Change-ability

Who are our thinkers?

2010-01-27T10:11:00.000Z

As I read yesterday's post I was struck by the word 'thinker'.

Who would deserve the title today? Do we even consider that to call someone a thinker would be a decoration of honour, or would it be a term of criticism.

At times it seems we live our lives in a Nike advertisement to the soundtrack of 'Just Do It!'

Yet our role models are celebrities whose most notable feature is to have lived lives free from achieving anything.

We are left with the hollow sound of a drum that incessantly beats a rhythm to do more of the same, just quicker, more efficiently, and never to allow the time to ask 'why?'

In the Land of the Blind...

2010-01-26T07:09:00.000Z

Apparently it was Erasmus, a Dutch thinker, who first penned the phrase, 'In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king'.

The idea of course is that sight amongst the blind is a precious gift and one which would be lauded.
If only it were so.

In 1904 H.G. Wells wrote a short story called The Country of the Blind.

A lost climber Nunez falls and descends into an isolated and inaccessible valley whose people over many generations have grown to become sightless. With the realisation of his situation, Nunez at first believes that he will be feted as king of his new domain. He comes to learn differently.

The people do not feel deprived awaiting being released from their darkness. Indeed quite the opposite. Their beliefs, religion and rituals have all expunged any reference or recollection of sight to the extent that it has become little more than an echo buried within childish fairy stories.

Nunez's attempts to demonstrate the power of his fifth sense are to no avail. The enhancement of their senses of taste, touch, smell and hearing have replaced the need for sight, and his protestations to the contrary are seen as no more than the rantings of the feeble minded and insane. They no more miss or accept the value of a fifth sense, than do the sighted a sixth sense.

In time he is absorbed into the society, required to renounce his belief in sight. Indeed in order to be assimilated into the community by marriage, the village elders propose to cure his insanity by removal of the facial features he, in his insanity, insists on referring to as 'his eyes'.

As society speeds headlong, head-down and with little thought, it is perhaps more appropriate to say that

In the land of the blind, the world will beat a path to the door of a man who can teach them a few new words of Braille, but will have little time for the man who seeks to open their eyes.

The Most Effective Policeman

2010-01-25T12:32:00.000Z

If the news is to be believed, it seems the UK government is planning to introduce a ban on drinking games. How they imagine enforcing such a ban leaves me puzzled, but I'm even more puzzled by the way in which increasingly we look to introduce laws to control behaviour.

The MP's expense scandal was a prime example of how increasingly we take the view that laws should regulate our lives and the belief if it's not illegal then its fine. MP's happily appeared in interviews declaring that despite the ridiculous nature of their expense claims, they hadn't broken the letter of the law.

What we seem to have forgotten is that the letter of the law, is not the spirit of the law. Our sense of right and wrong seems to be being eroded and replaced by legislation.

In 9 years of Tony Blair's government 3000 new criminal offences were introduced, almost one for each day his term in office.

We need to remember that the most effective policeman is the one we don't need, the one that lives inside each of us.

The feel of a book?

2010-01-24T11:29:00.000Z

I've just sent a first full draft of Six Days to the printer to get a proof. The book's not finished, but this marks a milestone, if largely psychological. There's something about holding something that looks like a book and sounds like a book when dropped on a table, that signals progress in a way that no number of computer files can do.

I know that there are increasing numbers of 'electronic book readers' and logic tells me that these will replace glued together thin sheets of paper, but I still don't see it. You can replace every aspect of the book, emulate it with technology, but it's still not a book.

Of course the Electronic Reader claims to go beyond the book with the advantages of being able to carry thousands of books, and the convenience of downloading and not needing a bookshelf for the collection, the ability to connect through hyperlinks and more, but there's still something missing. I even have a tablet PC with stylus pen which I can mark-up an electronic book, but still there's something special about a real paper copy.

Of course we may soon have a generation who make no association between a book and a block of paper, just as listeners to music may soon have no association between the music they listen to and a physical form.

Maybe I'm fearing that they'll soon make no connection to the musician or author who originated the work.

Whilst technology can emulate those elements of a book that we recognise, it's powerless to replicate the elements we don't realise are there, but are important to us. There may be broader lessons for us here.

Anyway, for the moment at least, Six Days will I hope soon become a block of paper.

We are Winners

2010-01-23T12:07:00.001Z

The following picture was sent to me and seems to cry out to be shared.

It reminds me that whatever else, we are all winners of an incredible race.

11,000 Free eBooks

2010-01-22T11:35:00.001Z

I've been doing a little research, perhaps more of which another day, and as part of it I found and read Frederick Taylor's The Principles of Scientific Management, published in 1911.

You may know Taylor as one of the fathers of Time and Motion study or by other epithets, some of them less than generous. What's interesting is that the perception I had of him and the whole of what became Taylorism was completely overturned by reading his book. I'll write more on this in a later posting.

For the moment I'd encourage anyone who hasn't read it, particularly those who have read other accounts of Taylor's ideas, to read it. Taylor describes how he fears his ideas will be misinterpreted, and it seems to be that commentators on his work have almost universally done so.

Anyway this leads to the point of this post. In searching for his book I was able to find a totally free eBook copy. What is more it is part of a collection of over 11,000 books.

I suspect that these are free as they are out of copyright but in amongst them you may find some real treasures such as The Prince by Machiavelli. Most are English language but I came across several works in French including books by Dumas and Verne.

Follow the link to find out about the collection,

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/free?a_aid=hotukdeals

The link at the foot of the page will then let you search through them.

Shared Thoughts

2010-01-21T21:50:00.005Z

I've created a short video of thoughts and pictures set to music that reflects my philosophy.

The feedback I've received has been very heartwarming and it seems to touch people's hearts.

If you'd like to take a look please follow the link. http://www.vimeo.com/8475790

If the video is slow or jittery please click on the HD icon and make sure HD is OFF

I hope you enjoy it

The Essence and the Artifact

2010-01-20T21:45:00.001Z

I'm working on a possible book exploring the idea that Management Science needs to switch from a Newtonian basis (disconnections, certainty, cause and effect) to quantum science (connections, uncertainty, probabilities).

As part of this I tracked down an online copy of Frederick Taylor's book The Principles of Scientific Management.

Written in 1911, it's an interesting book and quite different to what I expected.

Thin though the book is, I suspect that the number of readers is rather small, and dwarfed by those who have formed a view of Taylor without reference to the original source.

What's interesting is that Taylor foresaw how he would be misunderstood, describing his work as two parts. The essence of an idea, and example mechanisms used to illustrate how to implement the idea.

He described the essence as the part of value and cautioned that the mechanisms might just as likely cause damage as benefit in any given situation. However despite his warning the essence of his idea was trampled underfoot whilst the early mechanisms were replicated causing benefit and untold harm in equal measure, just as he had predicted. Consequently he is now hailed as brilliant by some, and seen as an idiot by others, depending on which outcome they experienced most, or have been told about most.

What is it that prevents people from accepting an idea unless it is packaged as an example, and yet once packaged, like a young child at Christmas, they discard the idea and cling tightly to the packaging?

Throughout all areas of human endeavour we see the principle lost in mist and the artifact deified and held in unwarranted esteem.

What is it that is so unappealing in thinking, and so attractive in getting something done?

There's a wonderful quotation from Steve Allen which beautifully captures this problem:-

"Impartial observers from other planets would consider ours an utterly bizarre enclave if it were populated by birds, defined as flying animals, that nevertheless rarely or never actually flew. They would also be perplexed if they encountered in our seas, lakes, rivers, and ponds, creatures defined as swimmers that never did any swimming. But they would be even more surprised to encounter a species defined as a thinking animal if, in fact, the creature very rarely indulged in actual thinking."

Capture Those Thoughts

2010-01-19T09:42:00.006Z

Some of the best ideas are brilliant through their simplicity.

I’m forever imagining that my most profound thoughts slip from my grasp for want of a piece of paper to capture them on.

(Isn’t it always the case that the ones that got away were so much better than the ones you managed to catch.)

For all the technology we have at our disposal, there’s something special about pencil and paper in the way that it lets you capture a thought before its lost, that firing up a techno-whiz-box can’t replicate.

The thoughts that I do capture are scribbled on leaflets or supermarket receipts where they merge with the original text or jotted on odd scraps of paper I may have to hand. I’ve lost count of the number of these pearls that have been lost by becoming indecipherable or simply mislaid.

Of course I could carry a notepad, but thoughts have a habit of arriving unannounced and even the rummaging for notepad from a bag can be long enough for it to flee.

The answer may be at hand, and it’s free and to top it all it has the magical power of making a single sheet of paper seem to last forever.

At PocketMod.com there’s a beautiful utility for printing a small book with a variety of page styles and guides all from a single sheet of paper.

You can include a host of prepared formats from shopping lists to tables, lined pages to grids. If you wish you can include conversion charts, games, diary pages and contacts or shopping lists. There's a page for your own contact details for return of your insights should they get mislaid. You can even include a page to learn the Morse code.

With a print and a twist the single printed sheet is turned into a booklet.

The book takes no space at all and can be slipped into a pocket on permanent standby for those insights, or to capture the more prosaic data of everyday life.

All I need now is a folding pencil.

Take a look at http://www.pocketmod.com/

Create with Crayons

2010-01-18T23:54:00.004Z

It might just be me, but there’s something really magical about drawing on a computer screen and seeing your drawing come to life. This is what CrayonPhysics allows you to do. They may only be blocks, ropes, balls and pivoting shapes but particularly if drawn using the tactile touch screen of a tablet PC, the way that they instantly animate draws you into feeling a special connection with the machine.

Crayon Physics is a game in which you draw shapes which obey the laws of physics. They are subject to gravity and deflect when in collision for example. The object of the game is to engineer the movement of a ball to collide with and collect stars. However it’s that interactivity where what you draw immediately becomes, not pixels representing a shape, but the 2D shape itself falling to the bottom of the screen or sliding down a gradient, colliding with other shapes that brings it to life.

The result is an engaging environment for testing your creativity, rapidly prototyping simple physical engineering ideas and trying them out. It’s great fun, creative and engrossing and looks wonderful with lots of lovely touches.

If these words have failed completely to convey the essence of the experience, then I’m sure pictures will paint more than a thousand words. Follow the link to see a video of the game in action. www.crayonphysics.com

The Unknowable

2010-01-17T17:20:00.004Z

There’s a story today in the Sunday Times that the Met (Meteorological) Office may lose its contract with the BBC following complaints that its weather forecasts are inaccurate.

I can’t help thinking that the BBC bosses would do well to watch their own broadcast ‘The Secret Life of Chaos’. Had they done so they would have seen an excellent explanation of precisely why the Met Office can’t predict the weather.

The modern origins of that part of science we now call Chaos Theory can be traced precisely to Edward Lorenz who whilst working on weather prediction discovered in 1961 that even the smallest changes in input circumstances will lead to dramatically different outcomes.

This concept was beautifully popularised in the phrase 'The Butterfly Effect' which suggests that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in one part of the world can lead to a hurricane elsewhere.

It seems in our ever growing desire to have answers, there is little room for the unknowable.

The secret life of Chaos is well worth a look and is currently available on the BBC iPlayer.

Here http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/search/?q=secret%20life%20of%20chaos

Neat Feature

2009-02-02T01:17:00.001Z

Having joined librarything.com I've been exploring some of the features.

One very nice one is the ability to create mosaics using the book covers in your library.

It's really surprising just how satisfying this process can be.

To the right you can see one of my early efforts.

Click on the picture to see the book covers.

Librarything

2009-01-28T01:00:00.000Z

If you like books you might want to take a look at Librarything.com. At its heart it's a site that lets you catalogue your books. It makes this easy, just enter the title of ISBN and your book is added, along with cover art and other details including tags which allow the books to be grouped in numerous ways.

Whilst it's unexpectedly pleasing to create the catalogue, its the connections this provides that make the site interesting. The site has over six hundred thousand members and a catalogue of 35 million books, so there is an undoubted fascination in finding books that you own uniquely, or better still share with only one other member. Alternatively lists of libraries that best match yours are the start points for delving into the catalogues of fellow members. These are but one source of suggestions for new books that you might want to read. Elsewhere books are rated in terms of how likely they are to appeal to your tastes.

A favourite feature is Zeitgeist which provides a host of fascinating perspectives on the most popular books and authors. There's also the opportunity to create or join a wide range of forums which each pursue lines of boo related interest.

If you'd like to try it, you can catalogue up to 200 books and access all of the site's features at no cost at all. If your library grows beyond 200 titles, there is a fee, but if you've decided you like the site, the fees are very reasonable.

www.librarything.com

To Iran by Train

2009-01-26T12:59:00.001Z

I've had the great pleasure of making three trips to Iran to speak at conferences.

Each time in addition to visiting Tehran I've been able to visit other parts of the country.

Following trips to Esfahan, Shiraz and the desert city of Yazd, this time I made the road trip to Hamadan and Kermanshah.

I travelled with my Iranian Friend Hesam Aref Kashfi on a delightful trip, made all the more so because we travelled by land - a distance of a little under 600km.

To make my flight back home we returned to Tehran by plane which highlighted the contrast between driving through and flying over a country.

The trip resurrected an idea I'd had some time ago, to travel from the UK to Tehran overland.

The plan, though that's too grand a name for it at the moment, would be to travel via Istanbul.

The marvel of the Internet is that there is a web site dedicated to just such journeys.

At www.seat61.com there are details of train journeys to most places you could imagine, and many that you'd never imagine.

There's a section devoted to the trip from London to Tehran. http://www.seat61.com/Iran.htm

What's really great is that it includes travel diaries from people who've made the trips with real on-the-ground hints and tips that really whet your appetite to give it a go.

It's certainly got me thinking.

By the way the photograph is of rock carvings at Bisoton, Kermanshah one of hundreds of amazing spectacles to be seen and largely unknown to most in the West.

Calendar Wallpaper

2009-01-25T21:58:00.004Z

Berghaus, the outdoor clothing and equipment company have used some beutiful photographs to create a calendar that can be used as PC screen wallpaper.

The photos, many of them stunning, can provide an inspiring backcloth to your work environment, with a fresh picture for each month.

You can download the pictures in a variety of sizes and resolutions direct from the Berghaus web site at http://berghaus.com/clubhaus/Downloads.aspx

No Reception

2008-03-13T09:21:00.000Z

I was listening to a phone-in competition on the radio today. One of the contestants explained that it was their birthday, and they were going away at the week-end to celebrate at a hotel in Scotland.

The highlight, she explained, was that the hotel had no mobile phone reception and she would therefore be forced to relax by being cut-off.

As the host of the programme joined her in describing how wonderful this would be, I was left wondering how we could have reached a point where something as simple as a phone, could have been changed from a tool designed to help us, to a burden we have to tolerate.

If, like her, your phone doesn't seem to have an off-switch, simply remove the battery it silences it just as well. Failing this for the chance to relax, place it in a bucket of water or kill two birds with one stone and relax by taking it apart.

Concorde

2008-03-12T10:22:00.005Z

Yesterday I had the chance to visit Manchester Airport and learn of the ways in which they are responding to change. At the heart of their approach is a shift in their business from being focused on infrastructure, to a focus on customer service.

Security measures increasingly make air travel more of an ordeal than a pleasure, and clearly the airport are responding to this in some innovative ways.

It was interesting to see the complexities of the business which span the technologies required to prepare for the new Airbus A380 super jumbo, through to manging the British habit of joining a queue whenever we see one. Apparently this habit has on occasion almost closed the airport on health and safety grounds.

Of course this blog entry really serves only to allow me to include a photograph at the controls of Concorde, a highlight of the visit, and an aircraft that in its own way changed the world.

The Pirolette

2008-03-08T14:01:00.006Z

A new slant on an old optical illusion.

You can have your profile turned into a solid wood vase called a pirolette.

http://www.turnyourhead.com/pirolette.php

The Future

2008-03-04T15:23:00.003Z

A short video to illuminate how difficult it is to know the future, very nicely done.

As Niels Bohr said, "Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future."

Many thanks to Paul Sloane for telling me about this.

We Shall See

2008-03-03T09:13:00.005Z

I was listening to the radio this morning and heard an advert for a new Audi car with Lane Assist. It's a system that alerts the driver if they get tired and begin to drift from their lane on the motorway.

It reminded me of the 'We Shall See Story' I posted earlier.

Lots of people die because they fall asleep at the wheel, so it sounds like a good idea.

Of course it could be that it simply means that drivers who are likely to drive whilst tired, will feel even more inclined to do so, with a system that 'wakes them up'.

So the net result might be less deaths, or more deaths, or round about the same deaths, achieved by drivers who just had to be even more tired so that the alarm didn't wake them.

We shall see.

Essence of Da Vinci on video III

2008-02-25T15:22:00.002Z

A final video of extracts from Essence of Da Vinci. Here set to the music White Night by Ludovico Einaudi.

Essence of Da Vinci on Video II

2008-02-22T15:19:00.000Z

More extracts from Essence of Da Vinci.

This time set to the music Band of Brothers by Michael Kamen.

Essence of Da Vinci on Video

2008-02-21T12:25:00.004Z

I've created three short videos using extracts from my book Essence of Da Vinci set to music. This is the first which uses Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy.

I hope you like it.

Papiroflexia

2008-02-20T10:52:00.001Z

A beautiful short animated film.
The story of a paper-folder changing the world.

Lakme Flower Duet by Delibes

2008-02-06T18:23:00.000Z

This is a fantastic re-creation of The Flower Duet using computer generated graphics and voice. I found it simply stunning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGDwKMCST4I

Shift Happens

2008-02-05T23:52:00.001Z

Many thanks to Narelle for sending me the link to this thought provoking video which provides some interesting insights into exponential change.

It draws many illuminating comparoisons to the past with the development of technology for example, and contrasts the developed with emerging nations.

It sets out to raise some stimulating questions, and manages this in some style. A search on Youtube will reveal alternate versions, for example with a UK rather than US focus.

You may well find that it's well worth a few moments of your time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q

Sound Environments

2008-02-04T22:10:00.001Z

We each may have our own preference for the best sound environment for being creative. For the most part I like silence. Sometimes I do choose to listen to music, though without vocals as the human voice is a distraction.

Today I've tried something different.

This morning I worked to the sound of birdsong, and in the afternoon I was accompanied by the sound of crashing waves. Each of them trasported me out of my office and away from the gloomy winter surroundings. It's surprising the impact that the sounds can have. For example for a few minutes I listened to a thunderstorm, but very soon started feeling cold and uncomfortable.

These are two of 31 different environments to try, which include the sound of the rain forest, a journey by train, the sound of a highway, a babbling brook or rain. Of course not all will be to your taste, but it's fun to experiment with the way different sounds can create different moods. Or simply take a break, close your eyes and be transported to a busy restaurant or sitting by a crackling log fire.

Find all 31 environments at http://www.iserenity.com/environments.htm

Puzzling Probabilities

2008-01-31T12:48:00.001Z

Last night I drove to Glasgow to hear the Kelvin Lecture given by Simon Singh.

Simon is best known as author of books such as Big Bang and Fermats Last Theorem. The lecture topic was Risk, Chance, Probability and Gambling, and he used a number of interesting illustrations of how our intuition might arive at different and surprising answers compared to the mathematics.

I liked this example he used.

If 1 in 100 people have a certain disease and
the diagnosis of the disease in people with the disease is 99% correct and
the diagnosis of the absence of the disease in those who don’t have it is 80% correct.

If you are diagnosed with the disease, what is the probability that you actually have it?

Using the incredible power of time travel - I posted the answer to this yesterday - but think about your answer before you take a look.

Time Travel

2008-01-30T12:59:00.000Z

Spookily I'm predicting the answer to tomorrows question will be:

You have a 5% chance of having the disease.

Explanation

From the 100 people it is almost certain that the person with the disease will be detected (99% success).

However around 19 of the 99 people without the disease will falsely be identified to have it (80% success).

So around 20 people will be diagnosed, with only one of them really having the disease.

Thus you have only a 5% chance of having the disease, even if it’s been diagnosed.

Perhaps not what you were expecting

We Shall See

2008-01-29T09:39:00.000Z

Listening to the speech by Steve Jobs posted a couple of days ago, I was reminded of this story which I found in a book called Tales from the Tao.

There was once an old man who had one son and one horse, both of whom he valued very highly.

One day the horse ran away and his neighbours came over to console him 'Oh what great misfortune,' they said, 'your horse is gone! How will you ever afford to get another?'The old man sat and smoked his pipe and only said , 'We shall see.'

Then, a few days later, the horse came back, accompanied by several wild horses, tripling his herd. Again the neighbours visited, this time to congratulate the old man on his great luck. Again he merely sat and smoked and said, 'We shall see.'

A short time later, his son was thrown from on of the wild horses and broke his leg in several places. The neighbours all arrived, calling out, 'Ah great misfortune, you son will never walk again!' But again the old man merely sat quietly in front of his house and, between puffs of his pipe, said, 'We shall see.'

Some time after that, the army came through the village, rounding up all the young men to press them into service and send them to the battlefront far away in the frozen north. But with his crippled leg the old man's son was left behind. Though crippled, he managed to care for his old father until his death many years later.

A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin

2008-01-28T23:13:00.000Z

I've long been fascinated by the music of Debussy and by the connection between music, patterns and mathematics. Einstein is quoted as saying

"A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?"

The Music Animation Machine lets you watch the pattern of notes to Debussy's Clair de Lune. It has a mesmerising effect and reveals the complex patterns that Debussy manipulated in his head to create wonderful music.

There's a selection of other music to enjoy too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlvUepMa31o

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

2008-01-27T17:01:00.000Z

Steve Jobs gave this inspirational speech at the Standford University Commencement Address in 2005. He tells three simple stories of his life, and delivers three important messages for all of our lives.

You can't join the dots of your life by looking forwards, it's only possible when you look back. You have to trust that the things you do will make sense when you look back on them. You can't know this in advance.

Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Follow what you love and those moments might lead to your greatest advances. Keep following what you love and don't settle for anything less.

There is little time. There is nothing to lose. Follow your heart and your intuition. Somehow your intuition knows the path you should follow. Stay hungry, stay foolish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA&feature=related

Creativity

2008-01-26T14:52:00.000Z

I love this summary of the process of creativity. It seems to catch the real essence of the magical process.

"The hallmark of creative people is their mental flexibility... Sometimes they are open and probing, at others they're playful and off-the-wall. At still other times, they're critical and faultfinding. And finally they're doggedly persistent in striving to reach their goals. From this I've concluded that the creative process consists of our adopting four main roles, each of which embodies a different type of thinking... These roles are: Explorer, Artist, Judge and Warrior."
Roger Von Oech

Chaos

2008-01-25T19:58:00.000Z

If Leonardo Da Vinci had devoted his life to perfecting his helicopter, he would have of course failed.

The materials he would require would not have existed until hundreds of years after his death.

He would have had no time to pursue anything else and all of his other contributions to art, science, engineering, architecture, shipbuilding etc would have been lost to us.

Come to think of it, who knows how many single minded Leonardo Da Vinci's there have been, hundreds of years ahead of their time, who have slipped unseen into history, their ideas unfulfilled?

Who says an idea that's not turned into action is an idea wasted?

"Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds Habit."
Henry Brooks Adams

Unknowable

2007-12-13T02:05:00.000Z

I listened to an interesting discussion on the topic of Systems Biology this morning, Systems biology is a recognition that in order to understand biological processes we need to understand the interactions and connections which influence biological operation.

In a sense it is the antithesis of the reductionist approach, ie the approach which seeks to separate or reduce a process or entity to its component parts.

To my thinking Systems Biology may be a step in the right direction. We need to introduce an understanding of connections if we are to understand our intimately interconnected world. However the discussion seemed to focus on the redirection of our problem solving approach from analysis of components, to the analysis of combinations. I fear that it isn't merely the direction of our enquiry which has to change, but also its nature. We have to accept that the very nature of what we mean by understanding, has to change.

Newton was able to encapsulate the laws of gravity four hundred years ago, but his laws then, as now, only dealt with the gravitational effect of two bodies acting on each other. The Earth and Moon, or Earth and an apple for example. In what's known as the Three Body Problem we encapsulate the reality that it's simply impossible to calculate how three bodies will interact. In a real sense, nature doesn't know what will happen next.

"We can easily predict what will happen tomorrow, so long as we have 24 hours in which to process the data."

Aastha Project Photobook

2007-12-12T01:56:00.000Z

Whilst creating the book 'Himalayan Odyssey' I came across a photobook produced to support the Aastha Project in Kathmandu. It comprises photographs of, and taken by, the children at the 'House of Hope' an orphanage on the outskirts of Kathmandu. It's a nicely produced book which you can view in its entirety at http://www.lulu.com/content/401654

What's life for, if not for risking

2007-12-11T01:36:00.000Z

I listened to a great interview last night with Dustin Hoffman. In the zany world of Hollywood it's a pleasant change to hear someone that speaks sense. There are few actors with a more varied range of roles than Hoffman. However successful he's been in a role, with each new film he's always sought to strike out in a different direction. In the interview he described how his acting was the pursuit of his own growth and development. In doing this, what's the point in following the easy path of what you know, he asked. He summed it all up with a quotation from Samuel Beckett

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."

Himalayan Odyssey

2007-12-10T01:20:00.000Z

In September it was my great pleasure to help run a very special change event in Nepal. In the stunning location of Nagarkot near Kathmandu 35 people from 11 different countries gathered to share, explore and challenge our understanding of change. Our aim was to visit the top of the world to change the world and the experience was truly stunning.

Following such trips I usually write an article for my web site, but this trip had such a profound effect that I was inspired to describe the experience in a book. The result is Himalayan Odyssey which through sketches and inspirational quotations captures the spirit of the journey we took.

You can preview the entire book at http://stores.lulu.com/steveexplorer

William Blake

2007-11-28T21:59:00.000Z

Today is the 250th anniversary of the birth of William Blake the English artist, mystic and poet. He was a great believer in the power of the imagination, and it would seem saw little merit in comparison and benchmarking.

"I must create a system, or be enslav’d by another man’s. I will not reason and compare: my business is to create."
William Blake

The Misplaced Worship of Research

2007-11-20T13:01:00.000Z

I recently gave a presentation in Edinburgh where I talked about life and uncertainty. Many of the other presenters gave much more traditional presentations on change, focussing on case studies of what to do, and their favourite tools to solve problems.

During the question session I was asked if I believed in research. As an engineer and scientist by training I found myself saying that I didn’t.

Strange though it might sound, I’m actually in good company holding this view. Einstein had no real belief in research, or even experiment, preferring what he described a mind experiments. He famously declared that
“It is the theory that decides what can be observed.”

In Edinburgh I didn’t share the story of research in the field of quality, but I’ll share it with you now.
I spoke at a conference two or three years ago. A fellow speaker was introduced by the chairman thus;

‘I’m not going to tell you the awards this speaker has won, just the awards that have been named after him!’
This was quite a build up. I was ready to be impressed.

For the first ten minutes of his presentation he described how he had been awarded half a million dollars to research best practice in American business. With a team of people he collected data, analysed it, plotted graphs, fed results into his statistics software programme, and discovered … nothing. No evidence of a correlation between what organisations did, and the results they achieved.

At this point I felt like going on stage and giving him an award myself. This was the first time I’d heard anyone else saying that there was no best practice.
However, he then reminded the audience that he had been paid half a million dollars to find best practice, and that was what they were going to do.

For the next 20 minutes he described how they manipulated the data, grouping companies, clustering them, segmenting the information, classifying it, until at last the software declared there was a statistically significant difference.
He was clearly proud that by clustering the data into there different groupings, they had been able to satisfy the software sufficiently that it declared significance. Rather than questioning his approach, he was clearly of the view that this was some sort of breakthrough.

The last ten minutes of the presentation were then an offer to sell the details of the three list of best practice that had been squeezed from the data.
I’m reminded of the anonymous quotation'
“Numbers are like people; torture them enough and they'll tell you anything.”

What was perhaps more amazing than this description of the abuse of research, was the reaction of the audience, who seemed equally willing to overlook reality and were keen to find out what the ‘discovered’ best practice revealed. It seems we have an overriding appetite to be told what to do, rather than having to think.

Of course this abuse of research is not confined to the Quality community. In the UK we have almost weekly pronouncements of research into what we should or should not be eating. In the latest results we are told we should eat little red meat, no bacon at all, and avoid alcohol as all will cause cancer.

It is astonishing what lunacy people will conclude if they have an incentive to do so, focus on localised data and disconnect themselves from the rest of the world.

Perhaps the biggest disconnection these researchers suffer, is that they ignore the fact that we are all going to die. I’m always amused by headlines telling of lives saved. The reality is that in the history of mankind, no life has ever been saved. The best we can manage, is to postpone death by a little.

This was wonderfully captured by American Comedian Redd Foxx,

"Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing."

When we ignore the reality of death, our blind faith in data and its analysis leads us into some quite bizarre conclusions. It’s no different when we choose to ignore the realities of change.

"A statistician is someone who, while sitting with his head inside a burning stove and his feet in a bucket of water; says ‘on average I feel all right’."
N. Locke

Kindred Spirit (14)

2007-11-17T21:27:00.000Z

The last of this sequence of Van Gogh quotations seems appropriate today.

"It is a pity that, as one gradually gains experience, one loses one's youth."
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirit (13)

2007-11-16T21:19:00.000Z

"Thank God, I have my work, but instead of earning money by it, I need money to be able to work; that is the difficulty. I think there are no signs in my work that indicate that I shall fail. And I am not a person who works slowly or tamely. Drawing becomes a passion with me, and I throw myself into it more and more. I do not have great plans for the future; if for a moment I feel rising within me the desire for a life without care, for prosperity, each time I go fondly back to the trouble and the cares, to a life full of hardship, and think: It is better so; I learn more from it, and make progress. This is not the road on which one perishes. I only hope the trouble and the cares will not become unbearable, and I have confidence I shall succeed in earning enough to keep myself, not in luxury, but as one who eats his bread in the sweat of his brow."
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirit (12)

2007-11-15T21:14:00.000Z

"What am I in the eyes of most people--a nonentity, an eccentric, or an unpleasant person--somebody who has no position in society and will never have; in short, the lowest of the low. All right, then--even if that were absolutely true, then I should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart. That is my ambition, based less on resentment than on love in spite of everything, based more on a feeling of serenity than on passion. Though I am often in the depths of misery, there is still calmness, pure harmony and music inside me. I see paintings or drawings in the poorest cottages, in the dirtiest corners. And my mind is driven towards these things with an irresistible momentum."
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirit (11)

2007-11-14T21:08:00.000Z

Continuing this sequence of quotations from Vincent Van Gogh, a fellow explorer on the change journey.

"It would be difficult for me to express all my thoughts about it. It remains a constant disappointment to me that my drawings are not yet what I want them to be. The difficulties are indeed numerous and great, and cannot be overcome immediately. Making progress is like miners' work: it doesn't advance as quickly as one should like, and also as others expect; but faced with such a task, patience and faithfulness are essential. In fact, I don't think much about the difficulties, because if one thought of them too much, one would get dazed or confused."
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirit (10)

2007-11-13T21:02:00.000Z

"One wants to be an honest man; one is so, one works hard; but still one cannot make both ends meet; on must give up the work, there is no chance of carrying it out without spending more on it than one gets back for it; one gets a feeling of shortcoming, of not keeping one's promises. One is afraid of making friends; like an old leper, one would like to call from afar: Don't come too near me, for intercourse with me brings you sorrow and loss. One cannot present oneself as somebody who comes to propose a good business or who has a plan which will bring great profit. On the contrary, it is clear that it will end with a deficit, and still one feels a power surging within; one has work to do and it must be done. One must set to work with a calm, everyday face, live one's ordinary life, get along with the models, with the man who comes for the rent, with everybody, in fact. You must not think of me as afraid."
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirit (9)

2007-11-12T20:39:00.000Z

"Happiness... it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort."
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirit (8)

2007-11-11T20:47:00.000Z

"If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle."
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirit (7)

2007-11-10T20:32:00.000Z

"For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream."
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirit (6)

2007-11-09T20:07:00.000Z

"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”
Vincent Van Gough

Kindred Spirit (5)

2007-11-08T10:13:00.000Z

... But its only away from the herd that you can truly see and truly be alive.

“I experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful. I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream”
Vincent Van Gogh

“I see drawings and pictures in the poorest of huts and the dirtiest of corners.”
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirit (4)

2007-11-07T10:06:00.000Z

... And there will be pressures to conform and to follow the herd, from outside

“I wish they would only take me as I am.”
Vincent Van Gogh

... and from within.

"If you hear a voice within you saying, ''You are not a painter,'' then by all means paint… and that voice will be silenced.”
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirit (3)

2007-11-06T09:44:00.000Z

... The break with your logical mind may be so profound that you feel you have lost control, and it is no longer your life.

"I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate"
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirits (2)

2007-11-05T09:39:00.000Z

... Of course if you are to follow your own path, follow your intuition and imagination and leave behind the security of the herd and its incremental logic, then the journey will be a difficult one.

“I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process."
Vincent Van Gogh

Kindred Spirits

2007-11-04T09:16:00.000Z

If there is a theme to the posts about Jacques Brel and Charles Trenet, then perhaps it is that of people who appear to be kindred spirits of some sort on their journey of change. To continue this theme over the next few days I'm going to post quotations from Vincent Van Gogh who certainly appears to have travelled a kindred journey.

I've mentioned previously that Van Gogh only sold one painting during his life. Far from a sign of failure, I take this as a great sign of his success; a determination to follow what he believed to be right, quite unconcerned for what the rest of the world held to be right and true.

This is one of the most important marks of a journey of change - a journey of exploration. Van Gogh ignored the crowd and the beaten path and instead blazed a trail.

Of course it didn't matter to him that his work was recognised after his death, and nor should it matter to us. We should do what we feel is right, as there is no right way to do what is wrong.

I feel that there are great parallels between art and real change. I say real change. By this I am not referring to the incremental alternation of the world that the word 'change' has come to describe. Real change is the engagement of the imagination to take leaps into the dark.

I hope to select quotations over the next few days to illuminate this.

“Painting is a faith, and it imposes the duty to disregard public opinion.”
Vincent Van Gogh

La Mer

2007-11-03T11:57:00.000Z

Following to the previous post, here are the words to 'La Mer' by Charles Trenet in the original French and in English translation.

La mer

Qu'on voit danser le long des golfes clairs

A des reflets d'argent

La mer

Des reflets changeants

Sous la pluie

The sea

which one sees dancing along the clear gulfs

to sparkles of silver.

The sea

Of changing sparkles

Under the rain.

La mer

Au ciel d'été confond

Ses blancs moutons

Avec les anges si purs

La mer bergère d'azur

Infinie

The sea

Confuses the summer sky's sheep

With angels so pure.

The sea

Shepherdess of blue infinity.

Voyez

Près des étangs

Ces grands roseaux mouillés

Voyez

Ces oiseaux blancs

Et ces maisons rouillées

Look!

Next to the ponds

Those tall wet reeds.

Look!

Those white birds

And those rusty houses [cabins of boats?]

La mer

Les a bercés

Le long des golfes clairs

Et d'une chanson d'amour

La mer

A bercé mon coeur pour la vie

The Sea

Has rocked them [like a baby]

Along the clear gulfs.

The Sea

Has rocked my heart for life.

Connections

2007-11-02T17:46:00.000Z

Thinking about connections and the relationship between our logical left, and intuitive right brains. It's strange how a piece of music can connect with our emotions in ways that completely bypass our logic.

Following the French connection earlier with Jacques Brel, I've been drawn to 'La Mer' by Charles Trenet. It's featured in the recent film 'Mr Bean's Holiday' which I've seen several times as it's a favourite of my daughter.

I'm not sure, why, but this piece of music has been rattling around my head and seems to make a deep connection.

You can hear it, and see some very nice pictures of the sea, at this link.

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

Springtime in Prague

2007-11-01T10:04:00.000Z

Changes of Europe
April 17-18 2008

I'm delighted to say that I have been invited to speak at the Europe of Change 2008 conference to be held in Prague in the Czech Republic in April 2008.

I will be speaking on the power of uncertainty.

You can view a brochure for the conference at http://www.accesstoexcellence.co.uk/html/changes_of_europe_2008.html

Jacques Brel

2007-10-31T09:33:00.000Z

I watched a brilliant BBC documentary about the life of Jacques Brel. I knew little about this Belgian French speaking singer songwriter, but by the end of the programme I'd ordered a CD of his music. There are people who understand change and life, and he was certainly one. Sadly the best biography of his life has not been translated into English, and sadly my French needs a great deal of work, and maybe this is a project for me.

You can hear the passion of Brel's singing, which transcends language at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJIZu37Hfr0

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

"To be bourgeois is to have a certain type of materialism. You have to think of what that means. It means everything that destroys dreams, everything that destroys anything attractive. That's what being bourgeois means for me. It means security. It's a type of mediocrity of the spirit. It's everything I dislike."
Jacques Brel

Hardcore Zen

2007-10-30T13:58:00.000Z

I ordered the book 'Hardcore Zen' for no other reason than I'd come across some interesting quotations from its author Brad Warner. The book arrived today. The following is from the back cover.

"Question Authority, Question Society, Question Reality, Question Yourself.
Question your conclusions, your judgements, your answers. Question this. If you question everything thoroughly enough, the truth will eventually hit you upside down the head and you will know. But here's a warning: It won't be what you imagined. It won't be even close."

It feels like an important book. I'll let you know what I think once I've finished it.

Value in the spaces

2007-10-25T15:38:00.000Z

I recently spoke at the International TQM Conference held at Murrayfield in Edinburgh. The topic was the value of uncertainty, and I asked the audience to try and resist the urge to take notes as I spoke.
This wasn’t an attempt to deny them anything, but an invitation to be present in the room and to experience the presentation, rather than being drawn into the act of writing and note taking. The aim was not to teach them what I knew, but to invite them to rediscover what they knew.

This was the first time I’ve made such a request at the outset, though sometimes I refer to note taking during presentations. I think I found myself making the request since this was an audience which I took to be ‘quality professionals’. As part of the presentation I would contrast travellers who were explorers and those who were tourists. My expectation was that this would be an audience with a dominance of tourists.

An interesting thing I observed at the end of the talk was that the majority of questions came from someone who had taken notes throughout the entire hour and a quarter that I’d been speaking. They clearly knew that the topic had been uncertainty and knew they would not receive the crisp concise ‘what to do next’ type of answers that don’t exist in an uncertain world. Yet despite this they clearly felt compelled to ask for them.

What ensued was a challenging question and answer period, where we were clearly attempting to communicate between quite different paradigms.
Like the conversation between scientist and poet. The scientist in search of facts, data and evidence, whilst all the poet has to offer is understanding. It is difficult for each to see that the constraints of their paradigm mean that they seek the unattainable.

There are some things that are destroyed by the demands you make of them in the way they must be described. If you are not careful, you will see this as evidence that they don't exist, rather than confirmation that they can't exist in your current paradigm.
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“Clay is moulded to make a vessel, but the utility of the vessel lies in the space where there is nothing. ... Thus, taking advantage of what is, we recognize the utility of what is not.”
Lao Tze

How Much is an Idea Worth?

2007-10-23T17:01:00.000Z

Having now written three books, I have a somewhat split attitude towards purchasing them. If I see the same book available for £9.99 and £6.99 I find myself drawn towards the cheaper one, and that seems to make sense. Yet at the same time, I know that the effort and work involved in producing a book mean that £9.99 in no way reflects the real value.

(Pareto’s 80/20 rule, which might suggest that 80% of book sales go to 20% of the authors, grossly underestimates the real imbalance between J.K. Rowling and other writers.)

This leads me to wonder how we arrive at the value we place on a book. I know for example that when asked to run a workshop, organisations will quite easily pay £1000 to a consultant, and be most courteous in asking ‘would the consultant be prepared to run the workshop’. The consultant will then happily trot through a set of slides they’ve used a hundred times before.

However the same person when invited to pay £10 for a book, will take ages to decide, will feel almost compelled to haggle to price down, and even if they purchase, will do so, believing they have done the author a favour. And perhaps they have.

To find the space in busy schedules in which to read places a real demand on them, whilst the workshop perhaps does the opposite by giving them a ready made day in which to rest and perhaps sleep.

I’m left wondering, ‘if a book gives you just one new idea, how much is that idea worth?’

The answer of course tells us how much value we really place on ideas.

If

2007-10-22T15:10:00.000Z

"If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,

If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!"

Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936)

Ideas

2007-10-20T14:54:00.000Z

"I suppose it is because nearly all children go to school nowadays and have things arranged for them that they seem so forlornly unable to produce their own ideas."

Agatha Christie

Imagination

2007-10-19T14:49:00.000Z

"TV gives everyone an image, but radio gives birth to a million images in a million brains."

Peggy Noonan, Writer, Political Adviser

The Mythical Man-Month

2007-10-18T14:40:00.000Z

In the UK this week, the BBC have been in the news with plans to reduce staff and the number of programmes produced. The BBC is funded by a licence fee levied on all UK TV viewers. The government announced earlier this year that the increase in licence fee would be less than the BBC requested.

At the heart of the BBC’s reasoning is that they must cut expenditure, because they have reduced income.

Now at one level this is straightforward economics ably described by Charles Dickens in the words of Mr. Micawber.
"Annual income £20, annual expenditure £19, 19 shillings and six, result happiness. Annual income £20, annual expenditure £20, no shillings and six, result misery."

At another level, this linking of input to output seems to me to be wildly absurd. To think that the output we produce is directly linked to the input we receive seems to deny our human contribution.

The concept of the ‘man-hour’ where each hour of effort will produce a given output is one that I’ve never understood. What particular ‘man-hour’ do we have in mind? A bored frustrated man-hour. Or an inspired one. The result of each is profoundly different. Perhaps a machine can be measured by counting the hours it has been running, but a person, surely not.

In his book ‘The Mythical Man-month’ Frederick Brooks some thirty or so years ago questioned the commonly held beliefs about the management of software development projects. The thrust being that these projects are rather more about people than they are about software.
I would extend this thinking to all aspects of human activity.

When we think of this direct link between input and output, we deny ourselves the freedom to achieve. Whether thinking that a reduction in spending of 5% must produce a reduction in output of 5%, or increasing budgets by 10% will enable a 10% increase in output we lock ourselves in an incremental world of doing what we’ve done in the past. In this world there is no room for dreaming of the ten fold or one hundred fold advances that mark human achievement.

Instead we set out to justify the reasons for our lackluster performance.
As human beings we deserve so much more; the inspired insight, the flash of brilliance, the freedom to be alive with ideas.
“… the really valuable work if the day could have been and should have been done under the shower in the morning, or in the fifteen-minute walk across the park to the office.”
T.S. Elliot

We are all connected

2007-10-17T08:20:00.000Z

This week a report claims to have discovered that 'Obesity is not the fault of Individuals.'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7047244.stm

Obesity is a growing problem in the UK, indeed earlier this week the government rather bizarrely declared it potentially a greater problem than global warming.'

This report determines that obesity is 'an inevitable consequence of a society in which energy-dense and cheap foods, labour-saving devices, motorised transport and sedentary work were rife.'

I believe that the report is a big step forwards, but a step that we don't fully understand, and from which we will soon step back.

The report identifies, that in relation to obesity - everything is connected together. Of course the real finding is that - everything is connected together.

This real finding will remain unseen, and even this instance of interconnection will soon be forgotten.

We will soon return to the dissection of the world, the separation of single threads of cause and effect, from the knotted ball of string which is the reality of our interconnected world.

When we do this, we work with what is convenient, but it is not the reality.

'There is not any present moment that is unconnected with some future one. The life of every man is a continued chain of incidents, each link of which hangs upon the former. The transition from cause to effect, from event to event, is often carried on by secret steps, which our foresight cannot divine, and our sagacity is unable to trace. Evil may at some future period bring forth good; and good may bring forth evil, both equally unexpected.'
Joseph Addison

Outside Interference

2007-10-16T09:51:00.000Z

Contentment?
Change
From change
Resentment
From resentment
Rebellion
From rebellion
Change.
Happy now?

Danny Reynolds

That is all

2007-10-15T13:40:00.001Z

"Do not seek fame.

Do not make plans.

Do not be absorbed by activities.

Do not think that you know.

Be aware of all that is and dwell in the infinite.

Wander where there is no path.

Be all that heaven gave you, but act as though you have received nothing.

Be empty.

That is all."

Chuang Tzu

Problem or Opportunity?

2007-10-14T08:17:00.000Z

Global warming caused by human activity is increasingly accepted as reality, and is clear evidence of our interconnectedness. In the UK 'going green' now has real commercial value and all manner of goods are now advertised claiming their green credentials.

Increasingly global warming is a focus of attention for business and government. It has come to be seen as a major problem, and the search is now on for solutions.

In the West our long standing approach is to look to technology and solutions that will allow us to continue living pretty much the way that we do.

However, when we look for solutions we fail to see the real question. Rather than a problem to be dealt with, Global Warming may be the great opportunity for us to think differently about how we live, to appreciate and understand our interconnectedness and exploit it as the catalyst for a new way forward for mankind.

When we see the world through problems, our lives are spent coping and moving from one problem to the next. Only when we can can look at the same thing and see opportunity will we stretch our wings and fly.

"Nature is trying very hard to make us succeed, but nature does not depend on us. We are not the only experiment."
Buckminster Fuller

Silence

2007-10-13T12:02:00.000Z

We live in a hectic world, and it is easy to believe that we have no time to break free from the day's demands to create the space to think. We become locked in a truly vicious circle where the time we need to break free is denied us and we are condemned to perpetuate the frenzy.

At Asian Camp, Dinesh Chapagain a friend from Nepal told me of a course he'd attended where the instructor remained silent. On one of the day's he simply didn't speak.

Now we might imagine that this is a rather strange course, and in our hectic lives, even creating 30 seconds of silence might be totally unfamiliar to us, and quite intimidating.

I've been reading the work of Ifedayo Oshin and he has a beautiful poem which perfectly captures this idea.

The Speechless Day

"Imagine

Twenty-four hours of pure silence

Time devoid of human speech and sound

When a word is not uttered

A day in the world of profound dumbness

The tongue, the teeth and lips

Observe a break of twenty-fours hours

The ears hear

The rhythm of the air, water and fire

And enjoy the lyrics of the birds

With the rhythmical dance of the trees and plants

Gossips, rumors and curses took flight

Deceit lies and tongue wagging expelled

Splits and spits of the tongues avoided

World's day of quietude and tranquility

A day of inner communication

When the deep calls to the deep

And people transits the limits of spoken words

Into perceptions and intuitions

Birthing profound thoughts and ideas

As each make contact with the inner personImagine

A day without speech

How beautiful, how priceless!

Oh! How I long for that day!"

Making a Connection

2007-10-12T11:27:00.000Z

Last night I visited my son Richard's school for a 6th form open evening.

He'd previously taken a copy of 'Letting go' for one of the teachers to read. When we walked around the school I noticed a number of the classrooms had quotations on the wall. When I mentioned this to Richard, he told me that there was a quotation from my book in one of the classrooms.

Now 'Letting go' contains around 80 quotations, used to support the story, so I naturally assumed that one of these had been selected. However I was stunned to find the quotation was actually of my words, taken from the dedication page of the book.

I found it really strange to see my own words up on the wall, and to feel that they'd had an impact on at least one of the teachers. It's a small thing I guess, but to connect with another person, is what change is all about.

As Frederick Buechner put it;

"The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place it will be felt

The quotation on the wall was;

"When we have an idea - who does it belong to?

We are each the product of our connections to everyone we have known. In turn, those we have known are the product of their own connections. As fibres of the same web we are all a product of us all.

In each of us, we see all of us."

Changing Change

2007-10-11T09:14:00.001Z

It has been said that the scientist takes years to discover what the poet already knows and captures in a handful of words, The left brain logic building the bridge where the right brain took a leap.

A deep paradox of change, or at least of our attitude to it, is that in the very act of change, we seek stillness and the absence of change. We seek to change what we do, but leave intact who we are. We seek to take a step, but expect the world to remain where it is, so we have the security of knowing where our foot will land.

I came across this beautiful poem, which I think perfectly captures the nature of this paradox.

What will happen to change?

Will change change as all things?

Or will it develop immunity

And embrace hypocrisy?

Will change resist change

And go against its doctrinaire?

Why, will change change not

Should nothing be permanent, even change?

Since change is also a thing.

Our world changes daily by seconds

Our lives in the roller-coaster of time

The noon gives way to the moon

The dawn turns dusk

At intersections of these:

One enters, another exits

One moans, another mourns

One rejoices, one regrets

In the spate and space of time;

A jungle becomes a haven

The oblivious became renowned

Riches become ruins

All on the altar of change

Ifedayo Oshin

Ifedayo Oshin is a Nigerian poet and you can find more of his beautiful work at

http://ifedayooshin.de.poet.purpledream.com/

Money

2007-09-24T11:42:00.000Z

In looking for a copy of Leisure for the previous post, I came upon this poem, also by William Henry Davies. It seems he is a kindred spirit.

Money, O!
William Henry Davies (1871-1940)

When I had money, money,

O!I knew no joy till I went poor;

For many a false man as a friend

Came knocking all day at my door.

Then felt I like a child that holds

A trumpet that he must not blow

Because a man is dead; I dared

Not speak to let this false world know.

Much have I thought of life, and seen

How poor men's hearts are ever light;

And how their wives do hum like bees

About their work from morn till night.

So, when I hear these poor ones laugh,

And see the rich ones coldly frown

Poor men, think I, need not go up

So much as rich men should come down.

When I had money, money, O!

My many friends proved all untrue;

But now I have no money, O!

My friends are real, though very few.

Time to stand and stare

2007-09-23T11:01:00.000Z

During Asian Camp 07 we had the opportunity one evening to share favourite poems. One of the ones I chose was a favourite of my dad, and one that also has a special relevance to all of us in the way we can deal with a fast changing world.

I also like the poem because of its author who lived on the edge of society, always ready to question the norms and accepted practices of the day.

Leisure - William Henry Davies (1871 - 1940)

WHAT is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs,

And stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, the son of a publican. After an apprenticeship as a picture-frame maker and a series of labouring jobs, he travelled to America, first to New York and then to the Klondike.
He returned to England after having lost a foot jumping a train in Canada, where he led a penurious life in London lodging houses and as a pedlar in the country. He married in 1923, Emma, who was much younger than he. His first poems were published when he was 34.
Most of his poetry is on the subject of nature or life on the road and exhibits a natural simple, earthy style. He also wrote two novels and autobiographical works, his best known being Autobiography of a Super-Tramp.

Seeing differently

2007-09-22T11:16:00.000Z

There is a well knows story which illustrates how we might each look at the same thing, but see something quite different. I particularly like the treatment in verse the story is given below.

It was six men of Indostan,

To learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant,

And happening to fall

Against his broad and sturdy side,

At once began to bawl:

"God bless me! but the Elephant

Is very like a wall!

"The Second, feeling of the tusk,

Cried, -"Ho! what have we here

So very round and smooth and sharp?

To me 'tis mighty clear,

This wonder of an Elephant

Is very like a spear!

"The Third approached the animal,

And happening to take

The squirming trunk within his hands,

Thus boldly up and spake:

"I see," -quoth he-

"the Elephant

Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,

And felt about the knee:

"What most this wondrous beast is like

Is mighty plain," -quoth he,-

"'Tis clear enough the Elephant

Is very like a tree!

"The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,

Said- "E'en the blindest man

Can tell what this resembles most;

Deny the fact who can,

This marvel of an Elephant

Is very like a fan!

"The Sixth no sooner had begun

About the beast to grope,

Then, seizing on the swinging tail

That fell within his scope,

"I see," -quoth he,-

"the Elephant

Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan

Disputed loud and long,

Each in his own opinion

Exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right,

And all were in the wrong

MORAL,
So, oft in theologic wars

The disputants, I ween,

Rail on in utter ignorance

Of what each other mean;

And prate about an Elephant

Not one of them has seen!

Asian Camp 07 - The Magic of Open Spaces

2007-09-21T14:19:00.000Z

I've recently returned from an extraordinary event, Asian Camp 07, held in Nepal. It was my privilege to help host this event, and have the chance to share some ideas, and meet with some wonderful people.

The camp, which was held for three full days and two half days, took place at Nagarkot in Nepal at a hotel called Club Himalaya.

The location was quite remarkable, perched about 2500 metres high on a hilltop with panoramic views down into the Kathmandu valley, and beyond that in the distance, spectacular views of the highest Himalayan peaks.

I don' t really know what it is about open spaces, but they certainly seem to help create an openness in thinking. Whether it be the view from a mountaintop, or a walk along the beach next to the vastness of an ocean, the effect seems the same.

Whilst these places remind us of how small we are, they perhaps paradoxically, don;t make us feel insignificant. Indeed the effect seems the reverse, almost as if we realise that our size doesn't really matter, rather it is the connections that we have with others and the world around us that give us our power.

When we are in these isolated spots, these connections seem to come into focus for us, and help reveal the power we have, if only we choose to use it.

Photographs can never capture the magic of these places, but perhaps these might provide a hint of it.

I hope that I am able to return soon to experience more of the magic of Nepal.

Essence of Da Vinci

2007-08-15T10:34:00.000Z

I seem to be on a roll at the moment and have completed my latest book, 'Essence of Da Vinci'.

It's in part inspired by the book 'How to Think Like Lenoardo Da Vinci' by Michael Gelb. In his book, Michael identifies seven characteristics of Da Vinci's thinking style that were the secret to his creativity. He also outlines a series of exercise that you can follow, to help improve your own creative thinking.

I give a number of presentations on my work, and use pictures and quotations to create stories with which to share ideas. Carefully chosen, quotations are very effective way of connecting with people, so that they begin to create their own understanding, rather than simply trying to collect mine. Often people want the quotations to take away with them. I've been thinking for a while about collecting them together in a book, but the idea never really excited me much. I've seen lots of quotations books, and they're usually not very attractive to look at, and even less attractive to sit down and create.

However, the seven aspects of Da Vinci's creativity provided an interesting structure, and some work I'd being doing on creativity gave me the idea to create 'pencil' drawings to compliment the quotations. Being drawings they are produced in black and white, which keeps the cost down, and as a result, support, rather than distract the reader from the quotations.

Though I say it myself, the result is rather attractive, and seems very effective.

I emailed Michael Gelb to offer him a copy, and was thrilled when he replied within the hour. I'm now waiting to see what he thinks. If all goes well, the book should be available from http://www.photonbooks.com/ by the middle of September.

The Joy of Fixing Your PC

2007-08-15T10:20:00.001Z

Well it would seem that my resolve to get the blog active again, faltered at the first step. Well not quite, but my resolve was perhaps poorly timed. I've spent the past few days rebuilding my PC with a new larger hard drive, and the transition wasn't quite as seamless as I'd perhaps imagined, or maybe dreamed. One or two important files and other necessities didn't make the move without a struggle. But now, pretty much, the new system is running smoothly, fingers crossed.

One important lesson from this is how easy it is to miss-communicate. I can't count the number of sets of instructions I've read, that assumed I was someone else, or somewhere else. Options to click on, that my machine doesn't have, or assumptions made about what I know or don't know. All written by well intentioned people, who'd taken the trouble to share their knowledge.

Virginia Wolfe knew all about this of course;

"We all indulge in the strange, pleasant process called thinking, but when it comes to saying, even to someone opposite, what we think, then how little we are able to convey! The phantom is through the mind and out of the window before we can lay salt on its tail, or slowly sinking and returning to the profound darkness which it has lit up momentarily with a wandering light."

Thought and Thinking, Virginia Woolf

Travellers

2007-08-10T07:06:00.001Z

I've just completed the second book in the change-ability series. It has the same format as Letting go, a central story supported by around 80 carefully selected quotations. The aim of the series is to stimulate the reader with ideas around change, with the quotations hopefully sending the reader off to explore their own thinking, rather than slavishly adopting the thinking of the book.

Travellers explores the way our paradigm controls what we are able to see and think. The story takes place on a train and features two characters, an artist and a businessman. As the story progresses we see the world through their different eyes. One a world of questions, the other a world of answers, and begin to see how this difference in perspective enables or disables their ability to change.

The book will be available soon directly from http://www.photonbooks.com/

21 Days

2007-08-10T06:56:00.000Z

They say that it takes 21 days to form a habit of doing something, and of course the habit of not doing something. For rather more than 21 days I've focused on completing some book writing and this has meant that I've not maintained the habit of the blog.
Well here goes in trying to reinstate the habit.

Delicious Ambiguity

2007-06-12T11:04:00.000Z

At last the first book is published and available to the world. Whether the world will be interested remains to be seen, but it feels good none the less.

One of the lessons that I've learned through the writing process, is embodied in the title. If you're going to allow yourself to change, you have to be prepared to let go of what you are, to become something new. This letting go can be very difficult, because to truly let go, we have to be uncertain about what is coming next; who we will become. So often we make the noises of letting go, but secretly keep hold of what we are.

When we truly let go we begin to live, not knowing what the next day, or even the next moment will bring. I've tried to capture some of this feeling in the book. The letting go is where the magic of being alive comes from. Often scary and full of challenges, but challenges are there to rise to, and we can't walk to the edge of what is, without being a little scared.

I've included over 80 of my favourite quotations in the book, to help the reader create their own story, rather than just read the one I've written.

One of my favourites is from Rita Rudner who was an American Comedienne,

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity. "

What a beautiful description of change and of life.

To find out more about the book please visit www.photonbooks.com

Winner of the Christopher Wren Cup

2007-06-02T22:49:00.000Z

Ok, as the photo reveals it's not quite the cup that the headline may lead you to expect. However I was delighted to be recognised as the best presenter at the 'Applied Business Creativity in 21st Century Organisations' conference.

My new friends from Red Zebra were also recognised with a similar award for their work in which they led delegates to create some pretty amazing music.

The conference held in Greenwich University was hosted in the stunning buildings of the former Royal Naval College and featured a range of presentations and workshops all designed to inspire creative thinking and action.

I'd like to thank the conference organisers for the invitation to speak, and Martine Vanremoortele who made the initial connection between myself and the conference organisers.

New Project

2007-05-11T09:07:00.000Z

It's been a while since I posted. How time flies when you find something interesting to do! I've been working on a new writing project.

I recently read Michael Gelb's book 'How to Think Like Leonardop Da Vinci', and have been inspired to create a book of quotations structured around the ideas he describes.

There's a review of the book on my website, but at the heart of the book are seven characteristics of the creative style of Da Vinci's thinking.

What I'm trying to do is create a modern interpretation of these characteristics, by using quotations from a wide range of people form diverse backgrounds. To support the quotations I'm adding drawings and am aiming to give the book the feel of a 'handwritten' journal. I'm quite excited that it might prove a powerful way of sharing insights on creativity and change with people who feel they struggle to find the time to read.

If you do have a little reading time available, I highly recommend Michael's book. In addition to the description of Da Vinci's thinking style it has a host of exercises that might help you emulate his approach.

Caring

2007-04-16T08:23:00.000Z

I came across the following beautiful description of why perhaps we love to follow a team and watch sport. It refers to baseball, but I think applies to all sport, and certainly to my chosen favourite - football.

I think its message extends much further than this. At the heart of any worthwhile achievement is someone who cares, indeed that someone cares might be said to define the achievement as worthwhile. Of course when given with care, even a whispered kindly word might change the shape of the world.

"It is foolish and childish, on the face of it, to affiliate ourselves with anything so insignificant and patently contrived and commercially exploitative as a professional sports team, and the amused superiority and icy scorn that the non-fan directs at the sports nut (I know this look -- I know it by heart) is understandable and almost unanswerable.

Almost.

What is left out of this calculation, it seems to me, is the business of caring -- caring deeply and passionately, really caring -- which is a capacity or an emotion that has almost gone out of our lives.

And so it seems possible that we have come to a time when it no longer matters so much what the caring is about, how frail or foolish is the object of that concern, as long as the feeling itself can be saved. Naivete -- the infantile and ignoble joy that sends a grown man or woman to dancing and shouting with joy in the middle of the night over the hap hazardous flight of a distant ball -- seems a small price to pay for such a gift."

Roger Angell, New Yorker baseball writer, 1975

Connections

2007-04-13T07:42:00.000Z

I'm just back from a visit to London. There are many icons of the city, and one of the most famous is perhaps the tube map.

In many ways its a very strange kind of map. Unlike most maps it doesn't show the position of places, or the distance between them, or any of the physical features. It's not drawn to scale and contains very little information of the place it describes. In fact the only things it does show are the connections between places.

Having spent the past few days with my children navigating our way around London I can vouch for how easy the map is to use, even by a six year old. It's difficult to imagine travelling by tube without the map.

Like many valuable inventions, once it exists it looks so obvious. Yet at the time of its creation, London Transport were very sceptical of its value. Harry Beck, an employee, produced his first ideas as an uncommissioned part-time project, and the map was tentatively introduced in a small pamphlet. It immediately proved popular and became a permanent feature of travel underground, a place where knowing how to connect is paramount.

Think of a Number

2007-04-04T12:17:00.000Z

Think of a large number, the largest you can imagine.

How large a number did you come up with? Perhaps millions, billions. billions of billions?

We soon run out of words, so perhaps you thought of a number followed by zero's

It's estimated that the number of atoms in the entire universe is something less than 1 followed by 100 zeros.

Perhaps the number you thought of was as large or even larger than that.

I came across a larger number, much larger. It's the number of thought patterns that the average brain can make.

It's a number so large, that we struggle to even describe it in terms of zeros, and a number that our brain will strain to even imagine.

According to Pyotr Anokhin, a student of Ivan Pavlov, the number is 1 followed by 10.5 million kilometers of typed zeros.

That's a line of typed zeros which would stretch to the moon and back again more than thirteen times.

We have this staggeringly immense potential, yet how often do we tap into it?

"Few people think more than two or three times a year. I've made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week."
George Bernard Shaw

I've just added a review of How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci to my web site, a fascinating book that might help you begin to scratch the surface of that potential. www.accesstoexcellence.co.uk/html/how_to_think_like_leonardo_da_vinci.html

Taking Time

2007-04-03T22:35:00.000Z

This week I heard that Hasbro have brought out a version of the game 'Monopoly' that only takes 20 minutes to play.

I was left wondering, why?

I remember as a child we would play Monopoly through the afternoon and into the evening, and still not finish. Surely that was the point of the game, to pass the time.

A line from Stephen Wright, the American comedian perfectly captures this lunacy.

'I have a microwave fireplace. You can lay down in front of the fire all night in eight minutes'

It’s the same with the development of instant tea. The Japanese tea ceremony recognises that the point of drinking tea is to create a gap, some space in which to slow down and be present.

When we lose the spirit of what we are being, and simply ‘do’, whether it's instant tea, or pastimes that don’t pass the time, we risk losing the spirit of life itself.

As Mahatma Gandhi said

'There is more to life than increasing its speed.'

Stagnation

2007-03-29T11:48:00.000Z

"Nothing is as perilous as stagnation.

You risk everything if you risk nothing.

Do something you feel you can not do.

Challenge makes us stronger.

Be courageous.

Take a chance, what do you have to lose?

Dare yourself."

Being the Music

2007-03-26T11:06:00.000Z

On the evening of the first day of the conference in Ostrava, we were treated to a performance by a four piece group playing jazz music. As I watched the saxophone player, it was impossible not to be impressed by how he was absorbed by the music and his performance. He played his instrument, not just with his lips and lungs, but with his entire body which swayed and moved, every muscle contributing to the performance.

Had I not thought I already knew, it would have been impossible to tell whether he played the instrument, or whether it played him.

How often do we feel like this at work. Totally absorbed and connected with what we are doing? Perhaps it an infrequent experience, or maybe you've never felt that way.

If you can't remember the last time it happened at work - think about your hobbies. When did you last sit down to follow your hobby and look at the clock to find three, four or five hours had just disappeared?

It can happen, and when it does its a wonderful experience. Yet for many it seldom happens at work. Worse still, we perhaps have been conditioned never to expect it to happen at work.

What magic we miss out on.

Think of what you miss. Not simply the experience of that feeling, but the accomplishments that go with it. What hobby doesn't achieve great things, brilliant quality, infinite care, attention to detail, dedication and a sense of satisfaction.

If work doesn't let you feel these things, then how wasted is your time? If you don't expect these things of work, then how cheaply do you value your life?

Ostrava, Czech Republic

2007-03-23T01:12:00.000Z

I'm just back from a trip to Ostrava in the Czech Republic where I gave a presentation at the 13th Jakost - Quality Conference.

My trip coincided with a heavy and surprise snow storm. Fortunately most of the delegates managed to battle their way through the atrocious conditions to get to what was an excellent event. As the only native English speaking presenter I worked with an English - Czech translator for my presentation, which went very well and was very well received.

My hosts had arranged a trip to the local mining museum, which proved to be very revealing, describing graphically the lives of the area's coal miners. Particularly moving was a memorial to mine rescue workers who had lost their lives. This was made particularly poignant as on returning to my Hotel I saw news of the terrible loss of life in the Russian mining disaster.

In the evening of the conference we were taken to the famous Stodolni Street, (www.stodolni.cz) which has the highest concentration of Clubs, Bars and Pubs, I've seen. Armed with vouchers for refreshments, a great time was had by all.

I'm hoping to return to the Czech Republic in April 2008 to speak at a conference in Prague. With luck it might be a little warmer and I'll be able to see rather more of the country and its people.

Leisure

2007-03-14T23:20:00.000Z

This was my dad's favourite poem.

What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?—

No time to stand beneath the boughs, and stare as long as sheep and cows:

No time to see, when woods we pass, where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:

No time to see, in broad daylight, streams full of stars, like skies at night:

No time to turn at Beauty's glance, and watch her feet, how they can dance:

No time to wait till her mouth can, enrich that smile her eyes began?

A poor life this if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.

WH Davies

Travellers

2007-03-12T06:02:00.000Z

I've been concentrating on writing for the past few weeks. The first book, 'Letting go' is almost ready. I've sent out a small number of copies to friends and am now preparing to send copies to people who I hope will review the book and provide some feedback.

The second book 'Travellers' is also nearly complete. Both of these titles are part of a series that I'm calling change-ability. They deal with different facets of change. 'Travellers' features people rather than the animals of 'Letting go', and using the perspectives of an artist and a businessman looks at how the different ways in which we see things, impacts on what we are able to see and do.

The cover follows the style adopted for the series, this time featuring a oak tree seedling that is currently growing in my office. As oaks can live for 200-400 years, if it survives it will no doubt see a world that today we can scarcely imagine.

You can find out more about the books at www.photonbooks.com

Being here

2007-03-09T09:40:00.000Z

Yesterday was the first day that really felt like Spring. There was a clear blue sky and for what seems the first time in months it wasn’t raining. Warmer wetter winters are what we are promised as an effect of global warming, and that’s precisely what we’ve had this year.

Anyway, amongst other things, Spring is the time to get out my bicycle. I enjoy cycling, but during winter there’s little fun in getting cold and soaked in muddy water, so it was good to get back on the bike. Of course not having been ridden for a while it was inevitable that I’d get a puncture, but even repairing that was quite nice as I found a little stream, in the water of which I tracked down the hole in the inner tube.

The great thing about being on a bike is that you see so much more than in a car, in fact you realise just how much there is to see and hear. In a car you don’t hear anything but the sound of the engine and the radio of course. But on a bike you hear everything and are immersed in the scene rather than just travelling through it. Well that’s the opportunity you have. Not everyone takes this opportunity.

Once I’d seen the first, it seemed that everyone I passed was wearing the headphones of an iPod, carrying around with them their own world. This seemed such a lost opportunity. They were in the countryside, yet not in it. A bit like tourists who travel to remote parts, and then insist on drinking Coca Cola and only eating food they are familiar with. They travel without really moving.

We can spend much of our lives retaining the past or wishing for the future, living with what we know or want, and missing what we are. The only time that really exists is the current moment, and already that moment is gone and replaced by another. Did we use it wisely, or was it just lost, a repetition of a moment in the past?

Attitude

2007-03-05T22:25:00.000Z

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today."

Groucho Marx

A New Step

2007-03-04T20:47:00.000Z

“Taking a new step, uttering a new word is what people fear most.”

Feodor Dostoyevsky

Not Knowing

2007-03-03T02:31:00.000Z

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

Joseph Campbell

Intuition

2007-03-02T12:40:00.000Z

"The only real valuable thing is intuition."

Albert Einstein

The Future

2007-02-27T23:15:00.000Z

"My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there."
Charles E. Kettering

Uncertainty

2007-02-26T23:04:00.000Z

"No great deed is done by falterers who ask for certainty."

George Eliot

Try it

2007-02-25T15:17:00.000Z

"Trust that little voice in your head that says 'Wouldn't it be interesting if ...'; and then do it"
Duane Michals