Category: Change around us

radical changes taking place around us now

Simple, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic – a way to make sense – part 2

Previous post introduced the four quadrants of the Cynefin Framework: simple, complicated, complex, and chaotic.

One of the major implications of the framework is to highlight that the world is not neatly ordered.

In addition, leadership styles need to change based on the nature of the situation.

(This series of articles is cross-posted from my other blog, Nonprofit Update. I’ll put them on this blog as well because the Cynefin Framework is quite helpful for understanding the messy world around us.)

Boundaries

The boundaries in moving between quadrants, from simple to complicated to complex to chaotic, are fuzzy. Situations can blend from one to another.

Continue reading “Simple, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic – a way to make sense – part 2”

About those fantastical make-believe tricorders? 31 teams will compete to develop one.

There is a $10M prize in the XPRIZE competition to develop a functioning machine portable machine that can assess a patient for 15 conditions. There are 31 teams entering the competition. That will be whittled down to 10 during the qualifying rounds in April 2014.

Scientific American describes XPRIZE Unveils Medical Tricorder Teams.

The goal is to develop Continue reading “About those fantastical make-believe tricorders? 31 teams will compete to develop one.”

Simple, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic – a way to make sense – part 1

For the last week I’ve been pondering a new tool to help understand the world around me. It’s called a sense-making model by its inventor.

The Cynefin Framework was developed by David Snowden. It’s pronounced cunevin or ku-nev’-in.

This series of posts will give an overview, provide two links to videos, and apply the model to several areas.

(This discussion is cross-posted from my other blog, Nonprofit Update. I’ll put them on this blog as well because the Cynefin Framework is quite helpful for understanding the messy world around us.)

The model has four quadrants. The primary driver is how the relationship between cause and effect changes based on the nature of the situation.

Simple

Continue reading “Simple, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic – a way to make sense – part 1”

More good stuff on the open frontiers – 11-9-13

I’ve used the analogy of a newly opened frontier in the areas of :

  • education,
  • space,
  • energy, and
  • publishing.

This post starts a new “good stuff” series.  Don’t have time to write a full post commenting on all the cool articles I see, so sometimes I’ll just link to articles and give a brief comment.

Here are some articles talking about the open frontier.

Education

Continue reading “More good stuff on the open frontiers – 11-9-13”

Role of the feds in the financial crisis

Back in September, Peter Wallison said Five Years Later: Don’t Mention the Feds – Washington and the media are peddling a narrative that discounts the government’s role in the financial crisis.

He makes the same point I’ve mentioned before. Specifically, that federal legislation required Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy subprime loans. Over time, the portion of their acquisitions that had to be subprime was increased.

There is a lot of blame to go around. The point I’m trying to make is the big banks don’t get 100% of it.

Continue reading “Role of the feds in the financial crisis”

Free E-book to help you cope with the massive change around us. Oh, did I mention the price?

If you are trying to sort out all the massive change around us, you have just got to check out Look, Lead, Love, Learn: Four Steps to Better Business, a Better Life – and Conquering Complexity in the Process by Bill Sheridan.

On 10-29 and 10-30 it is free at Amazon.

How can we possible cope with all the massive change around us? One way is to open our brain to learn and be willing to constantly be learning more.

In an era of great change, the most important skill we will possess going forward is the ability to learn new skills.

Why not just coast to retirement? Continue reading “Free E-book to help you cope with the massive change around us. Oh, did I mention the price?”

A new, built-from-the-ground-up news organization funded by founder of E-Bay

News broke this week that the founder of E-Bay is starting a news organization with major involvement by the reporter who broke so many stories about the NSA spying fiasco.

It will be a brand new, digital-only, full-scope media outlet. Plans are it will cover news, sports, and business in addition to hard-hitting investigative journalism.

Will be funded with an initial $250 million dollar investment.

Pierre Omidyar, the founder of E-Bay, was one of the people shopped as a possible buyer for The Washington Post earlier this year. Jeff Bezos bought the Post for reported $250 million.

Another frontier is open.

Mr. Omidyar decided to put the money he would have otherwise used to buy the Post into something completely new.

Continue reading “A new, built-from-the-ground-up news organization funded by founder of E-Bay”

Creative use of MOOCs: Keep intro or difficult courses *off* your GPA

The education frontier is open. This has odd implications.

In some academic fields, GPA is everything. This creates pressure to take easy courses and avoid difficult courses outside your major.

However, if you want to get knowledgeable (when that concept diverges from getting educated), you might need to learn a bit about the sciences, or computer programming, or philosophy but the drawback is it might hit your GPA. Or you might want an intro to an area before you go on-the-GPA-record.

If that is the case, think about taking a massive open online course.

Continue reading “Creative use of MOOCs: Keep intro or difficult courses *off* your GPA”

Overview of shale oil & gas along with need for sustainable development for booming areas

Professor Tom Tunstall has a great TEDx San Antonio presentation. He provides a high level overview of shale oil and gas.

Update 12-16-13:  You can view his presentation directly on YouTube. I watched again today. It is superb.

Update 12-27-13:  Eagle Ford Shale blog has a list of seven takeaways – Eagle Ford Growth Means Opportunity – TED Talk – Video .

Update: Why does the Eagle Ford shale field run across the border into Mexico but production stops at the Rio Grande? Political and economic issues depress production in Mexico. As I’ve long said, you don’t have to benefit from the energy under the ground.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyqMYLedpdg]

He also goes into detail about the needs for local communities in boom areas to focus not just on roads, but the full range of infrastructure, such as K-12 schools, water treatment, hospitals & clinics, parks, and community meeting places. The full range of quality-of-life issues have a major role in people deciding where to live.

Wise local leaders will try to develop other industries that will sustain when there is a slowdown in energy. As a starter idea, he suggests higher end agriculture, such as raising olives and processing olive oil. Hunting, geothermal, water desalinization are other options. 

Great video. Prof Tunstall’s section is about 10 minutes long. Well worth your time.

His portion starts about the 7 hour, 11 minute point. Here is the link again: http://new.livestream.com/tedx/TEDxSanAntonio/videos/32045908 

Followup on one of the worlds I’ll never visit

I previously mentioned 2 worlds explored that I’ll never enter.

One of those worlds has been closed until further notice.

The alleged mastermind behind the website Silk Road is now in federal custody. The person known publicly as Dread Pirate Roberts was arrested last week. His site is alleged to be the vehicle for sales of large amounts of illegal drugs.

Continue reading “Followup on one of the worlds I’ll never visit”

2 private companies have proven ability to lift supplies to space station

The Cyngus resupply capsule reached the international space station and successfully docked on Sunday (9-29-13). The capsule carried 1,300 pounds of supplies.  In a month it will be loaded with trash and unneeded equipment and burned up in reentry.

That means both Orbital Sciences Corp and SpaceX have the capability to launch privately developed supply ships on top of privately developed rockets to safely deliver supplies into space.

Continue reading “2 private companies have proven ability to lift supplies to space station”

Reshoring – textile plants starting to return

Textile mills are coming back to the U.S. but not bringing many jobs with them.

So reports The New York Times:  U.S. Textile Plants Return, With Floors Largely Empty of People.

The article tells of one company that switched from buying textiles from a company in India to a company in South Carolina.

Continue reading “Reshoring – textile plants starting to return”

Second private company launches resupply capsule to space station

Orbital Sciences is the second private company to design and launch a rocket that can resupply the international space station.

Very cool. The space frontier is open again.

The 40-meter tall Antares rocket lifted off with the company’s Cyngus cargo capsule Wednesday and will rendezvous with the space station Sunday.

Cargo capacity is 680 kg, or about 1,500 pounds.

Continue reading “Second private company launches resupply capsule to space station”

More good stuff on surveillance – 9-17-13

The steady drip-drip-drip of daily news shows there is more bad news yet to be revealed. Several times a week the boundary of the surveillance scandal grows. This mess will get worse before all the news is out.

Here is my fourth list of good stuff that I’d like talk about but only have time to recommend with a quick comment.

Start with something a bit lighter. Be forewarned the author sometimes uses naughty words…ah, make that normally uses naughty words:

Continue reading “More good stuff on surveillance – 9-17-13”