churchill

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." -Winston Churchill

Another one from Goethe!

Nothing is worth more than this day. Goethe

Impact of Digitization of Knowledge

Thinking: is the transition to having our information digitally recorded and instantly searchable most comparable to the transition from oral to written language, or from scribes to the printing press? Or something else?

Lingering thoughts after finishing +Kevin Kelly's What Technology Wants and discussing in a hangout with him organized by +Simon Fowler. We weren't discussing this question per se, but the conversation has me stepping back and looking at the broader, long-term impact of the dramatic pace of technology's advances.

flossing

This Chris Brogan article on what flossing can teach us about success has stuck with me since reading it yesterday. In part, the simple fact that I don't floss as consistently as I should is a symbol of my general tendency not to prioritize some of the less interesting maintenance tasks. So I'm thinking making sure I floss every day, but also think in terms of building maintenance activities (filing, social media maintenance, staying more current on email, bill, etc) more consistently into daily routine would be a good idea.

More good than evil...

"There is more good than evil in the world--but not by much." Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.

Zen Wisdom

Knowledge is learning something every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day ~ Zen Proverb

Arrival

Arrival
launch into open waters
course beyond my control
jostled by choppy seas

breath of tangy air
glimpse of land not yet known
waiting for arrival


(poem written crossing on the Long Island Ferry)

dreaming discovery

RT @CharityIdeas: Sail away from the safe harbor; catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain #quote

Give me a place to stand...

“Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world. Archimedes

Cognitive Surplus Notes 2

"Increasing the number of things you have can be useful, but increasing the amount of knowledge you have can be transformative."

Cognitive surplus notes

Points out that notion that the normal state of things is for people to just consume media is off base.

Foursquare & social networks

Passing thought: Foursquare point system seems to incentivize loyatly (Mayorships & repeat visit points) and exploration (extra for visiting new places). There seems to be a parallel one could draw with creating an effective social network. One derives different kinds of social capital benefits through strengthening existing ties (loyalty) versus branching out and exploring new connections. Through the latter, one can reap the "strength of weak ties" which are more apt to connect you with jobs and other opportunities you wouldn't otherwise know about. But it's those stronger ties, typically your close friends and family, that you are likely to rely on in times of need. Not to mention those deeper ties are typically source of richer meaning and happiness. Both kinds of ties are good, ideally one has a balance of the two.

Giving

"See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving." Kahlil Gibran #poetry #giving

Truth Seekers

Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Andrew Gide

speckles of moonlight (draft)

speckles of moonlight
dancing over the ripples
fall chill in the air
***
walking before dawn

jumpstarting the day

waking with bunnies

walk through morning dew
all is new for your young eyes
waking with bunnies

Keep it simple...

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.“ – Albert Einstein

10 year goals for SCI

need to start by thinking...what will communities be like in 10 years?

-more diverse

-boomers in trad retirement age

-tech innovation> will be even more important for civic & economic participation....danger of a widening gap if not addressed.

Medici's

Just finished Medici book section on Cosimo. He seems to be the one that really launched the family as a cultural catalyst--they already had a pretty big banking business though he also took that to new levels. He had a strong appreciation for the Classics, and was a big backer of the arts. Donatello one example of an artist that he supported in a big way...seems like others didn't appreciate him much, one funny story of a businessperson who wanted to pay Donatello a florin per day or something like that. D. gets upset, knocks the statue off a railing and breaks it.

Not much in this part at least of bringing artists/thinkers together...more "bilateral" support from Cosimo...that comes later?

Pre-Sunrise Haiku

starting in the dark

world yet to be graced by sun

glimpse first fragile light

carnegie on goals

RT @niklasnxt: "If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes." Andrew Carnegie

Stereo Contest Character

Loud stereo passing by reminds me of character Jodi & I met (I think he was driving us back from car dealership), who was bragging about having won "stereo contests". "Yah, buddy, when I get this thing cranked up, I gotta where my earplugs!"

May I have such lofty aspirations, to have a stereo that requires wearing earplugs...

Jefferson on kindness

May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion. - Thomas Jefferson

Concluding quotes from "Good Ideas"

"The natural state of ideas is flow and spillover and connection."

"The more government thinks of itself as an open platform instead of a centralized bureaucracy, the better it will be for all of us."

"Go for a walk, cultivate hunches; write everything down, but keep your folders messy; embrace serendipity..."

innovative social networks

Diverse, horizontal social networks 3x more innovative than uniform, vertical networks, per Martin Ruef. via @stevenbjohnson

something to say here about bridging social capital in community context?

Moonstone Double Reference

I'd never heard of the book "Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins before seeing it mentioned in the Globe's Bibliophile column yesterday. Nina Sankovitch called it one of her favorite books, calling it the first mystery written. A bit later that afternoon, saw it referenced again in Steven Johnson's Where Good Ideas Come From. A sign this somewhat obscure book from 1868 should be added to my reading list I suppose?

Ali on growth

A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.
Muhammad Ali

Innovation/hunches

Secret to org. inspiration is to build info networks that allow hunches to persist & disperse & recombine.

Choosing our thoughts

The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another. William James

Liquid Networks

"It's not that the network itself is smart; it's that the individuals get smarter b/c they're connected to a network." @stevenbjohnson

Twitter Testimonial from Carol!

‎"My search began with u and SCI. What a difference u & SCI made in my life! Life is so much sweeter, being involved & connected." @cbseitz Tweet earlier this week, love this one!

SCI & Community Conversations

How can SCI be a go-to place for meaningful conversation about community? thinking of this following lunch meeting yesterday with new contact, who clearly welcomed the focus we have on the issue...seems like being a place for people to have such dialogue would be a natural.

Rosabeth Kanter on Twitter & Networks

"People w power & influence derive their power from their centrality within self-organizing networks" @RosabethKanter http://bit.ly/9eKH6u >good overall article

MLK on creativity

Every person must have a concern for self and feel a responsibility to discover one's mission in life...Potential powers of creativity are within us, and we have a duty to work assiduously to discover those powers.

New Beginning

Droplets of water on the

golden brown leaves sparkle

in the morning's first light.

Taking the time to appreciate

this new beginning.

11/4/02

Emerson on Perception

People will only see what they are prepared to see. Emerson

Future already here

"The future is already here. It’s just not very evenly distributed." Attributed to William Gibson, in #knightcomm portals paper.

Change is constant

Nothing endures but change. Heraclitus #quotes

balancing digital learning

"we must help our digital kids balance the individual empowerment of digital technology use with a sense of personal, community, and global responsibility. "

"both ancient and digital-age humans crave community"

From this article http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb11/vol68/num05/Character-Education-for-the-Digital-Age.aspx

MLK arc of moral universe

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice

Injustice anywhere

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. MLK, Letter from Birmingham Jail #quotes

Tweet from an Egyptian Child

@jay2the9 "I dont need Obama, I dont need Clinton, I will free Egypt with my mom & dad" - Young Child @ Tahrir Square #egypt #IranElection

texture & simmering

was thinking about what gives life "texture"...and Howard Thurman's notion of "simmering" to start the day. Slowly awakening to what is around us, seeing things deeper and appreciating. Seeing sunlight reflected in bits of ice on each branch walking around the pond this a.m.

The Unreasonable Man

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George Bernard Shaw

Camus: Winter

"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

Start by changing our thoughts, Sadat

He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality. Anwar Sadat

trust brings prosperity

15% increase in a nation's trust level results in 1% annual boost income. Paul Zak, cited in The Rational Optimist. #socialcapital

Civility JFK

"So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a
sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof"
— John F. Kennedy

Foundations involved w social capital study

http://www.cfsv.org/communitysurvey/docs/exec_summ.pdf List included in this study.