New Wonderings

New Wonderings
You Really Know
Thoughtfulness Matters Still
Be Spectacular Throughout So Literary Lovers Read

Ideas Worth Spreading (To Everyone)

My pre-schooler (along with his grade school brother) watched his first TED video tonight.

The Wisdom Of Crowdsourced Education

“Bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the work of many generations, produced by enthusiastic effort and infinite labor in every country of the world. All this is put into your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day faithfully hand it on to your children. Thus do we mortals achieve immortality in the permanent things which we create in common.”
- Albert Einstein, given as part of a talk to a group of children. Published in Mein Weltbild, Amsterdam: Querido Verlag, 1934.

As a junior in high school I remember sitting towards the back left corner of my Calculus class watching and listening to my teacher scribble integral equations on the chalk board up front. There were maybe just under 30 or so kids in the class, a majority of them high school seniors. One of them, sitting next to me on my left, was having a particularly hard time comprehending what our teacher was explaining. I was having a hard time staying awake.

This classmate looked a bit distraught. At some point I leaned over and began explaining the Calculus material directly to him. I was being as quiet as possible. But in a classroom filled with intent listeners, my prolonged talking, however discreet, caught the attention (or rather initial wrath) or our teacher. Ultimately he stopped lecturing and scribbling and called me out. He chastised me for what he thought was idle social chit-chat. With the entire class now turned looking at me I explained that I was actually helping my classmate better understand the material. At this point my teacher celebrated my effort and encouraged all around to do the same when need be.

It takes a village I suppose. But that was then. This is now. In today’s 2.0 world, it takes an online social network.

Such is the premise behind Sophia.org.



Sophia has been described as a mash up of Wikipedia, YouTube, and Facebook — focused solely on teaching and learning. According to the website “it’s where you can teach what you know and learn what you don’t.”

Sophia.org is pulling together a variety of different tools and techniques to accomplish its mission.
a) it’s an academic oriented site (versus the overall vastness of the internet),
b) it utilizes 2.0 techniques of organizing, tagging, filtering and sorting information,
c) it includes student evaluations/ratings,
d) it includes ratings of self-identified experts to determine the academic soundness of the content, and
e) it’s designed in an open architecture so others can build upon it.

If you haven’t looked closely at Sophia.org you might think it’s simply an information delivery system and not geared towards innovation and new knowledge production. I don’t think it’s a centralized institution though. And some day, in ways yet unimagined, this new online village of educators may just surprise you with something truly unbelievable.

And did I mention it’s free.

“Everyone knows something. Maybe it’s a mnemonic device for remembering the American presidents, and maybe it’s an advanced theory in quantum physics. Regardless, why can’t it be captured and shared with someone else in search of that knowledge? An oversimplification, yes. And I certainly don’t have all the answers. We created Sophia because we believe you do.” – Don Smithmier, Sophia.org CEO

Stealing Great Ideas From Other Charities

Actor and comedian Ben Stiller, using the simple name Haitian School Initiative, is raising money in an effort to help provide temporary schools for Haitians displaced by the earthquake on January 12, 2010.

“Our goal is to help kids get back in school as quickly as possible,” said Stiller. “Schools are a safe haven for kids in times of crisis, and are instrumental in delivering not only education but also health care, nutrition and other critical services.”

Stiller visited Haiti in the summer of 2009 and committed to building a school, providing clean water, and improved agriculture in Cévérine. Following the visit he launched Stillerstrong www.stillerstrong.org, a fun campaign, in partnership with Causecast and the Global Philanthropy Group, the motto of “stealing great ideas from other people’s charities to build a school in Haiti,” to raise money for the project and enlist the support of others. He produced a series of viral videos involving President Clinton, Lance Armstrong, Robert DeNiro, Owen Wilson, Ryan Seacrest and others who rallied around this important cause. This campaign has raised more than $300,000 including a generous contribution of $100,000 from Bulgari. This represents a significant amount of funds needed for the school. Stiller partnered with Save the Children on the Cévérine School project.

Learn more and donate at www.stillerstrong.org.

Are Some Innovations Inevitable?

“You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?” – from the play Back To Methuselah by George Bernard Shaw

If George Bernard Shaw hadn’t written the play Back To Methuselah, what would have been Ted Kennedy’s final line in his brother Bobby’s eulogy? I have no idea. But it wouldn’t have likely been “Some men see things as they are and ask why. I dream things that never were and ask why not.”
___________________

I saw footage online yesterday of actor Eric Stolz in the lead role of Marty McFly from the 1985 movie “Back to the Future.” Apparently Stolz, unbeknownst to me until yesterday, was originally cast in the role, but was replaced five weeks into shooting because his comedic sensibilities weren’t quite right for the role.

For me “Back to the Future” is an iconic movie. As is Michael J. Fox in the role of Marty McFly. Watching snippets of footage with Eric Stolz in the lead role was odd at best and actually difficult to fully absorb. Michael J. Fox is Marty McFly. It has never occurred to me that it could ever have been anyone else. The footage made me start to wonder though. “Back to the Future” could easily have been something other than what it ultimately became. The principle characters in the story – of the movie itself and how the movie came to be – could easily have been different.

Gutenberg is credited with movable type.

Charles Darwin posited the theory of evolution and natural selection.

The Wright brothers began to fly.

Albert Einstein postulated the theory of relativity.

Steve Jobs orchestrated the development of the iPod.

Are some innovations inevitable?

If Johnny “The Caveman” Johnson hadn’t invented the wheel, would someone else have?

Is a cure for cancer inevitable and history has simply not yet recorded its discoverer?

What innovations are you dreaming up? Will they be the things that never were? Or perhaps might someone formulate the innovation before you and history credits someone else with its invention? Or maybe, just maybe, could you be the person in the right place at the right time when the inevitable occurs? Might not the innovation even occur without you?

Dream of things that never were, but know that the only things that come to dreamers are dreams.

Unbag The Innovation

Customers don’t always enjoy innovations, especially when they negatively impact the overall experience of a product or service. You can’t force customers to like (or buy) what you’re selling, no matter how good (or good for you and the planet) it might be.

Frito Lay’s 100% biodegradable packaging for Sun Chips for instance didn’t go over too well it seems. For anyone that’s eaten from a regular size bag of Sun Chips recently, you already know what I’m talking about. The bags are downright noisy. They’ve got more crunch than the actual chips.

Personally, I don’t really mind the crunchy bag. It actually makes the Sun Chips experience slightly more unique than eating other kinds of snack chips. Other chips just seem slightly boring to me now. But then again I’m not trying to eat chips during orchestral concerts, at the library, or during pressure-packed putting situations at the Ryder Cup. I also own a few bowls (normally used for cereal) into which I can pour the chips when it’s absolutely necessary to remain quiet. I know not everyone that buys a $3 bag of Sun Chips can afford to buy a three-pack of reusable plastic bowls from the dollar store.

Apparently enough people complained about the 100% biodegradable bags (or rather apparently stopped buying the product because of the bag and thus revenues declined) that Frito Lay (owned by PepsiCo) decided to return to the old, less noisy, plastic packaging for most Sun Chips varieties.

It’s sort of too bad that something relatively innovative and environmentally friendly couldn’t stay on store shelves. It’s not really surprising though. The color of money trumps green every day. Innovations need to cater to what’s wanted, not necessarily what’s needed.

I’m still waiting for less noisy packaging on my Dentyne Ice gum. The enclosed foil wrapper makes it difficult to be discrete at my kid’s school concerts. Despite the dirty looks I sometimes get at these events I haven’t complained to the manufacturer yet.

Garden Salsa Sun Chips are awesome by the way.

Chance Favors The Connected Mind

I think Louis Pasteur was right. “Chance favors the prepared mind” he said. It does seem a bit oxymoronic, but by and large I think the sentiment is generally accepted. We must prepare ourselves with knowledge, as well as prepare our minds to recognize, acknowledge, and act upon opportunities that arise. Innovation depends on it.

Being prepared is good.

But arguably being connected is even better.

Author Steven Johnson - whose previous books include The Ghost Map and Everything Bad Is Good For You – has adapted Pasteur’s famous quote.

“Chance favors the connected mind.” – Steven Johnson

I don’t normally plug books or products for others (and know that I have nothing to gain by doing so), but I’m making an exception today. Author Steven Johnson has a new book coming out called Where Good Ideas Come From (it’s not due out until October 5). I’ve not been given an advanced copy so I can’t attest to all that is in it. I did happen to see him present at FEI 2010 in May though where he essentially floated many of the ideas and stories put forth in this new book. I thought his stories and ideas concerning innovation interesting, entertaining, and useful.

Instead of attempting at this time to provide my own overview of the book I’ll simply let you watch this animated preview put together by the publisher. It’s pretty good.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU

http://www.stevenberlinjohnson.com/2010/09/good-ideas-the-four-minute-version.html

Steven Johnson’s new book may not actually have much effect on your connectedness. I imagine it might help however with your preparedness.