One of the reasons I enjoy Wired so much is that it reminds me that what I see in science fiction can often be found in the here and now. Among the ideas they cite as dangerous in their latest edition is to legalize assisted suicide. They describe a group in Switzerland called Dignitas which has become the destination for suicide tourism. For $10,000, they offer counseling to anyone considering suicide and if the counseling doesn't work, they'll not only guarantee a painless exit, they'll clean up the mess afterward.
In addition to the elegant name and its Swiss location, what makes the place so creepy for me is the fact that they don't have a web site. The discretion of the whole "service" lends itself to an international thriller. I can see a movie in which Matt Damon pretends to be a patient in order to uncover some elaborate conspiracy.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Play
It's hard to resist a book that begins with an anecdote involving the joyous abandon of a yellow lab and well nigh impossible to resist one that continues with a tale of play dates between a dog and a starving polar bear that doesn't end with carnage. Stuart Brown is a fine storyteller and fortunately for readers, he has a meaningful story to tell about the significance of play in human development. He persuasively argues that play is hardwired into our brains and without it we wouldn't be able to adapt, learn and grow.
I'm only halfway through the book, but I already feel that my hunger for ideas has been satisfied. In addition to the stores about puppies, chimps and sea squirts, I appreciate his ability to illuminate different aspects of play. I'm familiar with the concept of homo ludens and realize that play has been written about many times before but Play is helping me see play in a different light. For instance, he emphasizes that play is a state of mind and goes on to discuss a playful attitude as being an ironic one. If we treat an idea, a person or an event ironically, we have space to bend, twist and change it/him/her.
One of the reasons why I think Brown's work stands out for me is that he doesn't discuss play in a rigid way. He sees play as a fluid concept, a state of mind rather than event. He describes 8 play profiles to explain why different people gravitate towards different types of play: The Joker, The Kinesthete, The Explorer, The Collector, The Director, The Competitor, The Artist/Creator, The Storyteller.
I will keep his Storyteller profile in mind as I begin to make my story game . . . .
I'm only halfway through the book, but I already feel that my hunger for ideas has been satisfied. In addition to the stores about puppies, chimps and sea squirts, I appreciate his ability to illuminate different aspects of play. I'm familiar with the concept of homo ludens and realize that play has been written about many times before but Play is helping me see play in a different light. For instance, he emphasizes that play is a state of mind and goes on to discuss a playful attitude as being an ironic one. If we treat an idea, a person or an event ironically, we have space to bend, twist and change it/him/her.
One of the reasons why I think Brown's work stands out for me is that he doesn't discuss play in a rigid way. He sees play as a fluid concept, a state of mind rather than event. He describes 8 play profiles to explain why different people gravitate towards different types of play: The Joker, The Kinesthete, The Explorer, The Collector, The Director, The Competitor, The Artist/Creator, The Storyteller.
I will keep his Storyteller profile in mind as I begin to make my story game . . . .
Monday, September 28, 2009
What fresh hell is this?
It's Sunday night on Showtime, home of deeply disturbed yet loving parents. In the spring and summer, I followed the downward trajectory of mothers who sought to protect their children from the havoc they wreak in Weeds and United States of Tara. Now that the seasons have turned it's the boys' turn.
Dexter and Californication's Hank are devoted to their children but certainly have funny ways of expressing their love. Awoken again by the cries of the adorable 4-month old insomniac, Harrison Dexter confides in his son that "Daddy kills people." I guess we should be reassured that he clarifies to little Harrison that he kills bad people. Sleep-deprived Dexter spends his days like many of us struggling to maintain balance between work,home and hobby. The only slight difference is that his passion is serial murder. In spite of some missteps like falling asleep in front of a bar while stalking his prey, Dexter's love for his son keeps him rolling around.
Although Hank may not be a serial killer, he possesses an uncanny knack for inflicting damage on anyone with whom he comes into contact. Within a 24-hour period, his daughter and her best friends get high on his stash. He injures the father of the best friend and, best of all, helps lead a raging alcoholic right back to the bottle
It's funny but after years of watching shows like The Sopranos, Deadwood, Band of Brothers, and Rome on Sunday nights, I confess that last week's double feature of HBO comedy felt strange and oddly dissatisfying.
Dexter and Californication's Hank are devoted to their children but certainly have funny ways of expressing their love. Awoken again by the cries of the adorable 4-month old insomniac, Harrison Dexter confides in his son that "Daddy kills people." I guess we should be reassured that he clarifies to little Harrison that he kills bad people. Sleep-deprived Dexter spends his days like many of us struggling to maintain balance between work,home and hobby. The only slight difference is that his passion is serial murder. In spite of some missteps like falling asleep in front of a bar while stalking his prey, Dexter's love for his son keeps him rolling around.
Although Hank may not be a serial killer, he possesses an uncanny knack for inflicting damage on anyone with whom he comes into contact. Within a 24-hour period, his daughter and her best friends get high on his stash. He injures the father of the best friend and, best of all, helps lead a raging alcoholic right back to the bottle
It's funny but after years of watching shows like The Sopranos, Deadwood, Band of Brothers, and Rome on Sunday nights, I confess that last week's double feature of HBO comedy felt strange and oddly dissatisfying.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Flash Forward
Like Glee, Flash Forward has received plenty of hype. Their respective networks, Fox and ABC, have invested plenty of money in publicity campaigns and in the show themselves. I was happy that Glee had lived up to my expectations and I'm even happier to say that Flash Forward has as well. It's true that I am a huge Lost fan and the series is targeted for me. But I was prepared for a Lost knock off. Moreover, having invested in relationships with TV shows (most notably, Journeyman and Swingtown) and having been burned by network TV with little faith in their own shows, I was wary about being drawn into Flash Forward in spite of its high production values, a cast full of actors who I enjoy and its nifty premise.
Fortunately (or if it follow the same route as Journeyman, unfortunately), just as I was hooked with Lost from the very first moment so was I drawn into Flash Forward. It's probably no surprise since both begin in the disorientation following a major disaster and then begins feeding the viewer information so that they can fill in the blanks. The engagement required really enriches the viewing experience.
Another reason why I find Flash Forward so engaging is that its premise, for a little over 2 minutes almost the entire human race had a vision of their future, lends itself to so many interesting questions. In addition to practical ones like, What kind of disasters would befall us? There are the classic ones like: Is our future fated or do we have free will? Like all really good speculative fiction, we are asked to consider the way we live our own lives and the manner in which me make choices (if those choices do in fact exist). I must admit that I'll be in TV nirvana if Flash Forward achieves it potential and I can look forward to a Flash Forward, Lost double feature.
Just one reference to this week's episode of Glee: You can't tell me that football teams across the country won't be posting their versions of Singles Laides?
And one reference to Mad Men: The unfortunate incident with the riding lawn mower and the golden boy of advertising was the
Fortunately (or if it follow the same route as Journeyman, unfortunately), just as I was hooked with Lost from the very first moment so was I drawn into Flash Forward. It's probably no surprise since both begin in the disorientation following a major disaster and then begins feeding the viewer information so that they can fill in the blanks. The engagement required really enriches the viewing experience.
Another reason why I find Flash Forward so engaging is that its premise, for a little over 2 minutes almost the entire human race had a vision of their future, lends itself to so many interesting questions. In addition to practical ones like, What kind of disasters would befall us? There are the classic ones like: Is our future fated or do we have free will? Like all really good speculative fiction, we are asked to consider the way we live our own lives and the manner in which me make choices (if those choices do in fact exist). I must admit that I'll be in TV nirvana if Flash Forward achieves it potential and I can look forward to a Flash Forward, Lost double feature.
Just one reference to this week's episode of Glee: You can't tell me that football teams across the country won't be posting their versions of Singles Laides?
And one reference to Mad Men: The unfortunate incident with the riding lawn mower and the golden boy of advertising was the
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Learning changes
I wish I knew how to distill the excitement I feel after an inspiring lecture by a top-tier speaker. I'd then find a way to encapsulate it so that I could dose myself with it every morning. When I left the Metropolitan yesterday after listening to Elliot Maisie talk about learning changes, I thought my brain was going to explode as a result of the intellectually energy generated without the possibility of release. (I prefer attending events with a colleague so that we can chat during the ride back to work, but I was solo yesterday.)
Maisie's objective was to emphasize the importance of design when thinking about not just elearning but learning in general. In order to accommodate the changing L&D landscape, educators need to be agile. They need to understand what their learner needs and find the best tool to satisfy those needs. It could be an app on an iPhone, a blog, online coaching, a help function, or a social network. Whatever the solution, it shouldn't be shaped by the tool. The tool should always be chosen after the design. The reason he's so adamant about this point is that he sees the majority of online training as being rigid and unimaginative shaped by a linear, slide by slide tool that only serve to compress the boredom of classroom training into a smaller chunk of time.
I don't think anyone was shocked by what Maisie had to say and I think probably everyone agreed. But what made his voice so powerful was the fact that even though he is considered one of the "fathers" of elearning, he's willing to keep his understanding of elearning broad and flexible. He's as agile as he wants others to be.
Another reason for his significance as a speaker is that he's tuned into the White House agenda. He told us that the next dialogue initiated by the White House after health care will be about Reskilling. Maisie, and my guess the President, believe that we'll be seeing an employment crisis. We simply won't have the right people with the right skills at the right time. Anyone who cares about learning needs to take part in the dialogue about what education needs to look like.
When all is said and done, it's not Maisie's message which sets him apart from other speakers. It's his gift as a storyteller. He recognizes how important a good story is for anyone with something to teach.
The story that won me over was one I"m sure he's told a thousand times to illustrate not only his disdain for powerpoint (which he believes should be regulated by the FDA and removed from the desktops of all senior executives), but also his willingness to "tell it like it is."
Maisie told of a conversation he had with Melinda Gates at a party full of IT hotshots. He set the stage for the story with the statement that Melinda was the creator of the much-loathed Clippie, that evil paper clip who appears when you need help in MS Office. During the meal, Melinda leaned over to Maise and asked him the loaded question, "What is the most important training software tool on the market?" Maisie said he could see the "P" forming on her lips and he paused. But not being one to curb his tongue, he blurted out "Google." He said that the "P" and some food practically fell out of her mouth as response. I guess they then had a lively and intelligent discussion. Isn't that great?
Maisie's objective was to emphasize the importance of design when thinking about not just elearning but learning in general. In order to accommodate the changing L&D landscape, educators need to be agile. They need to understand what their learner needs and find the best tool to satisfy those needs. It could be an app on an iPhone, a blog, online coaching, a help function, or a social network. Whatever the solution, it shouldn't be shaped by the tool. The tool should always be chosen after the design. The reason he's so adamant about this point is that he sees the majority of online training as being rigid and unimaginative shaped by a linear, slide by slide tool that only serve to compress the boredom of classroom training into a smaller chunk of time.
I don't think anyone was shocked by what Maisie had to say and I think probably everyone agreed. But what made his voice so powerful was the fact that even though he is considered one of the "fathers" of elearning, he's willing to keep his understanding of elearning broad and flexible. He's as agile as he wants others to be.
Another reason for his significance as a speaker is that he's tuned into the White House agenda. He told us that the next dialogue initiated by the White House after health care will be about Reskilling. Maisie, and my guess the President, believe that we'll be seeing an employment crisis. We simply won't have the right people with the right skills at the right time. Anyone who cares about learning needs to take part in the dialogue about what education needs to look like.
When all is said and done, it's not Maisie's message which sets him apart from other speakers. It's his gift as a storyteller. He recognizes how important a good story is for anyone with something to teach.
The story that won me over was one I"m sure he's told a thousand times to illustrate not only his disdain for powerpoint (which he believes should be regulated by the FDA and removed from the desktops of all senior executives), but also his willingness to "tell it like it is."
Maisie told of a conversation he had with Melinda Gates at a party full of IT hotshots. He set the stage for the story with the statement that Melinda was the creator of the much-loathed Clippie, that evil paper clip who appears when you need help in MS Office. During the meal, Melinda leaned over to Maise and asked him the loaded question, "What is the most important training software tool on the market?" Maisie said he could see the "P" forming on her lips and he paused. But not being one to curb his tongue, he blurted out "Google." He said that the "P" and some food practically fell out of her mouth as response. I guess they then had a lively and intelligent discussion. Isn't that great?
Friday, September 25, 2009
Deconstruction and Top Chef
When I was in graduate school reading Derrida on deconstruction, the last thing I would have expected is to hear the terms used by judges in a cooking competition. As is usually the case when popular culture adopts a theoretical construct, the concept has been simplified to the point of becoming almost unrecognizable. Whereas we were taught that deconstruction reveals oppositions and contradictions at the heart of every text, foodies take the term literally. The chef was expected to take apart the components of a dish and reconfigure them in a new way.
Although the Top Chef contestants were not working with the same theories as we grad students were, deconstruction functions in a similar way. It allowed the contestants to present food in a new way just as it allows graduate student to read a classic a new way and even rewrite it. Moreover, just as there were some grad students who couldn't grasp the concept of deconstruction so were there contestants who couldn't understand how or even why you'd take apart a classic.
Although the Top Chef contestants were not working with the same theories as we grad students were, deconstruction functions in a similar way. It allowed the contestants to present food in a new way just as it allows graduate student to read a classic a new way and even rewrite it. Moreover, just as there were some grad students who couldn't grasp the concept of deconstruction so were there contestants who couldn't understand how or even why you'd take apart a classic.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Connections
Aside from having Baron Baptiste's 40 Days fall out at my feet this morning, I haven't encountered any texts whose narrative threads beg for unraveling. But what has struck me today is how tightly the lives of people are woven together. In spite of all the evidence to the contrary, the number of people who still affirm the myth of the rugged individualist beholden to none amazes me.
Ayn Rand is an author who enables this kind of romantic, delusional thinking. When i was a teenager, I remember embracing her novels. I saw her heroes as passionate and creative, exactly the type of person I thought I could become. The thought of becoming someone as strategic as Dagny Taggart or as creative as Howard Roark thrilled me. Now I see the characters as damaged, miserable people. As I grew older, I began to recognize the importance of collaboration. I began to believe that originality is a myth and that the collective mind is something to be frightened of. Instead, I learned respect for all those who gave to those according to their need. The idea that a small group of separatists could start a community in the mountains of Colorado and actually succeed seems ludicrous.
What I really need to do is reread The Fountainhead. I honestly don't think that I could handle Atlas Shrugged again without completely skipping through the "philosophy," especially John Galt's infamous rant (I mean speech).
Ayn Rand is an author who enables this kind of romantic, delusional thinking. When i was a teenager, I remember embracing her novels. I saw her heroes as passionate and creative, exactly the type of person I thought I could become. The thought of becoming someone as strategic as Dagny Taggart or as creative as Howard Roark thrilled me. Now I see the characters as damaged, miserable people. As I grew older, I began to recognize the importance of collaboration. I began to believe that originality is a myth and that the collective mind is something to be frightened of. Instead, I learned respect for all those who gave to those according to their need. The idea that a small group of separatists could start a community in the mountains of Colorado and actually succeed seems ludicrous.
What I really need to do is reread The Fountainhead. I honestly don't think that I could handle Atlas Shrugged again without completely skipping through the "philosophy," especially John Galt's infamous rant (I mean speech).
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