Archive for the 'Innovation' Category
Vote For Me
We Can Do Better Than Zero
I applaud the zero footprint initiative. In many ways, it gives people real-life, measurable goals to achieve. I’m heartened by the fact that institutions and municipalities are joining in on the initiative. I wonder though, if it’s a bit short-sighted and even negative in it’s goals. Surely we can do better than “zero”. I think we definitely have to try to have a positive impact on the earth, rather than a “less-negative” one.
Striving for “zero” (and incidently likely never reaching it) simply means that we’re working within existing structures to drain our resources less quickly and poison our earth more slowly. If you read William McDonough & Michael Braungart’s 2002 book “Cradle to Cradle” (mentioned in a previous post), you might see what I’m trying to get at. As a race, we have to take positive action to do more than slow environmental degradation, and more than use more recycled products. We need to create a new way of thinking, living and creating. We need to make our environment better and healthier. To borrow an idea from the book, we need to be eco-effective, not just eco-efficient.
The zero footprint does a great job to measure how lightly we tread, but to be truly effective, it should also measure and promote how we can make the earth better.
I just wanted to give a local e-bike company a bit of a plug here.
Teach (Astronomy) Differently
I’ve been exploring the recently launched WorldWide Telescope. It’s an extremely rich way to explore and tour the universe. What I think is the most exciting is that users are able to create their own presentations and share them with each other.
Below is a talk from Roy Gould at TED.
I had the unique pleasure of attending a gathering last night to honour the work of Thomas Edvard Krogh, Retired Curator and Founding Director of the Geochronology Laboratory at the Royal Ontario Museum. I’m good friends with his son.
To be sure, I have little or no knowledge of geochronology. Inspiration for learning can be sparked at any time, it seems, so now I’m learning. Maybe you should too.
His obituary states, “Tom approached life with a scientific mind, sharing his insights into geology, cooking, organic gardening, energy efficiency and more. Every experience was seen as an opportunity for learning…”
Changing Jobs, Moving On
Life update.
I’m in the process of leaving the job I’ve worked at for the nearly 8 years, http://www.open.uoguelph.ca/.
Now, I’m on to other pastures, http://www.uoguelph.ca/tss/.
New focus, new people, new challenges, bigger windows…
I’ve been busying myself with winding up projects at my current job, and have to say that something like Brainpark would have a helpful way to capture and pass on some of what I’ve learned. As it is, I’ve got a handful of wiki pages and shared files.
Building Sustainable Communities
I’ve been sick at home for the last two days, and watching the PBS series e2: the economies of being environmentally conscious. It’s an ongoing documentary series about solutions to current environmental problems. We borrowed it from the library. I couldn’t imagine a documentary series for me, discussing issues of cities, architecture, sustainable communities and environmental issues. Plus, it’s beautifully produced.
Anyways, I just finished the episode “Green for All” which follows architect and activist Sergio Palleroni as he continues his mission to provide design solutions to humanitarian crisis regions. I’ve read a bit about Palleroni and the BaSiC Initiative previously. This documentary does a great job to highlight his aim to inspire architects to be socially responsible; working in under-served communities to create cool and functional buildings in a sustainable way.
Do Things Googley
Google’s User Experience Group has developed and published 10 Design Principles:
1. Focus on people—their lives, their work, their dreams.
2. Every millisecond counts.
3. Simplicity is powerful.
4. Engage beginners and attract experts.
5. Dare to innovate.
6. Design for the world.
7. Plan for today’s and tomorrow’s business.
8. Delight the eye without distracting the mind.
9. Be worthy of people’s trust.
10. Add a human touch.
http://www.google.com/corporate/ux.html
This morning (at least), I’m a big fan of number 4. It’s a big challenge to create something which is easy enough for the under-experienced, and engaging enough for the uber-experienced. I struggle with this regularly at work in creating educational resources and facilitating orientation sessions. A good amount of humour can help.
The Air Car
This makes me very excited. It’s worth watching just to hear the host say “aluminium”.
Some Quotes From Walt
“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”
“If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.”
“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.”
“I believe in being an innovator.”
