Innovation Architecture
More musings on navigating the balance between control and disorder. The internet forces us to remodel the balance between the two, in order to build truly creative enterprises.

A flock of birds, a school of fish and the Game of Life all show how systems composed of many elements following simple rules can exhibit emergence or spontaneous self-organization.

Can we combine simple elements of innovation architecture to create self-organizing web sites and intranets? Perhaps. But only if we relax control and encourage experimentation.

New Book by Critic of Distance Education Describes Privacy Threats
Here is yet another example of how the internet forces us to make choices between efficiency and privacy. I personally have no objection to participating in online discussions for school classes and so far most of these discussions have been ad hoc or created without any central administrative oversight. If that changes I still think the benefits will outweigh the risks to my privacy.

In much of his book, Mr. Noble's recurring complaint is against the profit motive behind online learning. Today, he says, that gold rush seems to have ended.

"I think the phenomenon is over, and the phenomenon was caused not by the pioneers and well-intentioned people who wanted to use this stuff for teaching," Mr. Noble says in an interview. "The phenomenon was caused by the smell of money,"

What to Do With your Life
Here's an interesting article about taking scenario planning ideas from business and applying them to your personal life. It reminds me of a class I took called Desiging Professional Futures at the University of Minnesota Masters of Liberal Studies program.

When life goes foggy and fragmented, how do people figure out what to do? Frequently with their heads on tumble dry, mixing together fear, hope, desperation and instinct in unpredictable measure. Even in tempestuous times, however, there are ways to think long-term.

At one level, scenarios are something we cook up for ourselves all the time, when faced with a decision. In the shower, or lying awake at night, or tanning at the beach, you've probably done it. In our heads, we are constantly writing the histories of our own futures.

At an organized level, however, scenario planning is what fighter pilots do when they spend endless hours running through situations they may face, rehearsing their reactions.

Remember those carrier pilots who came back from the first runs over Afghanistan and said, "It wasn't as bad as the simulator?"

That's the idea.