I love these quotes by the late great Joseph Campbell:
http://ping.fm/NdGyT
The promise
11 years ago
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Talk like a Pirate day falls on Rosh Hashanah this year. Not sure what that means, but here is a great site that talks about the history of Jewish Pirates
http://ping.fm/f8tM3
http://ping.fm/f8tM3
Review of Brain Rules by Dr. John Medina.
vote on Amazon.com
Dr Medina, a developmental molecular biologist, has written a fun and engaging book about the brain that is based on his research. The rules are applicable to our everyday life, and in some cases, to our work and educational settings. This book sets the bar for the new wave of brain books that have entered the marked.
The rules are simple to understand and backed by solid research. There book starts with the evolutionary history of the brain. The human brain developed as we walked for miles across open savannahs. The human brain is built to adapt to change and focus on survival. Our brain was fed by movement and processing information. This means that we are great at ignoring the boring and focusing on changes in patterns. It also means the brain needs to adapt and learn to stay healthy.
The book discusses 12 different “rules” about the brain and how we can apply them. For example, because our brains were built work while we are walking and moving, exercise boosts brain power. So if we want to improve thinking skills, we need to move and get oxygen and glucose to the brain. Aerobic exercise twice a week halves the risk of general dementia and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s by 60%. On the flip side, there is no greater anti-brain environment than the classroom and the cubicle.
Dr Medina points out that humans do not pay attention to boring things. We are better at seeing patterns and abstracting meaning than recording details. Tapping a person’s emotions helps them learn. People start to fade after 10 minutes in any lecture, and especially during a typical power point, so tap their emotions. Since vision trumps all other senses, we learn and remember best through pictures rather than words.
I loved reading that every brain is wired differently, and men and women are wired completely differently. I see this play out in the graduate courses I teach. Students have different learning styles. Men and women learn differently and are comfortable in different settings.
Finally, the book points out that we are powerful and natural explorers; a fact that is not utilized by academic or corporate settings. We design environments that limit exploration and movement. In fact, our lecture halls look exactly like the ones used in during the Renaissance. I would love to design a school that makes use of all of the rules in this book. I bet we would turn education around.
Read this book if you are in a leadership position, an educational setting, a training positions, or want to make your presentations more effective. Read this book if you want to have a “Mike Wallace” aging experience and be mentally vibrant into your 90’s.
vote on Amazon.com
Dr Medina, a developmental molecular biologist, has written a fun and engaging book about the brain that is based on his research. The rules are applicable to our everyday life, and in some cases, to our work and educational settings. This book sets the bar for the new wave of brain books that have entered the marked.
The rules are simple to understand and backed by solid research. There book starts with the evolutionary history of the brain. The human brain developed as we walked for miles across open savannahs. The human brain is built to adapt to change and focus on survival. Our brain was fed by movement and processing information. This means that we are great at ignoring the boring and focusing on changes in patterns. It also means the brain needs to adapt and learn to stay healthy.
The book discusses 12 different “rules” about the brain and how we can apply them. For example, because our brains were built work while we are walking and moving, exercise boosts brain power. So if we want to improve thinking skills, we need to move and get oxygen and glucose to the brain. Aerobic exercise twice a week halves the risk of general dementia and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s by 60%. On the flip side, there is no greater anti-brain environment than the classroom and the cubicle.
Dr Medina points out that humans do not pay attention to boring things. We are better at seeing patterns and abstracting meaning than recording details. Tapping a person’s emotions helps them learn. People start to fade after 10 minutes in any lecture, and especially during a typical power point, so tap their emotions. Since vision trumps all other senses, we learn and remember best through pictures rather than words.
I loved reading that every brain is wired differently, and men and women are wired completely differently. I see this play out in the graduate courses I teach. Students have different learning styles. Men and women learn differently and are comfortable in different settings.
Finally, the book points out that we are powerful and natural explorers; a fact that is not utilized by academic or corporate settings. We design environments that limit exploration and movement. In fact, our lecture halls look exactly like the ones used in during the Renaissance. I would love to design a school that makes use of all of the rules in this book. I bet we would turn education around.
Read this book if you are in a leadership position, an educational setting, a training positions, or want to make your presentations more effective. Read this book if you want to have a “Mike Wallace” aging experience and be mentally vibrant into your 90’s.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Book review. Read it all on Amazon vote "helpful"
In Pursuit of Elegance, written by Matthew May, delivered what it promised: the elusive element behind successful innovative breakthroughs. The answer is elegant design. This book not only defines elegance, which is not about setting a table well, but also gives guidance for any development process. I attended a workshop several years ago in which we were challenged to solve problems using elegance of design. I loved the idea, but could never clearly define what elegance in problem solving, or grant writing, or project management or leadership would look like. This book answered many of my questions.
According to May, elegant design comprises the elements of symmetry, seduction, subtraction and sustainability. Symmetry works with the brains ability, and need to find closure and make meaning. Our brain looks for patterns and balance. May defines symmetry as the junction of mathematics, nature, science and art. Symmetry allows our brain to fill in the missing pieces so that we can find solutions with only part of the information available. Games such as Sudoku are solved through this process.
Seduction engages our imagination and captivates us. We are satisfied when we fill in the empty spaces. Solving problems like this gives us a rush of dopamine. This is why less if more and why Sudoku is so addicting.
Subtraction helps us solve the problem of economy. Humans are consumers and tend to hoard. Subtraction creates the space to be filled in so that we can seek symmetry and utilized seduction. Some successful companies have eliminated job titles. Some have reduced the number of standard features. Some advertise less, or with less focus on the product. Traffic circles eliminate traffic control and result in a decrease in accidents. Psychologists have known for years that giving your adolescent less rules is more effective.
The trick is knowing what to subtract. This question is answered by sustainability. We have to create a process that is both repeatable and lasting (think about grants). Sustainable thinking helps us to do that. Together these four elements result in a blend of logic and creative thinking and produce elegant designs.
The book give any real life examples of each of these concepts and how they interact, as well as many ways the author applied them. This is a usable book and one that can help change the way any of us think about problem solving. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the world of leadership, project management, grant writing, marketing, human service management, brain studies or psychology. In fact I think anyone will enjoy this book.
In Pursuit of Elegance, written by Matthew May, delivered what it promised: the elusive element behind successful innovative breakthroughs. The answer is elegant design. This book not only defines elegance, which is not about setting a table well, but also gives guidance for any development process. I attended a workshop several years ago in which we were challenged to solve problems using elegance of design. I loved the idea, but could never clearly define what elegance in problem solving, or grant writing, or project management or leadership would look like. This book answered many of my questions.
According to May, elegant design comprises the elements of symmetry, seduction, subtraction and sustainability. Symmetry works with the brains ability, and need to find closure and make meaning. Our brain looks for patterns and balance. May defines symmetry as the junction of mathematics, nature, science and art. Symmetry allows our brain to fill in the missing pieces so that we can find solutions with only part of the information available. Games such as Sudoku are solved through this process.
Seduction engages our imagination and captivates us. We are satisfied when we fill in the empty spaces. Solving problems like this gives us a rush of dopamine. This is why less if more and why Sudoku is so addicting.
Subtraction helps us solve the problem of economy. Humans are consumers and tend to hoard. Subtraction creates the space to be filled in so that we can seek symmetry and utilized seduction. Some successful companies have eliminated job titles. Some have reduced the number of standard features. Some advertise less, or with less focus on the product. Traffic circles eliminate traffic control and result in a decrease in accidents. Psychologists have known for years that giving your adolescent less rules is more effective.
The trick is knowing what to subtract. This question is answered by sustainability. We have to create a process that is both repeatable and lasting (think about grants). Sustainable thinking helps us to do that. Together these four elements result in a blend of logic and creative thinking and produce elegant designs.
The book give any real life examples of each of these concepts and how they interact, as well as many ways the author applied them. This is a usable book and one that can help change the way any of us think about problem solving. I highly recommend this book to anyone in the world of leadership, project management, grant writing, marketing, human service management, brain studies or psychology. In fact I think anyone will enjoy this book.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Book Review: The Mature Mind by Gene Cohen
This is a short sweet wonderful book. Dr. Cohen is well known in the world of creativity and aging, so this is a great addition to his work. The focus is on brain research and what it tells us about aging and the strengths of the mature brain. Somehow the idea that aging is always accompanied by forgetfulness has worked its way into the social psyche. This is the book that disputes that depressing idea.
This book is a strong mixture of anecdote and scientific research in a format that is accessible and enjoyable. We are introduced to feisty 70 to 90 year olds, new information about brain activity, news thoughts about adult development, as well as suggestions for a healthy future.
Dr Cohen introduces us to four stages of adult development: Midlife reevaluation, Liberation, Summing up, and Encore. In each stage we meet individuals who are still developing and growing. The author also explores the strength of the brain in each phase. We are introduced to the notion that an older brain processes differently, but equally as well as a younger brain. We think differently as we age in that we have more information to link into a decision, and can use the parts of our brain in tandem more easily. We might lose some speed in our processing, but our wisdom, or the result of the processing, increases. We in fact often have better social intelligence.
The book ends with a plan for building a social portfolio and reinventing retirement. Cohn points out that most people do not truly retire, they just move into an encore stage doing things they want to do. The suggestions for keeping our brain active and strong are fairly easy: plan, build community infrastructure, build a balance social portfolio, stay engaged, continue long duration activities, give back to community, and keep learning. Through out the book is another concept, keep physically active. Cohen ends with comments on the importance of creativity.
This is a great book for anyone over 50, or anyone who is afraid of aging. It is also a good book for a developmental psychology course, especially at the graduate level. The research is solid and the presentation welcoming. I highly recommend this book
This is a short sweet wonderful book. Dr. Cohen is well known in the world of creativity and aging, so this is a great addition to his work. The focus is on brain research and what it tells us about aging and the strengths of the mature brain. Somehow the idea that aging is always accompanied by forgetfulness has worked its way into the social psyche. This is the book that disputes that depressing idea.
This book is a strong mixture of anecdote and scientific research in a format that is accessible and enjoyable. We are introduced to feisty 70 to 90 year olds, new information about brain activity, news thoughts about adult development, as well as suggestions for a healthy future.
Dr Cohen introduces us to four stages of adult development: Midlife reevaluation, Liberation, Summing up, and Encore. In each stage we meet individuals who are still developing and growing. The author also explores the strength of the brain in each phase. We are introduced to the notion that an older brain processes differently, but equally as well as a younger brain. We think differently as we age in that we have more information to link into a decision, and can use the parts of our brain in tandem more easily. We might lose some speed in our processing, but our wisdom, or the result of the processing, increases. We in fact often have better social intelligence.
The book ends with a plan for building a social portfolio and reinventing retirement. Cohn points out that most people do not truly retire, they just move into an encore stage doing things they want to do. The suggestions for keeping our brain active and strong are fairly easy: plan, build community infrastructure, build a balance social portfolio, stay engaged, continue long duration activities, give back to community, and keep learning. Through out the book is another concept, keep physically active. Cohen ends with comments on the importance of creativity.
This is a great book for anyone over 50, or anyone who is afraid of aging. It is also a good book for a developmental psychology course, especially at the graduate level. The research is solid and the presentation welcoming. I highly recommend this book
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
