Scottish company Ocean Power Delivery (OPD) is going to build a wave farm off the coast north of Oporto near the town of Povoa de Varzim - a charming seaside place that's like stepping back into time. These underwater, long, sausage-like tubes will generate 2.25 megawatts of power for the renewable energy group Enersis. OPD is backed by Norwegian Norsk Hydro.
Not only does this effort save people from carbon dioxide emissions, it saves the planet from global warming. I just wonder what the impact is on the local eco-sealife?
The Scottish company Ocean Power Delivery (OPD) is going to build a wave farm off the coast north of Oporto near the town of Povoa de Varzim - a charming seaside place that's like stepping back into time. These underwater, long, sausage-like tubes will generate 2.25 megawatts of power for the renewable energy group Enersis. OPD is backed by Norwegian Norsk Hydro.
Not only does this effort save people from carbon dioxide emissions, it saves the planet from global warming. I just wonder what the impact is on the local eco-sealife?
National Geographic Sustainable Destinations Resource Center
These initiatives touch me, particularly when National Geographic puts their weight behind something this important - National Geographic Sustainable Destinations Resource Center.
"We want to help residents, visitors, and professionals practice what is now being called geotourism: tourism that supports the geographical character of the place being visited—its environment, culture, heritage, aesthetics, and the well-being of its citizens.
Awareness is the key. Residents who benefit from tourism tend to value and conserve what tourists are coming to see. Visitors reinforce that link when they support businesses that sustain the destination. We hope these web pages help, and we welcome your comments and suggestions."
Jonathan B. Tourtellot, Director of Sustainable Destinations
"We want to help residents, visitors, and professionals practice what is now being called geotourism: tourism that supports the geographical character of the place being visited—its environment, culture, heritage, aesthetics, and the well-being of its citizens.
Awareness is the key. Residents who benefit from tourism tend to value and conserve what tourists are coming to see. Visitors reinforce that link when they support businesses that sustain the destination. We hope these web pages help, and we welcome your comments and suggestions."
Jonathan B. Tourtellot, Director of Sustainable Destinations
The Dutch DARE - Digital Academic REpositories
Innovation does exist in The Netherlands! Take a look at what Dutch academics have collectively and effectively created by agreeing to open source their papers and share their knowledge - DAREnet. Digital Academic REpositories (DARE) has archived over 40,000 papers from 16 universities and made them available to the public. This is a permanent storage, which leaves a legacy of knowledge for future generations.
Just click on a name from the list of institutions and you link directly to their depot. Of course, this a project in-the-works -- and much of it is in the Dutch language or still under publisher's copyright. Still, what a step forward for a country that likes to charge you for every little step you take. This is also a relief for many academics and students who can no longer afford the expensive academic and scientific journals.
Check out Cream of Science, which lists 25,000 publications from over 200 Dutch scientists and researchers.
Go Open Source! Yea!
Just click on a name from the list of institutions and you link directly to their depot. Of course, this a project in-the-works -- and much of it is in the Dutch language or still under publisher's copyright. Still, what a step forward for a country that likes to charge you for every little step you take. This is also a relief for many academics and students who can no longer afford the expensive academic and scientific journals.
Check out Cream of Science, which lists 25,000 publications from over 200 Dutch scientists and researchers.
Go Open Source! Yea!
Last supper with my students
Friday, the students from my course at the University of Amsterdam Graduate Business School (AgBS) evaluated what they had learned and, at the same time, took pride in what they had created together - an alumni brand.
What made this this course different from previous times was the advantage of social media. This class worked with a blog and wiki. They used their blog to capture their discussions of what emerged from their collaboration in class and on the wiki. They learned how to track and aggregate intelligence on the internet using RSS and tagging, building the basis for a personal knowledge management system.
What emerged from this course - Brands, Identity & Concepts: working with dynamic network structures using Applied Connective Dynamics - was an alumni brand that will potentially serve as a knowledge society "to foster their personal development by uniting their alumni community". For Anglo-Saxon academic institutions, this is not unusual - alumni have built the repuatations of their universities and positioned them competitively, often leaving these institutions material legacies. For The Netherlands, this is quite unique. Here, alumni associations are simply university-funded social clubs.
These MBA students have defined an integrated value concept that will feed and support them over time as it grows and develops. To reach this goal, they had to struggle with innovative processes and let go of ingrained old-fashioned concepts of doing business in order to learn the impact of inter-dependencies of purpose, values and human behavior in contextual scenarios. And, they had to apply this in real-life by building a brand together.
I wish them the realization of their dreams and the success that goes with it. This group of 10 - The Creators - really got it.
What made this this course different from previous times was the advantage of social media. This class worked with a blog and wiki. They used their blog to capture their discussions of what emerged from their collaboration in class and on the wiki. They learned how to track and aggregate intelligence on the internet using RSS and tagging, building the basis for a personal knowledge management system.
What emerged from this course - Brands, Identity & Concepts: working with dynamic network structures using Applied Connective Dynamics - was an alumni brand that will potentially serve as a knowledge society "to foster their personal development by uniting their alumni community". For Anglo-Saxon academic institutions, this is not unusual - alumni have built the repuatations of their universities and positioned them competitively, often leaving these institutions material legacies. For The Netherlands, this is quite unique. Here, alumni associations are simply university-funded social clubs.
These MBA students have defined an integrated value concept that will feed and support them over time as it grows and develops. To reach this goal, they had to struggle with innovative processes and let go of ingrained old-fashioned concepts of doing business in order to learn the impact of inter-dependencies of purpose, values and human behavior in contextual scenarios. And, they had to apply this in real-life by building a brand together.
I wish them the realization of their dreams and the success that goes with it. This group of 10 - The Creators - really got it.
24 May 2005
Sudoku - Number Puzzles
"suuji wa dokushin ni kagiri" Japanese for "the number is alone"
I ran across an article in the IHT on Monday about sudoku number puzzles. They have become the rage in England, with almost every newspaper carrying them, except the Financial Times. These "magic squares" have appeared in illustrations as far back as the 1500's. The strategy is to arrange the numbers from 1 through 9 in a 9 by 9 grid without repeating a number in any row or column.
The Japanese picked up the concept of these puzzles from Dell in the 1970's because numbers work in their language where English alphabet letters do not. Now they have appeared like a virus
Online Daily SuDoKu
Sample Sudoku Problem
Solver Software
Wikipedia on Sudoku
I ran across an article in the IHT on Monday about sudoku number puzzles. They have become the rage in England, with almost every newspaper carrying them, except the Financial Times. These "magic squares" have appeared in illustrations as far back as the 1500's. The strategy is to arrange the numbers from 1 through 9 in a 9 by 9 grid without repeating a number in any row or column.
The Japanese picked up the concept of these puzzles from Dell in the 1970's because numbers work in their language where English alphabet letters do not. Now they have appeared like a virus
Online Daily SuDoKu
Sample Sudoku Problem
Solver Software
Wikipedia on Sudoku
18 May 2005
Technorati Now Tracking 10 Million Blogs!
David Sifry, founder of Technorati, announced the 10 millionth blog on Sifry's Alerts.
I couldn't resist checking out this milestone 10 millionth blog. It's a Chinese blogger spotlighting an amazing collection of glass blowers, including Dale Chihuly, probably one of the best known glass blowers in the world. The photography alone is worth a visit.
I couldn't resist checking out this milestone 10 millionth blog. It's a Chinese blogger spotlighting an amazing collection of glass blowers, including Dale Chihuly, probably one of the best known glass blowers in the world. The photography alone is worth a visit.
17 May 2005
Building 4 Levels of Capital in our Lives
How do we track and capture value? This discussion keeps coming to the surface because people struggle with the limitation of just counting currency collected or paid out. We want to generate wealth for ourselves and for others. For those in business, we think that money is the driver. But...is it?
What really creates value for us in the different contexts of our lives? How can we create relevant measurement tools to track and capture the real value for our personal development, our relationships, our concepts and our financial portfolio.
Perhaps we need to define the criteria for evaluating the areas that build capital:
-- Human Capital - the value our personal development and growth...and our reputation
-- Social Capital - the value created through relationships with others
-- Creative Capital - the value we create through our ideas, products, and capturing our knowledge
-- Financial Capital - the value of the currency we use to affirm the application or cost of our personal, social and conceptual contributions
Each level feeds and builds on the other. As we evolve as individuals, we make greater contributions through growing our relationships and concepts. This way, we generate wealth on many levels.
People and business and government are all seeking the same thing - validation and wealth. We just have different definitions of these concepts and different tools for measuring them.
Money is not the only thing to count. What are you counting? And...how are you counting it?
What really creates value for us in the different contexts of our lives? How can we create relevant measurement tools to track and capture the real value for our personal development, our relationships, our concepts and our financial portfolio.
Perhaps we need to define the criteria for evaluating the areas that build capital:
-- Human Capital - the value our personal development and growth...and our reputation
-- Social Capital - the value created through relationships with others
-- Creative Capital - the value we create through our ideas, products, and capturing our knowledge
-- Financial Capital - the value of the currency we use to affirm the application or cost of our personal, social and conceptual contributions
Each level feeds and builds on the other. As we evolve as individuals, we make greater contributions through growing our relationships and concepts. This way, we generate wealth on many levels.
People and business and government are all seeking the same thing - validation and wealth. We just have different definitions of these concepts and different tools for measuring them.
Money is not the only thing to count. What are you counting? And...how are you counting it?
12 May 2005
The Birth of a Business School Alumni Brand
The course I teach at the University of Amsterdam Graduate School of Business is coming to a close at the end of the month. What differentiated this group of MBA students from others is that we integrated the course with a blog and a wiki. They used the wiki as a collaborative space and the blog as a discussion space. We used the class time to address the processes and methodologies, and to build content. We also used the face to face time to work out the human relationship issues.
The purpose of this course is to learn how to strategically manage a brand. Using Applied Connective Dynamics, these MBA students tackled the interdependencies of a dynamic network structure of a brand, its identity and the concepts that drive the business. This is a lot to absorb for business focused professionals without an academic understanding of core physics' concepts like emergence, complexity and quantum mechanical parameters of pattern recognition. Add the politics of positioning and the identity methodology of profiling, and people can get quite lost in this maze of relationships that ultimately build reputation. The wake up for them was realizing that you need this content to build a business plan, make a budget and build the appropriate organizational structure to support it.
This year's students have created the groundwork for an alumni brand for the Business School. They want to build the reputation of the UvA Business School through fostering their personal growth through uniting this alumni community. Traditionally in the Netherlands, alumni brands are controlled through the University's administration. You can see the impact of this in the weakness of their brand's competitiveness with other Business Schools in different parts of the world where alumni have built the school's reputation and contributed to its success.
The success of this group and their alumni brand will be something to follow in the years to come. I think they will put something together that will bring UvAgBS alumni together into a community of engagement to grow value for themselves and for those to follow. They are establishing a legacy. It's been fun to partipate with them - and even more interesting to learn so much from them in their struggle to land this authentically in their own lives and in the lives of others.
Success to their preferred future.
The purpose of this course is to learn how to strategically manage a brand. Using Applied Connective Dynamics, these MBA students tackled the interdependencies of a dynamic network structure of a brand, its identity and the concepts that drive the business. This is a lot to absorb for business focused professionals without an academic understanding of core physics' concepts like emergence, complexity and quantum mechanical parameters of pattern recognition. Add the politics of positioning and the identity methodology of profiling, and people can get quite lost in this maze of relationships that ultimately build reputation. The wake up for them was realizing that you need this content to build a business plan, make a budget and build the appropriate organizational structure to support it.
This year's students have created the groundwork for an alumni brand for the Business School. They want to build the reputation of the UvA Business School through fostering their personal growth through uniting this alumni community. Traditionally in the Netherlands, alumni brands are controlled through the University's administration. You can see the impact of this in the weakness of their brand's competitiveness with other Business Schools in different parts of the world where alumni have built the school's reputation and contributed to its success.
The success of this group and their alumni brand will be something to follow in the years to come. I think they will put something together that will bring UvAgBS alumni together into a community of engagement to grow value for themselves and for those to follow. They are establishing a legacy. It's been fun to partipate with them - and even more interesting to learn so much from them in their struggle to land this authentically in their own lives and in the lives of others.
Success to their preferred future.
10 May 2005
Social Media Generation Gap
What I am beginning to recognize more and more are the apparent gaps created between those engaging with social media and those who do not know of its tools or the impact of those tools. Older people fall into this gap regularly - during business meetings, while traveling, in their families, and even in their art galleries.
I received an invitation to an art exhibition of photography by recognized older artists in Friesland. What amazed me was that the photographic composition and capture had nothing differentiating it from the hundreds of photos we see every day, shared through our mobile phones, Flickr, and all the other social media tools. How will these artists feel when they discover that what they hold precious is now shared as a common occurance daily by millions?
What happens when business people leading corporate business units keep making decisions based on their ignorance of the trends and indicators of changing business models?
How can we close this gap and bring the older generations more in line with what's happening and give them access to the tools that could enrich their lives and relationships with others?
I received an invitation to an art exhibition of photography by recognized older artists in Friesland. What amazed me was that the photographic composition and capture had nothing differentiating it from the hundreds of photos we see every day, shared through our mobile phones, Flickr, and all the other social media tools. How will these artists feel when they discover that what they hold precious is now shared as a common occurance daily by millions?
What happens when business people leading corporate business units keep making decisions based on their ignorance of the trends and indicators of changing business models?
How can we close this gap and bring the older generations more in line with what's happening and give them access to the tools that could enrich their lives and relationships with others?
9 May 2005
Grokker - Visualizing Textual Searches
Groxis.com will supposedly release Grokker today to run as a Java plugin for browsers to view Yahoo search results in visual categories.
Pittman partnered with Yahoo because Yahoo responded by creating a standardized way to place contextual ads next to Groxis' circular search result maps.
Grokker works with categories instead of rankings, which opens up opportunities by remixing search content.
I enjoyed the "I grok" so much because it drew me back into the world of Michael Valentine from "Stranger in a Strange Land" from Robert Heinlein. At the end of the 60's, friends of mine hung a large carved wooden sign - "GROK" - from their property in Española, New Mexico as a salutation and marker for those involved in the "understanding". Just as relevant now as it was in the 60's, this book and its concepts could act as metaphor for the cultural conflicts we're addressing today.
Pittman partnered with Yahoo because Yahoo responded by creating a standardized way to place contextual ads next to Groxis' circular search result maps.
Grokker works with categories instead of rankings, which opens up opportunities by remixing search content.
I enjoyed the "I grok" so much because it drew me back into the world of Michael Valentine from "Stranger in a Strange Land" from Robert Heinlein. At the end of the 60's, friends of mine hung a large carved wooden sign - "GROK" - from their property in Española, New Mexico as a salutation and marker for those involved in the "understanding". Just as relevant now as it was in the 60's, this book and its concepts could act as metaphor for the cultural conflicts we're addressing today.
4 May 2005
Cracking Passwords Techniques
Ran across a helpful "how-to" from GeodSoft on Cracking Passwords Techniques.
Every time I log in to use my banks online, I cringe. Since I know a few hackers, they always share their stories of how easy it is to crack codes and passwords.
Read this "how-to" and you'll be playing with new passwords too.
Every time I log in to use my banks online, I cringe. Since I know a few hackers, they always share their stories of how easy it is to crack codes and passwords.
Read this "how-to" and you'll be playing with new passwords too.
The Evolution of Branding
I gave a talk last week on "the Evolution of Branding" at the Club of Amsterdam. Goos Geursen also gave a talk about "Branding is something we did in flatland".
What we both discovered in the discussion groups afterward was a growing sense from people that they wanted to engage and participate with brands. It seems that people want to see more of who they really are reflected in brands.
People are tired of marketing. They want an authentic relationship; no more lies, no more empty promises.
What does this mean for the organizations responsible for brands? Listen. Find a way to create better context for people with your brand so that you'll have a realtionship with them in the future. How? I think that was the point from the feedback - it's an interactive and inter-dependent discovery process.
What are the changes you're noticing about how people engage with brands?
What we both discovered in the discussion groups afterward was a growing sense from people that they wanted to engage and participate with brands. It seems that people want to see more of who they really are reflected in brands.
People are tired of marketing. They want an authentic relationship; no more lies, no more empty promises.
What does this mean for the organizations responsible for brands? Listen. Find a way to create better context for people with your brand so that you'll have a realtionship with them in the future. How? I think that was the point from the feedback - it's an interactive and inter-dependent discovery process.
What are the changes you're noticing about how people engage with brands?
Ultrawideband (UWB) as Future after Wi-Fi
From the NY times article - Bandwidth Advance Hints at Future Beyond Wi-Fi - "the drive to unwire the living room is about to get a push."
The FCC in the USA has opened the way toward using a single standard for a new wireless technology called ultrawideband, or UWB. Because it uses multiple frequencies, it can carry information in smaller packages and pass through data traffic without any interference. If it works (it's still in the developmental stages), it could increase the capacity of radio spectrum dramatically by allowing users to share with already licensed users of this radio spectrum.
This could be the next big thing in wireless technology.
This means we could connect all the TV's, monitors, computers, speakers and everything else without that spaghetti of cables. It also means that it will be the next stage of wireless networking and internet access, wich would replace Wi-Fi.
The FCC in the USA has opened the way toward using a single standard for a new wireless technology called ultrawideband, or UWB. Because it uses multiple frequencies, it can carry information in smaller packages and pass through data traffic without any interference. If it works (it's still in the developmental stages), it could increase the capacity of radio spectrum dramatically by allowing users to share with already licensed users of this radio spectrum.
This could be the next big thing in wireless technology.
This means we could connect all the TV's, monitors, computers, speakers and everything else without that spaghetti of cables. It also means that it will be the next stage of wireless networking and internet access, wich would replace Wi-Fi.
GarageBand.com
GarageBand.com is a hub of activity for independent music. You can find tunes for your videos, podcasts or site. They also have links to the radio stations that are playing the music from their member bands.
GarageBand.com helps bands and musicians get their music out there. Their vision is "changing the way music is discovered". Musicians and audience find themselves sharing new ways to create context and grow distribution for music.
Listeners share their feedback through a review system. Everyone gets a chance to enjoy their own kind of music - either playing or listening.
Check out their success stories, too.
GarageBand.com helps bands and musicians get their music out there. Their vision is "changing the way music is discovered". Musicians and audience find themselves sharing new ways to create context and grow distribution for music.
Listeners share their feedback through a review system. Everyone gets a chance to enjoy their own kind of music - either playing or listening.
Check out their success stories, too.
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