Wenn wir etwas als virtuell bezeichnen, dann müssen wir eigentlich immer einen Bezug angeben, zu dem das Ding virtuell ist. "Virtuell" ist eigentlich kein Adverb, sondern immer ein Adjektiv. Das Wort "flüssig" können wir ohne weiteres sowohl als Adjektiv verwenden, z.B. wenn wir an Weihnachten auf den Boden zeigen und sagen, dass da gerade flüssiges Wachs von der Kerze auf den Teppich tropft, oder auch als Adverb, wenn wir auf die Kerze zeigen und sagen, der Wachs ist flüssig. Die Adverb-Bedeutung von "flüssig" können wir dann als Metapher auf andere Erfahrungen übertragen, z.B. wenn ich zu meinen Freunden sage, dass ich zu hause bleiben muss und nicht mit ihnen Bier trinken kann weil ich gerade nicht flüssig bin.

Welcome to the worst decade since the Great Depression. Trillions of dollars of financial assets destroyed; trillions in shareholder value vanished; worldwide GDP stalled. But this isn't a financial crisis, or even an economic one, says Umair Haque. It's a crisis of institutions-ideals inherited from the industrial age. These ideals include rampant exploitation of resources, top-down command of resource allocations, withholding of information from stakeholders to control them, and a single-minded pursuit of profit for its own sake. All this has produced "thin value"-short-term economic gains that accrue to some people far more than others, and that don't make us happier or healthier. It has left resources depleted and has spawned conflict, organizational rigidity, economic stagnation, and nihilism. In The New Capitalist Manifesto, Haque advocates a new set of ideals: (1)Renewal: Use resources sustainably to maximize efficiencies, (2) Democracy: Allocate resources democratically to foster organizational agility, (3) Peace: Practice economic non-violence in business, (4) Equity: Create industries that make the least well off better off, and (5) Meaning: Generate payoffs that tangibly improve quality of life. Yes, adopting these ideals requires bold and sustained changes. But some companies-Google, Walmart, Nike-are rising to the challenge. In this bold manifesto, Haque makes an irresistible business case for following their lead.

Before we jump into the specifics, the most important thing you need to know when making any design choices is why. Ask yourself this: "what is my goal?" All elements of design are able to invoke different emotions in the viewer and affect them in various ways. While adhering to general principals is good when you're getting started, you want to based your design choices on the impact you want them to have. That requires knowing what that impact will be. Do you want your design to attract attention to specific sections? Do you want certain words or phrases to have more impact than others? You make these basic choices like these already. When writing a research paper or a resume, you've probably bolded a section header to help with identification. If all the text on that page was the same, it would be more difficult for the reader to navigate or skim. The simple decision of emboldening text and making it larger suddenly adds greater context to the design of a document, and it's one you're probably making subconsicously. When you're thinking about design, you want to move those choices out of your subconscious and into the front of your mind. Think about what you hope to accomplish and then apply the principles you learn in this guide to the design tasks you encounter on a regular basis. Thinking a little more creatively and knowing the right techniques is all you'll need to add a greater visual impact to the design work you'll encounter on a regular basis.

Abstract
We live in a hyper-competitive world, where whole industries either shift towards services or become obsolete due to new market entrants, technologies or even social practices. A world, where permanent interactions with customers, fast time-to-market, and the ability to innovate »right« (e.g. the right thing or value) are the key to corporate success. On that score the business sphere isn't getting tired of emphasising the need for strategic innovation (which means »creating superior customer value«, business model innovations or even the disruption and creation of new markets). This paper uncovers some of the often overlooked links of design (design thinking, design-driven innovation and service design) to strategic innovation through the lens of »customer value«. It will do so by ...   Disenchanting the big corporate rhetoric on above claims by showing that prevailing and too one-sided understandings of strategy and innovation, rather reinforce than escape old industry paradigms.   Examining designs still undervalued contributions to strategy-making by approaching business challenges with a user/value-centric and radical service logic.   Showing that every dimension of strategic innovation culminates in the concept of perceived user value and meaning, which gets reviewed in detail (dimensions, forms, properties), especially with regards to constructing value propositions.   Arguing that the current service design and business model innovation discourses cannot be negotiated separately, as they may be good methodological complements.   So when speaking about the innovation of value for the customer, the paper argues, the above stated and seemingly separated fields intersect. Therefore their most apparent systemic connections and the facilitation of value creation by design are outlined and discussed.

The desire to learn new things. The desire to build something that has never before been built. The desire to hunt down problems--and then solve them. It was at this moment I realized something. Something which, to me, is an incredibly powerful revelation. Often times, I find myself hunting for solutions. I find myself desperately trying to figure out what I should do about X, and how to optimize Y. I find myself searching for solutions to problems, hoping to get them out of the way as quickly as possible so that I can move onto the next thing, the next chore, the next item on my todo list. It was in this moment that it all became clear to me-- I enjoy the problems. I crave them.

There is a lot of wisdom in these statements. These behaviours may not be in-line with a lot of modern management dogmas. And this very true. Here we are not talking about management but LEADERSHIP and a VISIONARY LEADERSHIP. This is the difference. This is the difference between Steve Jobs and the rest of the world!!! Isaacson then proceeds to talk about 14 leadership lessons of Steve Jobs:

Gangplank has put members on nearly every board and commission in the city and started work directly with economic development to show the power of the manifesto.  A list of ideals,values and principles that the creatives of the city put forth to make a difference.  collaboration over competition community over agendas participation over observation doing over saying friendship over formality boldness over assurance learning over expertise people over personalities

sdwoodford: Big Men on Content | Chief Why Officer http://t.co/8ItR3nzV Thx @ldallasBMOC #in

As a designer and engineer, I asked myself what should I do, I do not have political or economical power enough to make a difference. eWaste and kids not interested in education. What should I do? Ah! there there, eWaste = partly functional gadgets at no cost and kids = maybe fun interactive toys made from those gadgets? With that thought, ThinkerToys started, converting eWaste into educational fun interactive toys. Tinkering was a central part of coming up with new toys, and these toys were made to make the kids think, and yes that's where the name comes from, Thinking X Tinkering = Thinkering.

"Design the New Business." Spearheaded by designer/author/entrepreneur and TU Delft professor Erik Roscam Abbing, the doc is intended to demonstrate today's crucial interconnectedness of design and business by interviewing industry leaders from the likes of Philips Design, Intel, Volkswagen, Virgin Mobile, and many others.

You’re absolutely right! Instant gratification has ruined the art of learning. It’s especially sad to see kids who are only interested in remembering enough to pass tests, rather than actually knowing something new and important.

makes the case for taking up less space, and showcases compact living spaces, while demonstrating cost savings and lifestyle living alternatives

This challenge of learning an art is essentially a process of internalizing the decision-making process framed to a very specific context. How you get better at it is by learning to accelerate how you recognize known (often complex) patterns. The higher your skill level the more complex the pattern you can perform and make decisions on without having to consciously think about it. It is in effect non-rational because you are so attuned to the habit that your body may act or react before you even realize you are doing it.

read and share it ...

Open source software has been a well known idea, and something of a success, for decades, open source hardware is relatively new. You can say that open source hardware was born out the of the "maker" movement, but for such an obvious idea it has been slow to take off. The one big notable exception being the Arduino.
In an effort to popularize the open hardware movement we now have the Open Hardware Journal starting with November 1, 2011 Issue 1. As it says on the cover page you are free to read it, copy it and redistribute it - as long as you don't charge a fee, of course..

This product is important to me, and for many it fulfills the need for a source-centric news consumption product that has been overshadowed by the overwhelming push of ‘social stream’ products such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus. While those products are important, they don’t meet the same needs that Google Reader was designed to, and Reader should not fall by the wayside, a victim to fashion.

I’m motivated and moved by the idea, the belief – that the people who invent and build and make things have the power to change the world. People who “remix” something or hack a better way.

As seen in the streaming of Google IO 2011, physical computing and interactive enviroments are one of the main topics opening the conference. The Android Open Accessory Kit is going to allow Android related devices receive data from different sensors (just via USB, for now).

The Android Open Accessory Development Kit (ADK) provides an implementation of an Android USB accessory that is based on the Arduino open source electronics prototyping platform, the accessory’s hardware design files, code that implements the accessory’s firmware, and the Android application that interacts with the accessory. The hardware design files and code are contained in the ADK package download.

The board is  based on the Arduino Mega2560 and Circuits@Home USB Host Shield designs, since it communicates to the phone in its “accessory” mode. You can get the custom library / firmware to make it run & test with the shield pictured on top.

more info on the [Android Developer site], via [engadget] source [Google IO]

Ten years ago, Stanford professor Robert I. Sutton wrote a book on how to manage for maximum creativity called Weird Ideas That Work. After studying some of the most innovative people and companies, Sutton concluded that what is right for routine work is consistently wrong for creative work. The best way to manage for creativity, he discovered, is to simply take every tried-and-true management trope and do the opposite.  Armed with this epiphany, he laid out his "Weird Rules of Creativity."

To me, play is the most creative thing there is. Play allows us to explore and to innovate and make things and pretend.  When we play we are being creative. I believe that play has the potential to bring out the best in us. Play opens the door to discovery and invention. Playful creativity can be the catalyst for new ideas and new ways of seeing that can change our world and make us better. I see creativity is a form of communication and a language. I agree with this speaker, that creativity is as important as literacy!

Our idea of technology appears to have supplanted the reality of technology, at least in the minds of our officials. Technology is not an invisible force; it is not still air waiting to be blown hither or thither. No, technology is the work of people, and insofar as technology “values” anything, it reflects the values of its creators and users. Technology is born with intent. We ignore that intent at our peril.

At some point, ideas must morph into action. Theory and practice are symbiotic, but one must beget the other. Each of us has the capacity to be a catalyst for change. We just need to get off the dime and act

Don Norman, a former Apple vice-president, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, and one of the world’s most influential designers, discusses his new book, Living With Complexity. Norman talks about differences between complexity, something being complicated, and simplicity, and suggests that people who bemoan “technology” don’t actually seek simplicity. He also discusses differences between designing a product and designing a system, using examples of iPods and iTunes, the Amazon Kindle, and BMW’s Mini Cooper — products whose success depended upon the success of larger systems.

"Above all, think of life as a prototype.  We can conduct experiments, make discoveries, and change our perspectives.  We can look for opportunities to turn processes into projects that have tangible outcomes.  We can learn how to take joy in the things we create whether they take the form of a fleeting experience or an heirloom that will last for generations.  We can learn that reward comes in creation and re-creation, not just in the consumption of the world around us.  Active participation in the process of creation is our right and our privilege.  We can learn to measure the sucess of our ideas not by our bank accounts but by their impact in the world."

The movie did a good job adapting that drawing to film because the time line looks almost exactly as I imagined it. It was nice to be able to pretty much understand the progression of events as they were happening. But only reason I was able to keep up with everything may just be because I've watched "Primer" so many times.

People who grow from change typically carry little, if any, negative baggage from their difficult and costly ordeal. If injustices were done to them along the way, they forgive and/or move on with the rest of their lives. If they made mistakes, they don’t indulge in a lot of guilt or self-incrimination, because they believe they were making the best decision they could at the time. People who grow from their trials and tribulations tend to be more grateful than resentful about the price they paid to achieve what they ultimately accomplish. They often report that everything they have experienced in their life, both good and bad, was necessary for them to be prepared to achieve and embrace the rewards they eventually enjoyed.

Damit will ich natürlich nicht behaupten, dass es heute nicht Schwierigkeiten gäbe, progressiv zu sein. Die demokratische Linke, und ich fasse diesen Begriff möglichst breit, so dass da durchaus die europäisch-kontinentalen Sozialdemokraten oder die amerikanischen Demokraten, die Grünen aber auch andere Linksparteien darunterpassen, sie haben heute schon ein kompliziertes Verhältnis zum gesellschaftlichen Fortschritt.

Design Thinking – die Lösung für alle Probleme? Oder “Heute retten wir gemeinsam die Welt” durch Design Thinking. So oder so ähnlich liest es sich derzeit bei vielen (vermeintlich?) fortschrittlichen Kräften. Ob bei Klimawandel, Weltwirtschaftskrise, wachsender Armut, Nachhaltigkeit oder anderen Herausforderungen unserer Zeit, Design Thinking scheint das Potential zu haben, uns zu einer Lösung zu verhelfen. Doch was ist Design Thinking eigentlich? Ein neues Business-Modell, eine Zukunftstrategie, Hoffnung, Mythos oder nur kalter Kaffee?

Of all modern management’s sins, one of the least recognized is its boredom and its neglect of beauty. After all, life was once viewed as beautiful, even though it’s hard to recall this when reading management books or looking at the working life of most people today. Wealth doesn’t seem to help. As the economy advances, the workplace doesn’t become less dreary, with its total focus on analysis, optimization, and the bottom line.

Engineers welcome any and all available scientific knowledge, but they needn't wait for scientists to give them the go-ahead to invent, design, or develop the machinery to advance technology or to check it when it runs out of control. Without understanding this, we will continue to underfund the engineering needed to solve our greatest problems.

Wie oft denkt Ihr darüber nach, wie die technischen Spielzeuge und Arbeitsmittel Eures Alltags hergestellt werden? Und wie oft verdrängt Ihr den Gedanken ganz schnell, weil Ihr ahnt, dass das nicht so ideal aussieht? Die Gründe, warum wir ständig neue glänzende Gerätschaften kaufen sollen und können, sind vielfältig. Eine Ursache sind die beschissenen Arbeitsbedingungen derer, die sie zusammenbauen.

„Das räumliche Umfeld hat einen hohen Einfluss auf die Arbeit von Selbstständigen. Oft gelingt eine unternehmerische Weiterentwicklung im Gemeinschaftsbüro besser als einsam im Büro daheim. Jeder Kreativschaffende soll deshalb genau überlegen, wo er für sich den besten Output erzielen kann, und nicht den Fehler machen, sich nur aus finanziellen Gründen für das Home Office zu entscheiden.“

These powerful online experiences are possible thanks to an open web that can be accessed by anyone through a web browser, on any Internet-connected device in the world.

Social messaging offers much more than collaboration when individuals include their multidimensional perspectives in the Enterprise stream.

All those failing E2.0 projects, just how many UX resources were on those initiatives? There are some great E2.0 technologies out there. Most of them have major design issues. If the count of developers to design staff is not approaching 1to1, you may want to rethink your efforts. When you rely on technologists to design results, you miss adding the rich perspectives of other design disciplines

Yes, there are far too many well intended but inexperienced people out there trying to give enterprises advice.

Weick beschreibt eine Grundeinheit des Organisierens, die aus Gestaltung, Selektion und Retention besteht. Zwischen Selektion und Retention finde dabei eine Rückkoppelung statt. Mehrere solcher organisatorischer Einheiten können hintereinandergeschaltet werden, so dass eine den Input der nächsten liefert. Die festgehaltenen Inhalte, also die Gegenstände der Retention, nennt Weick—besser: er vergleicht sie mit—Ursachenkarten (englisch: cause maps). Durch diese cause maps wird der Input des Organisierens, der Strom der Ereignisse, zu einer gestalteten Umwelt.

"Simplicity" is a relative term, and perhaps inapt; try "convenience", which has more useful connotations. Fitting my life into a small number of boxes tucked under my bed makes me happy. Fretting over the precise enumeration of the items in those boxes would completely defeat the object of the exercise.

Design without designers? Those who dislike the ambiguity and uncertainty of human judgments, with its uncertain track record and contradictory statements will try to abolish the human element in favor of the certainty that numbers and data appear to offer. But those who want the big gains that creative judgment can produce will follow their own judgment. The first case will bring about the small, continual improvements that have contributed greatly to the increased productivity and lowering of costs of our technologies. The second case will be rewarded with great failures and occasional great success. But those great successes will transform the world.

Douglas Coupland is a writer and artist based in Vancouver. For the canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, he wrote The ‘radical pessimist’s guide to the next 10 years’ a dystopian view on the near future. One of the the underlying ideas behind the guide could be translated as the observation that evolution continues, whether we like it or not. Our next nature might be as wild, unpredictable and out of control as ‘old nature’ once was.

"Every day is an opportunity to be creative – the canvas is your mind, the brushes and colours are your thoughts and feelings, the panorama is your story, the complete picture is a work of art called…" (Innerspace)

While blogging still seems to lack a certain credibility in the eyes of many people I talk to, it is not coincidental that the individuals who generally seem skeptical of the discipline are themselves people who do not themselves engage with it. However, ask anyone who has invested the real energy and emotional capital to write something and present it to the universe, and you invariably hear stories of personal, perspective-expanding consequences. Ok, not always, but often. But your premise that “Every blogger is someone who has learned to read the world differently” is an important proposition that needs to be considered by many.

An academic hackathon, like the ones held at Yahoo a number of years ago (where the concept originated), might be less like a job interview and more like a break from the usual work routine, to shake out new ideas or approaches. People who work or study in the same institution get together for an intense period to share. A chance to do collaborative experimentation. To try an idea out and see where it goes. See if you can't solve a problem that's part of someone else's work.

“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

I have come to expect these seven attributes from all of our teachers: commitment, talent, innovation, collaboration, intrinsic motivation, resiliency, and compassion.

It's no secret that collaboration helps in the formation of good ideas, but this charming little video from writer Steven Johnson explains why it works. More »

Love the Stuff no on told me (but I learned anyways) drawings by Alex Noriega. So funny, so wise! Check out his other blog too.

e are at the verge to lose the openness of the Internet as we’ve known it for the last 15 – 20 years. He is right. We, as a society, taking the openness of the Internet for granted, because it was born into this world as an open system. Nobody had to fight for it’s openness, because the people who are responsible for its creation did an excellent job of establishing an equal access to it. People like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg don’t believe in equality, because they believe that they ‘know better’. That’s why we have products like the iPad, which is ironically being described as ‘curated computing’. What’s next? A curated version of the Internet?

To that I would need to say: no, thanks. And I can only plead that more people stand up for the fact that those companies don’t take away what we hold precious and that is fundamentally right. Equal, uncontrolled and modified access to the Internet should not be a privilege, but a right.

Annotated link http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fconfusedofcalcutta.com%2F2010%2F05%2F04%2Fthinking-about-predictability-more-musings-about-push-and-pull

There were plenty of high profile people at the Economist event in March, but hands down the best session was a simple interview with Ed Catmull, the president of Pixar.

Martin Giles from the Economist did the interview, and did an excellent job letting Catmull cover some excellent territory.

Work has changed. It’s not a place we go, it’s a thing we do. You’re at the vanguard of this change. By working away from the office you’re doing much more than changing the scenery: You’re stepping into a whole new work dynamic, with new challenges, skill sets and opportunities. ‘Business as usual’ is not an option.

If you’ve never been to a big design conference, you’re missing out. Aside from being a blast, they’re a great way to boost you out of professional stagnation or a design rut. Below we’ll take a look at seven reasons you should attend the occasional design conference. Along the way I’ll post a few images and links for upcoming conferences that you might find interesting.

We create, and advise, and design, and invent.
Inspire, build, teach.
Repair, research, heal.
We have craft, insight and experience.
We see. We make. With style and grace.
We move along.

"Das Web ist eines der wichtigsten Labore unserer Zeit für das freie Denken, Ausprobieren, Finden, Entdecken und Erfinden. Mit augenblicklicher Resonanz und Rückkopplung. (...) Das Web muss deshalb frei und unabhängig bleiben. "