Oct 17

Here is a first draft of the above book by Charles Leadbeater, which focuses on “innovation by the masses not for the masses.”

Courtesy of TED:

With “We Think” he tries to go beyond that and describe how the increasing involvement of “large groups of committed and knowledgeable amateurs, working without pay, are creating highly collaborative forms of organization which operate with little hierarchy and bureaucracy and yet mobilize resources of a scale to match the biggest corporations in the world” and analyze what that means for the future of society and businesses. “Thank to low-cost technology, many more consumers can become producers at least some of the time (…) The next big thing will be us, our power to share and develop ideas without having to rely on formal organizations”.

In the spirit of mass collaboration, Charles is asking for comments. Peer power! Way cool.

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Aug 13

Jim Haviland sent me this book to read and apply to KOYONO. It’s a great story on the trials, tribulations and success of a company that just wanted to make great products (they themselves would use), help save the Planet, and have fun. I became intrigued by the lifestyle of the author, Yvon Chouinard, who is the founder and owner of Patagonia. I immediately Googled “Crazy Rock Climbing.” Here is what I found. Man, these guys are nuts! However, I am not sure Yvon would be one to recommend this kind of speed free solo climbing. Then again, in the book it shows him scaling the Great Wall of China and he jokingly comments that its level of diffculty was only a 5.8. That is .1 more than the wall this guy was filmed climbing!

Jay

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Aug 08

I saw Sir Ken Robinson, author of Out of our Minds: Learning to be Creative, speak at a recent National Governer’s Meeting (on C-Span) and was impressed by his insights on the need for an education system that nurtures creativity. He goes so far as to suggest that creativity is as important as literacy and that children are unfortunately forced into specialized subject matter and ways of thinking. He points out that there are outdated hierarchies in both education and the workforce, which were formed from the industrial revolution and no longer as relevant in today’s fast pace, constantly changing and uncertain world. I was a little surprised to see that most of the governors did not seem to get the link between creativity and innovation. It’s no wonder the arts are at the bottom of the list in the hierarchy of learning and why so many US companies are outsourcing “cool.” Where is the US going with standardized testing and arts programs being cut? Only time will tell, but countries like the UK, South Korea and China are moving education in a new direction and adopting some of Sir Ken’s thought leadership.

Here is a rather fun video archive of Sir Ken talking about creativity and education. Enjoy!

Jay

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