Werewolf
1 December 2007At last I got to play Werewolf! Also known as Mafia, you can read about its history and rules here. Basically it’s a game of information (some people have some, others don’t), trust – and mistrust – and reveals all sorts of interesting stuff around assumptions and behaviour. And it’s fun!
More on letting go
18 November 2007Nick Smith writes a moving piece about his eldest daughter leaving home to travel the world. Amongst his reflections and advice, this stood out: Strange isn’t it, the best of times are always when we bring the least with us, when we don’t organise or plan things but just show up with an openness and…
A few random thoughts from Banff
18 November 2007The AIN (improv) conference in Banff was a source of many ideas and connections. Here’s just a few. • Ecoductions – introducing yourself using place as the focus; a way to avoid the trap of defining yourself based on what you do and to revisit the way the environment shapes who we are. • The…
From the artist
3 November 2007Today we were at a gallery to check out paintings by Robert Holcombe. Luckily for us, we not only saw some of his paintings but met the artist as well. This is one of Robert’s contemporary paintings, strongly influenced by Fred Williams. He described his artistic journey from realist to contemporary and now abstract. He…
Lessons from technology
3 November 2007Another great TED talk about adoption of technology, lessons we can learn and implications for design
Feel good
2 November 2007This week our new solar panels were switched on. We now draw about half of our electricity needs from the sun. It feels good.
Where do they get these ideas?
2 November 2007My partner is a scientist who works with quite a few PhD students. This week he was reading a final thesis and making some significant suggestions about the writing style – especially the length of sentences. Long, convoluted sentences don’t really help with understanding the writer’s point. So he broke down some of these very…
Out of the loop
8 October 2007Yesterday I joined Facebook – it’s an interesting diversion (as if I need another one!!!) and interestingly, I can find very few of my friends. I suppose it’s an age thing. Or else I have very few friends!
Nervous
6 October 2007This is a story that is opposite to the one I wrote recently about trust. I was walking in Kampala, capital of Uganda. People everywhere, going about their business; traffic; fumes; pot-holed roads and lots of obstacles to navigate. I was crossing the road, stopped in the middle to assess when it would be safe…
Loving Uncertainty
5 October 2007OK I know it’s a bit out-of-date, but I’ve been travelling. An article in the August 4 edition of New Scientist is titled ‘Can we learn to love uncertainty?’ by David Malone, an independent documentary film-maker. He argues that certainty precludes further thinking. If we’re sure of something, we don’t need to think about it…