Archive for the ‘#thinking’ Tag
Begun in 2011 by Big Think and the Jack Parker Corporation, The Floating University is an online educational initiative that debuted at Harvard, Yale, and Bard College. The purpose of The Floating University, according to its site, is to “democratize access to the world’s best thinkers” by providing free, approximately one hour-long courses on a wide range of topics, taught at a university level by experts and professors in the various fields. The inaugural course, the most favored at the three universities, is Great Big Ideas, and it more or less does what it says: tackles some of the largest, most perplexing questions in digestible introductions that also manage to be rigorous, informative, and thought-provoking.
In the lecture above, for example, Harvard cognitive psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker presents an “eSeminar” in linguistics, addressing dogged questions in the field over whether or not humans have an innate, universal grammar (as Noam Chomsky has famously argued); why language is so fundamental to our social relationships; and how language evolved. Pinker, who describes human language in broad terms as a “miracle” and a “window into the human mind,” also gets into the specific subfields of linguistics, discussing them in terms that any layperson can understand without much diluting the fascinating philosophical and scientific debates around what Darwin called our “instinctive tendency to speak” to one another, from infancy onward, all over the world, in some 6000 different languages.
The Great Big Ideas (now added to our list of 550 Free Online Courses) lecture series consists of twelve lectures total, including Pinker’s.
AN : A fast moving but highly informative video ( see source article ) covering language, language learning and linguistics. Eleven other topics and links there as well.
http://goo.gl/6kGIF
via Great Big Ideas: Free Course Features Top Thinkers Tackling the World’s Most Important Ideas | Open Culture.
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“All CEOs lead their companies: that’s line No. 1 in the job description. But only a small subset also lead their industries and the wider world toward new visions and potentially brighter futures.
Stern & Associates, a Cranford, New Jersey public-relations firm whose clients include uber-visionary Clayton Christensen, advises business leaders who want to become known as thought leaders.
Inc. editor-at-large Leigh Buchanan spoke to the firm’s group vice president Ned Ward about how he advises clients to think big–and put it out there.
Define thought leader.
I would define a thought leader as someone who stands above subject-matter expertise and is an authority in their field. And they have to be able to prove that expertise with a track record. Think of it this way: subject-matter expertise resides within a company. Thought leadership resides within an industry. Thought leaders provide clarity, especially to industries that are in flux. They teach. And they have more ambitious goals. Thought leaders want to start a movement. Change the world. “
AN : a leader on Thought Leadership…..
http://goo.gl/Mvcxz
via Thought Leadership: Become a World-Changing Thought Leader | Inc.com.
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“Walt Disney Co. (DIS) agreed to buy George Lucas’s Lucasfilm Ltd. for $4.05 billion in cash and stock, adding “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” to a roster of film hits including “The Avengers” and “Finding Nemo.”
Lucas, 68, the sole owner, will receive half in cash and the balance in stock, becoming a major investor in the film, theme-park and TV company, according to a statement today from Burbank, California-based Disney. The first of a new trilogy of “Star Wars” films will be released in 2015, Disney said.
The deal brings Disney, which paid a combined $11 billion for Pixar and Marvel in the past decade, two of Hollywood’s most lucrative franchises. The “Star Wars” films have generated $4.54 billion in worldwide ticket sales, second to Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter,” according to Box Office Mojo. “Indiana Jones” pictures have collected $1.95 billion.
“Dating all the way back to Walt Disney’s day, we learned the value of great content, characters, storytelling and great imaginary worlds,” Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger said in an interview.
The acquisition complements Iger’s focus on sequels and film franchises, fitting the same profile as the Marvel purchase three years ago.
“If Disney is really trying to focus on the tent-pole, event pictures, and given that this is something that has huge carryover value in the parks and merchandise business, it certainly makes sense,” said Matthew Harrigan, an analyst at Wunderlich Securities in Denver. “This is just the paradigm of the sustainable Hollywood franchise.”
AN : This report underscores the need to have those who are economic-centric understand the value of creativity and the creative arts. Yes ultimately it is about pure ejoyment of the expression of our God given talents , but it is also that such creative expression can be measured and monetized.
Too much emphasis is laid on economics as a driver. George Lucas, Steve Jobs et al opened whole new worlds, so to speak ,with their ways of thinking and what they thought up.
In another blog , ( http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/10/randy-wray-the-worlds-worst-central-banker.html ) the author reviewed commentary about the Central Banker for Argentina :
“The head of the Argentine Central Bank—Mercedes Marco del Pont–has been awarded the distinction as “the world’s worst central banker”. By whom, you might ask? Well, by Wall Street’s sycophantic press. Wall Street hates Mercedes. The woman, not the car.
Why? Well, for one thing she’s a woman. Wall Street hates female heads of central banks (take a look at the list of the top ten worst—3 out of 10 are female; then take a look at the 10 best, of which all but one are males.)
But that’s not anywhere near the most important reason. Ms. Marco del Pont kicked off the conference with a rousing talk, defending her central bank’s recent move away from a single mandate (inflation target) to pursuit of multiple mandates: financial stability, employment creation, and economic development with social equity. “
When Central Bankers begin to get the message and get out the message that economics is not enough…we are onto something.
Creativity has tremendous value….Lucas would surely attest to that.
http://goo.gl/BI8lf
via Disney Buys ‘Star Wars’ Producer Lucasfilm for $4 Billion – Bloomberg.
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“What Dostoevsky has to do with the hunchback of Notre Dame, Muhammad Ali, and dandelions.
As a firm believer in combinatorial creativity, I’m always interested in the ecosystem of influences and how we honor those who inspire us. Reader Will Shaw points me to this handwritten note by music icon Nick Cave entitled “More Things to Remember…,” courtesy of Melbourne’s Arts Centre, in which Cave lists some of his influences. Will writes:
“It is clear that Nick Cave was only able to reach his significant artistic heights through appropriating ideas and aesthetics from his heroes and influences and melding them into something uniquely powerful.” “
AN : interdisciplinary pollination of influences and ideas applies to the Sciences as well as the Arts….
http://goo.gl/YJtnC
via Why Creativity Necessitates Eclecticism: Nick Cave’s Influences | Brain Pickings.
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"New templates of thinking required .... in order to solve problems which previously seemed intractable to us ". So well said !
“The creative act is not performed by the artist alone.”
In 1964, Arthur Koestler penned his celebrated classic The Act of Creation, a fine addition to other notable hypotheses on how creativity works and where good ideas come from. Seven years prior, in April of 1957, French Surrealist artist Marcel Duchamp spoke at the Convention of the American Federation of Arts in Houston, Texas, addressing the same subject in a short paper he presented, entitled The Creative Act. The session included two university professors, an anthropologist, and Duchamp himself, listed in the program as “mere artist.”
A decade later, Aspen Magazine recorded Duchamp reading the paper, and the audio is now available as part of a fantastic compilation featuring several Duchamp readings and interviews.The full transcript, found in Robert Lebel’s 1959 tome Marcel Duchamp (public library, can be read below, with highlights.
via The Creative Act: Marcel Duchamp’s 1957 Classic, Read by the Artist Himself | Brain Pickings.
AN : do listen to the audio reading…
http://goo.gl/MM11N
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“So what can you do to start yourself on the road to thinking? One of the first things I would suggest is to look at the points of view of others. That will get you out of your ignorance and into the higher level. Read books and other information in areas that you don’t normally associate with. This will help expand your thinking and awareness. Talk to people in other cultures and socioeconomic groups. Doing this adds additional input and awareness into your life. Don’t get too much into a group-think mentality. While conformity has its good sides, it also has its drawbacks. Learn to be an individual.“
via Learn How To Think, Instead Of Stay Ignorant – DesignTAXI.com.
http://goo.gl/1tNoN
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An excellent short synopsis on thinking….
“Thinking is one of the basic human activities. Our mind starts popping up different kinds of ideas at a very tender age and we learn to ponder upon them. There are two types of thinking—critical and creative. Critical thinking is more analytical, convergent and focused, whereas creative thinking is generative, divergent and diffused. Our creative thinking skills are usually restrained due to various reasons.
UNCONSTRUCTIVE ATTITUDE
The tendency to center only the negative aspect of a situation acts as a barrier for the creative thinking skills. Statements like “it is too difficult or too expensive”; “we cannot do it because we don’t have enough resources or skills” highlights the negative attitude that a person carries. Instead, one must try to find opportunities in every situation and must allow oneself to face challenges.
EXECUTIVE ANXIETY
When a person is over-stressed or burdened with workload, it tends to smother his ability to think creatively. Stress targets the creative mental processes and reduces them to the minimum. In this case, one must try to understand that organization of everyday work is important but that shouldn’t stop us from trying new ideas and approaches.
AFRAID OF FAILURE
Often people prevent themselves from thinking differently for they are afraid that they’d make a fool of themselves. Creative thinking skills allow a person to bring out the unconventional methods and plans. Some see this opportunity as an easy way to become the butt of the jokes and therefore, they avoid it. In fact, one should understand that failure is a part of progress and must be embraced in a healthy way.
STRICTLY FOLLOWING RULES
Rules are very important for us to function properly and accurately. However, strictly sticking to them kills the inventive aspect of a person. This represses any possibility of bringing anything new and innovative to the table. One must not be afraid of infusing new ideas; otherwise work turns monotonous and dull.
TOO JUDGMENTAL
Over-indulgence and over-reliance on logic does not allow our creative ideas to bloom and flourish. Also, being too judgmental excludes imagination. However, creative thinking does not mean the absence of reason. It simply shows us a different, humorous and more mind-boggling approach towards it.
BIASED ASSUMPTIONS
It is a universal tendency of humans to expect the worst of the unknown. Everyone is usually afraid of the future and what it holds for them. The conscious and unconscious assumptions have the propensity of restricted creative thinking skills. For this, one must weigh all the assumptions to make sure they are not cutting off any new ideas.
Creative thinking skills open up many opportunities for us. To make the most of it, one must work on eradicating the barriers that holds back our creativity. “
via Barriers Of Creative Thinking Skills – DesignTAXI.com.
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“At the root of every seemingly technical problem is a human problem. Five Whys provides an opportunity to discover what that human problem might be.”
via To Get To The Root Of A Hard Problem, Just Ask “Why” Five Times | Co.Design: business + innovation + design.
A brilliantly simple concept but powerful , practical method to get at solutions.
Connect to the link to get the whole article.
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Thinking about thinking….creativity and the role of play in creativity….
Part 1 Ward Van Duffel, LEGO Education Europe, STEM conference 2012 – YouTube.
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